I knew them by heart: clinic records, medication lists, insurance correspondence, nursery receipts.

Near the back was a separate pocket containing the agreement our attorney had helped us put together before the pregnancy.

The agreement mattered because I was carrying a child conceived through fertility treatment for Lucas and Hannah.

None of us had wanted confusion about our intentions.

We had spoken with lawyers and clinic counselors before moving forward, and we understood that local law and the circumstances of a birth could affect the formal process of recognizing parentage.

What we had not discussed was what would happen if one intended parent suddenly refused to cooperate.