and I was worried about the pharmacist judging me…

As I’ve previously mentioned, birth control pills were not on my protocol for the IVF cycle in Minsk. I know it’s fairly common at most clinics, but this is my first experience with it. I’ve not been on birth control for the entire 4 ½ years we’ve been married and considering what we’ve been through to get pregnant, it just seems inherently wrong to take “the pill” even though I understand the reasons it’s often used before an IVF cycle.

It’s difficult to put into words, but I’ve been extremely anxious about that prescription for days. I worried that the pharmacist would judge me. I even joked with my husband that I wanted to explain to the pharmacist that it was for an IVF cycle, not for “birth control”. My husband laughed and quickly reminded me that we’re in a Catholic country. If the pharmacist is going to judge me for getting a birth control prescription filled, he’s likely also going to judge me for doing IVF. I got the prescription filled, didn’t feel judged, thinking back, I didn’t even speak to the pharmacist, anyway all went well.

Of course as is my curious, impatient, type A personality, I had to look at the box and read the instructions immediately (no, I couldn’t wait five minutes until we got to the car). As we were riding down the escalator to the parking garage, I was digging in the pharmacy bag for the instructions, holding a box of pills in the same hand I was holding the bag with, when I saw him. Not just anyone, a priest. Yes, a priest was coming up the escalator toward us. It was one of those moments you wish the earth (or the escalator in this case) would swallow you up. I tried shoving the box back into the bag which only made it more obvious. I know I shouldn’t feel guilty, but I do. There was not a single person anywhere near the escalator (in either direction) when we got on. Then BAM! a priest. Oh well, we had a good laugh on the way home, and I have officially started "the pill".