I've found it's always best to trust one's intuition. It rarely leads you astray. I've had strong feelings before about whether or not I should do something, and they've always proven to be correct. Intuition is a powerful thing. Everyone has it. People should really pay more attention to it. It's there to keep you on the right course. When I haven't followed it, I've regretted it. When I have followed it, it's produced good results. Even when I've followed my intuition without knowing why I was or wasn't doing something, the reason always revealed itself soon enough.

So, the intuition I was having that now wasn't the right time for IVF after all, and that I should be focusing on IUI, fertility acupuncture, and fertility herbs, was something I took seriously. The fact that the feeling came on me so suddenly when I'd been so determined to do IVF this year was telling. The feeling that IVF was not right for me at this time was strong. The pull toward other options, as well as the pull to re-visit adoption, was also strong and, more importantly, specific. This was something I couldn't ignore.

Of course, after having come so far along in the IVF process, up to the point of taking birth control pills to regulate my cycle, meant I gave it some serious thought and went back and forth on it in my mind several times. Ultimately, though, the intuition won. It had to. It had proven to be reliable too often to ignore.

I stopped the birth control pills immediately and had extremely fertile cervical mucous within a week and a half. This was a good sign. I knew it was the universe telling me I was doing the right thing, and also, I now felt, the healthy thing for me personally. Once the holidays were over, I would start setting up fertility acupuncture appointments, have my medical records from the old fertility clinic sent to one closer to my house, and start doing IUI again.

I would also order some fertility herbs that seemed to have good vibes to them, as well as a fertility hypnosis course I came across online that seemed like a perfect adjunct to the other things. Plus, I would call the state about starting the adoption process through the foster care system. My year to become a mommy was upon me and I was eager and excited to get started!