...
Bongiwe pushed the huge double door which required one to have had their breakfast before starting their nonsense with it. The door to the fertility clinic was heavy and she had forgotten this annoying fact. She walked in and made her way to reception.
"Hi. My name is Bongiwe and I have a scheduled appointment for eleven o'clock?". The receptionist met her with a smile and told her to wait as he checks on his computer. He did exactly that and confirmed the appointment.
"You indeed have an appointment but Dr Benjie is still with another client but they should be wrapping up soon", he said and Bongiwe sighed. She hated having being made to wait, especially on accounts when she had an appointment because then, what would be the point?"
Obakeng, the receptionist sensed the change in her mood and raised his finger to indicate that she should give him a minute as he called the office. He called the owner slash doctor to let her know about Bongiwe's arrival. It took only 30 seconds.
"She will be done just now", he said with a smile and she smiled back. Arg she couldn't punish the poor guy for no reason. The gold lift made a loud 'ting' sound before pulling open. The doctor walked out of the lift with the client and they shook hands before she left.
"Oh hi. I am terribly sorry about that. This way please", she said Bongiwe. Bongiwe followed her into the lift.
"How are you?", the Indian doctor asked.
"I am well thanks how are you?"
"Good good. Haven't seen you in a minute. Finally ready to be a mother huh?"
Bongiwe gave a light laugh.
"Yup. Hopefully all goes well", she remarked before they stepped out of the lift and went in the direction of the doctor's office. Both women walked in heels like they were born with a pair on their feet. The office was at the last floor of the building and it was huge, and elegant.
"You may take a seat", the doctor said before taking off her white coat and placing it on the four-hook hanger. She went to take a seat across Bongiwe and pulled her macbook open.
"I could hear how eager you sounded over the phone. I was starting to think you were never coming back", she joked. Bongiwe laughed.
"I'm just kidding. We've had women who froze their eggs for quite a damn while before they could come back"
Bongiwe nodded. She had a part of her that didn't want to admit that she was nervous. The doctor noticed this.
"Are you one hundred percent sure about this?", she asked before returning her eyes to her screen.
"Yeah. I'm just... a lot of things are going through my mind right now"
A lady walked in with a tray that had two cups with their saucers and a pot of tea on it. She placed it down and they thanked her before she left.
"What if I make a bad mother?"
Doctor Benjie huffed a laugh.
"Trust me. It is veeery common to feel that way. However, we do offer counseling for such cases? Cases where you feel unsure?"
"I am sure. It's just the nerves"
"Alright. Let me take you through what's going to happen and what you should expect", the doctor said before handing her a blue pamphlet with pink diagrams and writings.
"Before we get into that, do we need to find a surrogate for you or are you prepared to carry the baby yourself? We work closely with the Help-a-mom agenc--"
"I will be carrying the baby myself"
"Alright then. Do you have a partner? We have a sperm bank within this very clinic if you don't have one. We pride ourselves with--"
"I don't. I don't have a partner", Bongiwe sadly informed.
"That is not a problem at all. We have a couple of profiles you can choose from. Plenty actually!", the doctor said with a smile. "After this, I will schedule another appointment for you so we can get you started on the hormone treatment"
"Hormone treatment?", Bongiwe enquired. She'd read a little about this from the net but she wanted to understand it a bit further, from the mouth of a reliable horse.
"Yes. See, unlike somebody who fell pregnant organically, your body still needs to be prepared for this. By hormones I am referring to estrogen and progesterone. This combo maximizes chances of pregnancy and it has been proven to prevent a miscarriage, of course to a certain degree"
"When you say... they increase the chances of pregnancy...?"
"Let me put it this way: Unlike men, women are born with a particular number of eggs that declines as they grow and go on their menses. You do know that when you menstruate you shed an egg correct? Well men produce sperm every single day. I have explained to you that when you freeze the eggs, you are delaying their degeneration, not actually stopping it. It's the same as when you put food in the fridge. It won't stay preserved forever. After the in vitro fertilization where we will be fusing your eggs with sperm from the donor of your choice, the embryos will be placed directly in your uterus. IF they implant themselves there then you will fall pregnant. If they don't, you will obviously need another IVF trial"
She explained and Bongiwe sighed heavily. Dr Benjie laughed lightly.
"I know. It's a lot to take in. Please take this leatlet home, read it and don't hesitate to call me if there is anything you find confusing. Anything at all"
Bongiwe stood up and took the pamphlet. They shook hands and she left.
Episode 55
Start from the beginning
