Balimoon Baby

We brought a little souvenir back from our honeymoon in Bali!

Right after we got married in August 2018, Jeff and I decided to start trying. We had heard from friends and coworkers that the road to conception could often be long and bumpy — some needed to see fertility specialists, time their ovulation cycles, etc. Little did we know, we would conceive as soon as we started trying. This was a MIRACLE to me.

As a bit of background, I’ve had a string of autoimmune and health complications since I was very young. I’ve always been on regimes of toxic medication and immuno-suppressants, and the doctors had always told me that I might not be able to conceive on my own. In fact, when I first told Jeff, he broke up with me for a month because having his own kids was a big deal to him (I know - insensitive, but hey, he was 24 and dumb, and he came to his senses pretty quickly).

Jeff and I had gotten used to the idea of alternate options, and we had even started saving up for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy. The notion that we could conceive naturally was essentially off the table, but when we got married, we thought we’d give it a try for a couple years anyway.

So why was I able to conceive so easily? I have no idea! I think there was definitely something about being on our honeymoon in Bali, in complete bliss and happiness. Jeff had planned the entire trip, so I just got to relax and enjoy every single moment. I think it also had to do with a better lifestyle. When the doctors first told me that I might not be able to conceive, my body was exhausted from working 100-120 hrs a week in investment banking; my inflammation was off the charts; I was medicating often on an hourly basis; and overall, my body was breaking down. When I quit banking, I started avidly practicing yoga and focused on prioritizing my health — both emotional and physical health.

Don’t get me wrong - while I’m ecstatic about this little miracle, we’re also scared to death! I think it’s pretty normal to think “omg we are not ready for this / we have no idea what to do or how to be parents,” so we’re taking it day by day. Hence why I wanted to start this blog - as an outlet and reminder to be grateful and mindful when we get those waves of uncertainty.

So that’s the story of how this little miracle came to be.