Written by: Katie Lippa
Sometimes we’re asked to step out of our comfort zone for a time. Maybe it’s a hard conversation or trying a new hobby. And sometimes we’re asked to literally jump out of that comfort zone skydiving style, and never look back. Free falling, having no idea where it’s taking you, and the only comfort is knowing you have a parachute called faith that will help ease the fall. Having that parachute doesn’t mean it’s not the scariest thing you’ve ever done. Because it is. And quite frankly, hitting the ground still might hurt like hell. But you do it because staying in that plane for the rest of your life isn’t an option. So, you jump. That’s how my entry into motherhood felt like as we walked the road of embryo adoption.
We started our adoption journey on a cold January night in 2010. After years of processing the devastating news that we would never have biological children. I remember hearing about embryo adoption for the first time and thinking it was odd and yet beautiful. Adopting embryos from a couple who went through IVF and have remaining frozen embryos. Feeling their family is complete, the most life honoring thing to do with these left over embryos is to give them a chance at life. While it sounded amazing, our initial reaction was that it wasn’t for us. Isn’t it interesting how we can often resist things that feel so out of our comfort zone? It feels so out of control. And yet, a still small voice continued to speak to us about it. What if this was for us?What if we jumped, not knowing the outcome?What if we said yes to this wild adventure?
We knew that embryo adoption was risky. You are not guaranteed that it will end in a pregnancy. As we prayed about it we said that we would only move forward if it was the path God had for us. At that point we wanted to do it but we needed something bigger than just our desires to move us forward. Because if He told us to go down the road, the outcome didn't matter. Of course we hoped it would result in a pregnancy and becoming parents. But we also knew that we would be giving those embryos a chance at life. Regardless of the outcome, that is a great honor.
Fast Forward a couple years.We have adopted from 2 different families and had the opportunity to give 6 embryos a chance at life. We had the great honor of being a vessel in which 5 were released, no longer remaining in a frozen state. And one embryo stayed with us. His life was conceived 3.5 years before being placed into my womb….. On a cold day in January back in 2010. A intricate detail not lost on us.
I had the opportunity to carry and birth my adopted son. Even as I type the words it still gives me the chills. When I look into my sons eyes I see Gods goodness. I see a wild story that is far beyond one I could orchestrate. I’m thankful for the pain of infertility that brought us down this road. I’m thankful we jumped.
