To hear the news that a couple is expecting a much-wanted baby is one of life's most joyful experiences. To learn the pregnancy is the long-awaited result of years of pain, uncertainty and anguish makes the news all the more sweet, none more so than for the parents themselves.
When expectant parents Lauren and Garyt Walker approached the issue of how to announce the happy news they were having boy-girl twins, they also wanted to share how difficult the journey had been in a visual way on Facebook. Inspired by the viral photograph of the newborn baby surrounded by syringes, the couple laid out two custom baby onesies; one said 'Worth the wait' and the other said 'and wait and wait and wait.'
Surrounding the two tiny outfits were hundreds of syringes, representing the enormous struggle of two-and-a-half years of IVF pain, hope and heartbreak, culminating finally in the conception of their twins.
Lauren writes at length about the couple's quest for a baby, firstly stating in numbers, the events they have been through.
"We prayed for 953 days...
452 Needles
1000's of tears
1 corrective surgery
4 clomid/letrozole attempts
2 IVF rounds
3 failed transfers
We are overwhelmed with joy to finally announce that we are expecting boy/girl TWINS!!
Duke & Diana Walker - August 2017"
Although an eventual success story - something many couples never experience - the experience has left an indelible mark on the childhood sweethearts; from 'unresponsive trigger attempts, rescued egg retrieval and uterine septums,' to hyper-stimulations, drug immunities and clotting issues.'
Lauren explains, "Taking out these needles by the handful to take this photograph was . . . surreal. Halfway through my hands started to quiver, my breath got short, and I had to stop. I sat down, looked at it and started to cry. Not because I was sad about what it took to get here, but because it was a representation of my world, our world, for the past over two and a half years staring back at me."
Each and every one of those needles held great significance for the pair. "There was a lot of pain, hope, and fear behind each of these needles. Each one represents a different day, a different path, a different emotion. It's a lot to take in."
After the emotional process of arranging and taking the photo Lauren sees that the image encompasses everything they've been through.
"After a good cry, the more I looked at it, the more the needles started to blur together. Now all I see are these tiny onesies that so perfectly sum up our journey: Worth the wait. And wait, and wait, and wait."
Make sure you click on the Facebook post to read the Walker's whole story.