Sarah means God’s princess in Hebrew. At age 36, a year following 6 years of trying to conceive a child, my daughter Sarah was born. She is three years old now.
We had tried to conceive for a few years when I showed up desperate at an IVF clinic.The whole clinic scared me and especially the physicians. When the clinical tech told me how the IVF procedure worked and the administrator told me about how much each round would cost with no guarantee, I pretty much ran out of there faster than I could say, “No thanks.” After seriously considering IVF as an option, I found my experience to be degrading and treating women in an almost animalistic manner. Two of my friends had experiences with IVF and both conceived healthy children. However, both where traumatized physically, emotionally and financially by the preliminary procedures to correct their inability to conceive in addition to not conceiving until 3 rounds each. The costs are prohibitive. One of these ladies spent her whole inheritance from a father that worked all of his life to complete 3 rounds of IVF. She nearly lost her job for absenteeism and she underwent several operations.
As a religious person, I began to attend Mass prior to work. My heart was set on giving up control to God; simple; but not easy. My family remained unaware of any of these events and kept asking me about when I was going to have a child. My aging grandmother would telephone almost daily and trying to get the message across that it wasn’t part of my destiny was not going over very well. I became depressed in addition to anxious. One day I called to schedule a massage to try to calm down. Somehow, I made it a few minutes late and the therapist was a fill in for someone on vacation. We spoke briefly following the procedure and he mentioned that I might want to seek out acupuncture for the anxiety for all of the neuron muscular pain. A therapist whose name I can’t recall referred me to Dr. Mary Tan for anxiety and associated pain. Dr. Tan scheduled me for an hour and half the first visit. I explained what was going on and she said she could help but I also needed to commit time and work on other aspects of my life including diet and temperament. Prior to the visit I had absolutely no belief in Traditional Chinese Medicine and only considered it as an experimental first appointment that probably would also be my last. After speaking with Dr. Tan and picking up on a calm and wise temperament, she seemed more competent than most physicians I knew and my job involves interacting and managing some of the most qualified specialists in the country. Her approach was simple and made perfect sense. She made me feel comfortable and found the first experience extremely relaxing and pleasant. The anxiety subsided to the extent that I was able to begin to relax more at home and my then husband seemed very interested in the process as he had practiced Tai Chi as a youth.
One day Dr. Tan asked me if I ever wanted to conceive. I told her my story and how I had given up about two years prior. She said she understood and didn’t push it. As my then husband attended the Tai Chi, he started treatments for general health as well. He started eating healthier and seemed to have more energy and direction. He stopped heavy intake of alcohol for several months and we went to Dr. Tan together one day and mentioned that we were interested in getting pregnant but wouldn’t be disappointed if it didn’t happen.
Dr. Tan started working more intensively with my ex-husband. She also began to provide us with herbal supplements. That month, my cycle became 28 days. She told me not to count days of my cycle or for either of us to push sexual activity that was only for the reason of conceiving. The cycle stayed consistent 28 days for 3 months. The following month I was traveling non-stop and started to feel unusual and a little out of sorts like a spiritual awakening. When I started vomiting and getting migraines I took a pregnancy test. I was pregnant and went to Dr. Tan. She treated me for the nausea and the blood test was confirmed, sadly, and coincidentally with the date my grandmother died, the one who never stopped encouraging me to have a child.
On Monday morning (8.30 am), August 7, 2006, Sarah Meri Vila was born to us. She was thriving at 7lbs 11 ounces. Dr. Tan always commented on the size of her head and its rounded “Buddha” shape. This indicates intelligence and health.
Following the pregnancy, Dr. Tan helped me lose about 75 lbs in a few months. She helped with the hormonal swings, the post-partum depression and the anxiety that returned. I see Dr. Tan at least once a month to maintain my general health and have brought Sarah to her when she had a fever. My cycles have continued at 28 days exactly so it is likely that if I ever wanted to conceive again it would be highly likely.
Sarah is my best friend. She is more than a princess. She is a star. When I reflect on the miracle that happened to create her, along with God and the wonder of my body, my greatest thanksgiving is for the professionalism and faith of Mary Tan and the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practiced in a traditional rather than new age manner and environment. The birth of a child is a wonder that is beyond any other. My position on abortion as a medical/scientific professional completely changed from pro-choice to pro-life. We are not parents but stewards of God’s children. In this case, by the choice (right) to participate in the process of procreation, we have also created an overwhelming responsibility to this new human being.
Thank you Dr. Tan for participating in the miracle that is our daughter, Sarah.
We had tried to conceive for a few years when I showed up desperate at an IVF clinic.The whole clinic scared me and especially the physicians. When the clinical tech told me how the IVF procedure worked and the administrator told me about how much each round would cost with no guarantee, I pretty much ran out of there faster than I could say, “No thanks.” After seriously considering IVF as an option, I found my experience to be degrading and treating women in an almost animalistic manner. Two of my friends had experiences with IVF and both conceived healthy children. However, both where traumatized physically, emotionally and financially by the preliminary procedures to correct their inability to conceive in addition to not conceiving until 3 rounds each. The costs are prohibitive. One of these ladies spent her whole inheritance from a father that worked all of his life to complete 3 rounds of IVF. She nearly lost her job for absenteeism and she underwent several operations.
As a religious person, I began to attend Mass prior to work. My heart was set on giving up control to God; simple; but not easy. My family remained unaware of any of these events and kept asking me about when I was going to have a child. My aging grandmother would telephone almost daily and trying to get the message across that it wasn’t part of my destiny was not going over very well. I became depressed in addition to anxious. One day I called to schedule a massage to try to calm down. Somehow, I made it a few minutes late and the therapist was a fill in for someone on vacation. We spoke briefly following the procedure and he mentioned that I might want to seek out acupuncture for the anxiety for all of the neuron muscular pain. A therapist whose name I can’t recall referred me to Dr. Mary Tan for anxiety and associated pain. Dr. Tan scheduled me for an hour and half the first visit. I explained what was going on and she said she could help but I also needed to commit time and work on other aspects of my life including diet and temperament. Prior to the visit I had absolutely no belief in Traditional Chinese Medicine and only considered it as an experimental first appointment that probably would also be my last. After speaking with Dr. Tan and picking up on a calm and wise temperament, she seemed more competent than most physicians I knew and my job involves interacting and managing some of the most qualified specialists in the country. Her approach was simple and made perfect sense. She made me feel comfortable and found the first experience extremely relaxing and pleasant. The anxiety subsided to the extent that I was able to begin to relax more at home and my then husband seemed very interested in the process as he had practiced Tai Chi as a youth.
One day Dr. Tan asked me if I ever wanted to conceive. I told her my story and how I had given up about two years prior. She said she understood and didn’t push it. As my then husband attended the Tai Chi, he started treatments for general health as well. He started eating healthier and seemed to have more energy and direction. He stopped heavy intake of alcohol for several months and we went to Dr. Tan together one day and mentioned that we were interested in getting pregnant but wouldn’t be disappointed if it didn’t happen.
Dr. Tan started working more intensively with my ex-husband. She also began to provide us with herbal supplements. That month, my cycle became 28 days. She told me not to count days of my cycle or for either of us to push sexual activity that was only for the reason of conceiving. The cycle stayed consistent 28 days for 3 months. The following month I was traveling non-stop and started to feel unusual and a little out of sorts like a spiritual awakening. When I started vomiting and getting migraines I took a pregnancy test. I was pregnant and went to Dr. Tan. She treated me for the nausea and the blood test was confirmed, sadly, and coincidentally with the date my grandmother died, the one who never stopped encouraging me to have a child.
On Monday morning (8.30 am), August 7, 2006, Sarah Meri Vila was born to us. She was thriving at 7lbs 11 ounces. Dr. Tan always commented on the size of her head and its rounded “Buddha” shape. This indicates intelligence and health.
Following the pregnancy, Dr. Tan helped me lose about 75 lbs in a few months. She helped with the hormonal swings, the post-partum depression and the anxiety that returned. I see Dr. Tan at least once a month to maintain my general health and have brought Sarah to her when she had a fever. My cycles have continued at 28 days exactly so it is likely that if I ever wanted to conceive again it would be highly likely.
Sarah is my best friend. She is more than a princess. She is a star. When I reflect on the miracle that happened to create her, along with God and the wonder of my body, my greatest thanksgiving is for the professionalism and faith of Mary Tan and the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practiced in a traditional rather than new age manner and environment. The birth of a child is a wonder that is beyond any other. My position on abortion as a medical/scientific professional completely changed from pro-choice to pro-life. We are not parents but stewards of God’s children. In this case, by the choice (right) to participate in the process of procreation, we have also created an overwhelming responsibility to this new human being.
Thank you Dr. Tan for participating in the miracle that is our daughter, Sarah.
