While I might be on the other side of this infertility journey these days, there is still so much more about infertility to be shared. Infertility was part of our lives and indentity for four years and I often feel like I'm in this awkward "in between" place. Infertility raises a lot of questions even after pregnancy has occurred. But that's for another post! Let's jump into things you can't prepare yourself for while struggling with infertility!

Baby Smith is a sweet little girl! You may be curious how we know so early. We found out her gender when we did genetic testing (Natera Panorama to be exact) at 11 weeks and found out the results by 11 weeks 6 days. If you're curious what genetic testing is, it's a series of maternal blood tests that determine fetal risk for chromosomal disorders such as trisomy 13,18 and 21 (Down syndrome). While Down syndrome was/is the least of our concerns, trisomy 13 and 18 are much more severe conditions and often these effected babies don't survive but a few days after birth.

You may be wondering why we would decide to do genetic testing, especially with no family history of these conditions. When you find yourself in a situation that's taken so long, things feel too good to be true. You feel like you're just waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under your feet. We asked for genetic testing purely for peace of mind. Pregnancy is stressful enough, but a first pregnancy after Infertility brings a whole other level of stress and fears.

By the time we had announced the news, we had had two ultrasounds and genetic testing that yielded our pregnancy low risk. Praise God! If our testing had yielded inconclusive or high risk results, we would have approached our announcement very differently and much more privately. You may be wondering if we would have taken action or done anything differently as far as our pregnancy goes. Not a chance. This child was no mistake, no matter what the results were. Our love for this little girl is beyond words and she was hand picked just for us at just the right time.

You might be wondering if she has a name! As of right now, we have a few names picked and plan to see what suites her best when she makes her arrival! Some think we're crazy and some totally get it, but this is how we're approaching our pregnancy and what works for us. Our moto this pregnancy has been that sometimes God gives you things that you should keep close to your heart and sacred and when the timing is right, you'll know. We have no doubts the moment we look at her, we will know her name.