Life and Leisure

Baby makers

By Lin Qi (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-20 08:22

"It felt like winning the top prize in a lottery"

L, 37, an office worker in Beijing and mother of a two-year-old test-tube boy, recounts her story of receiving IVF treatment.

For a long time in our marriage, we gave no thought to a child in our lives.

We didn't feel much pressure from my parents-in-law either, because my husband's younger brother was married and had a child.

Once we found ourselves well established in our careers, and our marriage was going smoothly, our thoughts turned to having a child. We felt so jealous every time we saw our friends and colleagues playing with their children. I sensed the impending alarm of my "biological clock".

We tried for a year to conceive but failed. We then underwent a fertility check-up at the Reproduction Medical Center of Peking University People's Hospital. It turned out my husband had a low sperm count. We were shocked by the result and felt rather frustrated. We never expected that something like this would happen to us. We had taken pregnancy for granted; it would happen whenever we wanted.

We dared not to tell our parents about our plight. We didn't want them to worry about us.

The doctor suggested we receive IVF treatment as soon as possible, since we were in our 30s and left with little time to try other time-consuming therapies.

We took the advice and adhered strictly to the doctor's instructions throughout the whole procedure. Our only fear was the fertilized egg would not lead to a successful pregnancy. We feared we would not be able to bear that disappointment.

About 20 days after the operation we went to the hospital for a checkup. The doctor declared that we were going to have a child. It felt like we had won the top prize in a lottery.

We saw many couples at the reproduction center and some had undergone the treatment for more than one treatment cycle. Yet, they had failed to conceive. We felt lucky to have made it on our first try.

My pregnancy was not very different from that of others, except that I was extra cautious. For instance, I didn't watch TV, or use the cell phone or computer. This might sound like I was overly sensitive, but I was prepared to make any sacrifice for my child's health. Not once throughout my pregnancy did I dwell on the sex of the child.

My boy was delivered by Cesarean section.

I feel married couples should not delay parenthood. A lot of young people today put their careers on top of their agenda so that they have the finances to give their child an elite education. We once thought the same, and paid the price for it. We haven't decided whether or not to tell our son the truth of his birth. We are unsure how he will react and whether he will think of it as unusual.

China Daily