A blessing of twins after IVF
Why do you want to share your story?
I think it is important that people don’t give up, even after attempted failures. There is a light at the end of the tunnel no matter how dark it may seem at the time. I think we need to speak more about infertility and not hide from it. So many people cover up their struggle!
What led you to Fertility Centers of Illinois?
My husband was diagnosed with male factor infertility and I had multiple cysts. We read great reviews from Google searches, and one of our friends has four children with FCI through in vitro fertilization (IVF).
How would you describe your experience with your physician?
Dr. Hirshfeld–Cryton was wonderful! She was always upfront and honest and the nurses were the best. When I first started medication, they called to make sure I was okay. If something happened, they always squeezed me into the schedule to make sure everything was okay.
What helped you get through treatment?
My husband and my friends and family. I also relied on my faith to help me get through. I was always praying that God would watch over us to improve our chances and guide us in the right direction. Before coming to FCI, we were diagnosed incorrectly and underwent many treatments with our previous doctor, wasting our insurance and hard-earned money. We relied on FCI to guide us in the right direction with what insurance we had left. There were times I wanted to give up, but I always wanted to be a mother and was willing to do whatever it took. I even had gastric bypass in 2010 to help improve my chances because I was very overweight.
Do you have any words of hope for others?
Stay true to yourself and never give up. Rely on your family and friends to help you get through it. Speak your mind and don’t hold anything in because it can make situations worse. Trust your instincts always!
Tell us about your little miracles!
We had our last frozen embryo transfer (FET) in March 2015. It was our last three embryos, so we figured go big or go home. Of course, that dreaded two-week-wait was the worst and I held off on taking a test. I finally did before the two weeks were up because I knew. It was positive and for it being late in the evening a very bright pink line. I told my husband I thought it was multiples. Sure enough, we went to the first ultrasound and there were two sacks. Moving forward, we had two heartbeats and a few mishaps in the ER, but found out we were having a boy and a girl! They arrived at 33 weeks-and-six-days, and were in the NICU at Silver Cross for two weeks. They are such a blessing and a miracle. We are very blessed and every sleepless night has been totally worth it! You will never hear me complain about anything! We named them Jesse Aristeo and Isabella Jan. They were born on October 22 at 3:17 and 3:18 PM. Jesse was born first and weighed 4 lbs. and 15 oz. and Isabella was 3 lbs. and 15 oz. Both are doing extremely well and we couldn’t ask for better children!
