A BABY FOR US TOO, PLEEEASE

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand

Psalm 127: 3 and 4

“HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

I am not a fan of too much reality television, but a few of them I do watch, especially those showing people who are triumphing, despite challenges. I guess this is so, because I do have challenges myself and so need to take a page from these peoples' life book, from time to time.

I like ‘Little People Big World’ and ‘The Little Couple’, which both airs on TLC. As the names indicate, these are shows starring people of small statute as they, ( I was going to say, as they try to find their places), but I do believe these people are  commanding their spaces in our ‘big world’ because they are doing things that some of us who fit in without much difficulty, is not so brave to do.

I am particularly drawn to Bill Klein and Jen Arnold of The Little Couple, and now I find out that they are dealing with reproductive issues in their show. They are both in their thirties and are under  4ft tall.   Jen is head of the paediatric centre at a hospital in her area, where she specializes in treating newborns who are born critically ill and Bill is a businessman.

They are newlyweds, having married for two years and like most couples, they are thinking of starting a family. Jen has been cautioned against carrying a child because of her small statute, as it could have a tragic outcome and so they are exploring the possibility of having a surrogate carry their child. Their reproductive specialist is now in the process of stimulating Jen’s ovaries so that she can produce the required amount of follicles for retrieval so that this procedure can begin.  The problem though is, despite an increase in the amount of medication Jen is still only able to produce two follicles and they need between six to seven for this retrieval to make sense, because it is a risky process for a little person.

See below a clip from the episode when Bill and Jen visited their fertility specialist to explore the possibility of having children through surrogacy.

Jen is of course very devastated when she realizes that her ovaries are not producing the required amount of follicles to make their plans to use a surrogate possible and her husband is being so supportive and encouraging to her. This season ended on this note, but from all indications, it seems they will still try this retrieval process again when the new season returns.  If they are not successful then they are thinking of adoption.

I shared this story just to say that, no matter what, all of us deserve a shot at our dreams, and I am happy that they are reminding us all of this. Not because these individuals were born little, does it mean that they should not have as much of life as they possibly can and also not because they were born little, does it mean that they were not born with the capacity to conceive, foster and care for children.  I know there might be concerns as it relates to the safety of  the baby or babies that they will eventually care for, but there is another  such show on TLC, called ‘Our  Little Life,’ where another  little couple has a child and just watching how keenly they  care for this precious life, despite their many and varied challenges, is quite commendable.

I wish Bill and Jen all the best in their pursuit for the family they so deserve. 

Read about ovarian follicle counts, ovarian volume and reserve.