A baby boy after IVF
Why do you want to share your story?
I want to share our story to give others support and hope as they battle infertility. No matter how low your odds are of conceiving, don’t give up because anything is possible!
What led you to Fertility Centers of Illinois?
My husband and I tried to conceive for more than one year before we were referred to FCI by my gynecologist. We were recently married and both in our later 30’s at that time. Neither of us had any children.
Ultimately, I trusted my gynecologist. She knows Dr. Uhler personally and I knew she was looking out for my best interests. Once I met Dr. Uhler and the staff (especially Nurse Debbie) I felt like I had been blessed with people who could help me and my husband become parents.
How would you describe your experience with your physician?
Dr. Uhler was straightforward, informative, compassionate and dedicated to helping us realize our dream of having a child. We had one failed intrauterine insemination (IUI) and one failed in vitro fertilization (IVF) before finding success with a second IVF cycle. Dr. Uhler made informed, educated decisions after the first IVF attempt to help us retrieve more eggs which resulted in a 5-day embryo transfer. I believe this made all the difference in helping us succeed.
What helped you get through treatment?
Thankfully, I had the utmost love and support of my husband. He accompanied me to nearly every appointment and gave me all of my injections. When things weren’t looking good, he was there to lift me up and keep me positive. We laughed, cried, worried and dreamed throughout the entire process. What a rollercoaster of emotions!
What did you wish you knew before starting fertility treatment?
It’s a full time job! You have to go to so many appointments two-to-three times per week (including weekends) to be monitored while on the fertility medications. Somehow, we made it work and I didn’t miss too many days of work.
What words of hope do you have for others?
Don’t give up! I know there will be times of disappointment–even devastation. Take your time to mourn those losses or failures. But if this is something you truly want, you can’t give up. Sometimes, it takes time for the fertility doctors to learn how your body will respond to the fertility medications. In our case, a failed IVF attempt led to specific protocol adjustments that increased our odds considerably.
Our son, whom we conceived through IVF, is almost two years old. He is our everything and I catch myself looking at him from time to time remembering what we went through to have him in our lives. And then, I remember all of the doctors and nurses who helped us along the way. He’s truly a miracle. Faith and science collided to bring us our baby boy and we couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Fast forward to present day and we are currently 32 weeks pregnant with baby number two! This time, science wasn’t involved in creating this baby. Some other force in the universe certainly was! It happened spontaneously at the age of 40! So, you just never know what is in store for you. Hope is a powerful thing. And sometimes, just when you think you’ve been given all you’ve ever asked for, your cup runneth over.
Tell us about your little miracle!
Our son, Brady, is nearly two years old. He is smart, funny, energetic, sweet, and so very loved. It’s an amazing thing to see traits of both yourself and your husband in your child. It creates such a bond.
