The young couple from Tulsa, Oklahoma valued the traditional family life. They wanted the suburban dream, a dog, a couple of kids and friendly neighbours but after trying to conceive for over 3 years their dream looked all but shattered.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
Dealing with fertility issues can shake a couple to their core, almost always breaking them apart and Sarah and Andy Justice were in the throws of all this when they got the news that would go on to change their lives.
No Fairytale
As soon as they got married, Sarah and Andy started trying to grow their family. The healthy couple were excited and ready! They had planned on having kids ever since they started dating but what was supposed to be the start of their new life soon turned into a heartbreaking challenge.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
They could never have imagined that they would run into fertility issues. Both of them were healthy and had no real reason as to why they couldn’t naturally conceive and after trying for 3 years, they finally made an appointment with a fertility expert.
Fertility Specialist
Sarah took it especially hard. She had a plan in her mind as to what her life was going to be like after marriage and during the long drive, nearly six hours, to the fertility clinic she couldn’t help but feel awful about the strange turn of events.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
The couple sat in silence, both of them lost in thought and hoping and praying that this new step would be the last in finally turning their dream into a reality but sadly, all they were going to hear was bad news.
The Harsh Truth
After putting the couple through a number of tests, which left them feeling exposed and exhausted they finally had their answer. Andy and Sarah were both more or less, infertile. Hearing those certain and final words from the experts felt like a boulder had been dropped on the already struggling couple’s head.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
The fertility specialist told the Justices that conceiving children naturally would be near impossible for them and if they still wanted to have biological children, there were only a few options left.
Horrible Odds
The first and more likely to work for them was the expensive treatment, In vitro fertilization. The invasive procedure would take Sarah’s few healthy eggs and try to fertilize them in a laboratory.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
Each cycle was going to cost around $30,000 and $60,000! Just the price tag enough was enough to deter the couple from pursuing the process any further but when they heard that even with all that, they would have only a 10% chance of getting pregnant they felt destroyed.
Destroyed
The couple drove back the long 6-hour journey dismayed and broken. They had no idea what to do next? The experts had made it seem that they would never have kids and this was hard to digest for both of them.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
Their lifelong dream was never going to happen until Sarah had an idea. The minute she got home, Sarah began to research more. She wanted to be as prepared as possible before she told Andy about her plan.
New Plan
She wanted to adopt! While this wasn’t what the couple had originally wanted, seeing the odds of having a biological child they had reconsidered. Adopting also would be less financially strenuous which also made it an appealing option compared to in vitro.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
But of course, everyone had heard adoption horror stories where birth mothers would change their minds last minute shattering the adoptive parent’s dreams or it takes years to finally find a good match.
Adoption Process
But to the couple, it was worth the risk. They quickly found a good adoption agency and got on the rooster of getting interviewed by prospective birth mothers. The nerve-wracking experience of having to sell yourself to a complete stranger was exhausting.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
Andy and Sarah could never have imagined that their desire to have a family would be such a long and tiring battle. The adoption agency also required the couple to submit detailed applications which sometimes took months to clear!
Another Blow
Despite all the necessary red tape, the couple persevered. They knew that once they were able to hold their baby in their hands, it was all going to be worth it and when a birth mother finally chose them, the dream was going to soon turn into reality.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
The couple were overjoyed. They went with the birth mother to her ultrasounds and despite having no biological relation to the baby, they were deeply attached but then… another blow came. As Sarah was preparing the nursery, she got the call – the birth mother had changed her mind.
Last Try
Andy and Sarah were again left heartbroken. They respected the birth mother’s choice but felt betrayed. In their hearts, that was their baby but the agency had warned them to expect this and assured them that it was common.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
Again the couple went back to being interviewed by birth mothers and this time got selected right away – it looked like this was the one but just as the baby was about to be born, the mother changed her mind at the last minute.
Desperate
This emotional process with its ups and downs were breaking Sarah and Andy. The couple were shaken to their core. Should they give up on their dream of having kids? Were they putting themselves through this in vain?
Credits: Bonvoyaged
Running out of money and hope, Sarah and Andy decided to try one last time. This time they would take the pressure off themselves to “impress” and sometimes overcompensate in interviews and just try to be themselves – and it worked.
Quietly Hopeful
The Justices received a call from one of their expectant mothers and she had accepted them as parents for her unborn child! But since the couple had been rejected at the last minute before, they tried to keep a clear head.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
But this time was different. The expected mother wanted to see the couple several times and really got to know Sarah and Andy and learned about their struggle to get pregnant and during a regular ultrasound, everything changed for the better.
Triplets
The birth mother was having triplets! This was a complete surprise to the Justices who were desperate to have just one baby and now they were soon to be blessed with three was an extraordinary turn of events.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
They signed all the papers and started amping up their preparation, it looked like all their years of struggle and patience was finally going to pay off. The couple was going to become parents to three healthy babies!
Preparation
The months whizzed by and Sarah threw herself into making sure that her babies would be as comfortable as possible. She stocked up on formula, clothes and even got help from her local church.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
But during this time, she had failed to take care of herself and had been feeling under the weather. Sarah was always tired and a little nauseous but the expectant mother swept away these symptoms as jitters of excitement!
They Are Here!
In May of 2013, they got the call. The birth mother was in labour! It was eight weeks earlier than their due date but that was common for triplets. The couple grabbed their bags and paperwork.
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Thankfully, the delivery went smoothly and all three babies were healthy including the birth mother. Hannah, Joel, and Elizabeth were born weighing only about 3 pounds each and had to spend a few weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit before they could go home.
A Suprise!
While the couple waited for their newborn babies to get stronger, Sarah started feeling worst. Again, she ignored her symptoms thinking it was the fatigue and exhaustion from her much-awaited children being in the intensive care unit but Andy was getting worried.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
And finally, Sarah listened to her husband and went to the doctor and after doing all the bloodwork, the couple got the shock of a lifetime. Sarah’s blood work had revealed something unimaginable which had even taken the doctor by shock -she was pregnant!
The Best News
The couple was overwhelmed with joy! Once told they would have a 10 per cent chance of having kids and now finding out that they had gotten naturally pregnant while getting blessed with triplets! The news couldn’t have been better but it was!
Credits: Bonvoyaged
A few weeks later with the triplets at home and the couple adjusting to parenthood, Sarah had her first ultrasound scan and it showed more good news for the couple – she was pregnant with twins!
House Full
The whole situation was insane and unexpected and it would mean the couple would be raising five children all under a year old! Time seemed to spill past them and soon, the Justices welcomed twins Abigail and Andrew into their full home and happy hearts.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
Their community who had been with them every step of the way through their fertility journey showered the couple with presents from home-cooked meals to baby products and of course, lots of love.
Community Help
The couple also soon learned that it was going to take a village to raise their babies and accepted donations of diapers, bottles, blankets, and clothing from anyone who offered and thankfully, there were many helping hands.
Credits: Bonvoyaged
To put it all into perspective, the babies went through 84 bottles a whopping 300 diapers every single week! They had to sell their car to buy a big family van and planned on moving to a bigger home as well!
Viral
Juggling work and parenthood is exhausting for couples who only have one baby but with five kids under 2 years old, the Justices’ house was mayhem but in the best way possible. Andy even revealed that they would paint nail polish on the babies toenails to tell them apart!
Credits: Bonvoyaged
And of course, the news of the happy family and their story soon began spreading and when a post about them went viral, they gained thousands of Facebook followers, eager to help the couple and the family in any way they could.
The Perfect Ending
And the blessings were still arriving for the couple, in January of 2016, Sarah and Andy welcomed a sixth child, a baby boy Caleb, another biological child who was born naturally! The family was now six strong and happier than ever!
Credits: Bonvoyaged
“We just really love having these children,” says Sarah who is finally living her dream of a full house filled with laughter and children. The couple now have their suburban home and even have a dog!