difficult to keep it off so Adri eventually resorted to gastric bypass surgery. Years later and a lot thinner, the Estherhuizen couple were still childless. Even after trying fertility drugs and different home remedies family members suggested, nothing happened. A test of Gerhard’s sperm indicated they were lazy, making their dream of a big family seem further and further from being fulfilled. In the meanwhile all of Gerhard and Adri’s siblings were having children and they became god-parents to her sister’s children. This made them long for a child of their own ever more.
“The turning point was when Gerhard’s mother discussed heirlooms one day as if it was certain we won’t be having any children of our own,” Adri says. “She didn’t mean any harm but we decided there and then that we don’t want to start a family at 40 and would give it one final try.” The Estherhuizens didn’t want to go the expensive in vitro fertilisation (IVF) route and felt blessed when they came across a natural fertility advertisement in their local newspaper. “I was sceptical about homeopathic medicine at first and didn’t want to get our hopes up,” says Adri. It wasn’t like any other medicine she had taken before and took some getting used to.
After rolling around restless in bed when she realised she hadn’t had her period yet, Adri took a pregnancy test 6 am one Saturday morning. This was exactly one month to the date after visiting Dr. PJ Venter for the first time.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it was positive and screamed for Gerhard.” He ran to her aid and was dumb struck when he saw the pregnancy test had two lines. After crying hysterically they wanted a second opinion, but had to wait until 9am for a pharmacy to open and make it official with a blood test. “Waiting for the test results were excruciating. The machine even broke at a stage but by 12:50 we were told we were definitely going to be parents.”
The six month pregnant Adri glows from head to toe when she tells this story. Although Adri and Gerhard won’t have any more children, they will be leaving a legacy as Johannes Hendrik Andries Esterhuizen is growing strong in her womb waiting to make his arrival in May 2009.
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