from the beginning…

After struggling to conceive naturally we began to wonder if something was wrong, and why we couldn’t get pregnant. We tried everything from ovulation tests to timing sex. I just had a gut feeling something wasn’t right.

I scheduled an appointment with my OB and asked her to check my hormone levels. My OB kept telling me I’m young and it will happen. When the results came back we were both shocked to find out I was in premature ovarian failure. I was only 27 years old, how could this be happening? She referred me out quickly to an RE for further testing and treatment. After seeing an RE she confirmed my diagnosis and told us our best chance of conceiving was IVF. She also recommended that we consider donor eggs since my reserve was very low.

This was really hard for us to hear and even believe. Our families were super supportive which helped us a lot. We were going to need all the support and love we could get. IVF is not only emotionally, financially and physically draining on yourself but it can take a toll on your relationship too.

We decided we wanted to try IVF with my own eggs first. We started right away and our first round resulted in 4 mature eggs and 2 embryos. They were unfortunately poor quality but we transferred both anyways and just prayed. Ultimately that round did not result in a pregnancy and we were devastated. How could

We decided to try one more time before moving on to donor eggs, this time with a new protocol and maximum medication dosages. I ended up responded poorly to the medication and my RE suggested we convert to an IUI or cancel the cycle. I refused to give up and continued the cycle. It resulted in 2 mature eggs and only 1 embryo. We transferred the embryo with hopes that this was it, this was our baby. I knew it was a slim to none chance, but I just kept praying.

I tested at home the morning of my scheduled beta and it read PREGNANT. I showed Mike right away but we both were cautiously excited. We waited for the results and weren’t going to truly believe it until the nurse confirmed it herself. An hour into my work day, I began to bleed. I just broke down, cried, and called the doctor. She said she was still waiting on my blood work and to remain calm as it is common in early IVF pregnancies to bleed but I was still so scared.

The phone call came…my heart sank and I finally heard the words “congratulations, you’re pregnant!” my first beta confirmed an absolute miracle! I couldn’t believe it! My betas continued to doubled and the bleeding finally stopped. My pregnancy was far from easy though. I ended up on bed rest at 29.5 weeks with premature labor contractions which lasted until his birth. Our son Porter was born January 15, 2018 and he is everything we prayed for and more!