Celine & Matthew

Matt and I met in 2009 in Arlington, VA. We immediately knew we had found ‘the one’ in one another. We spent 4 years in a long-distance relationship and traveling the world together (mainly Africa and Europe). We decided to settle down in Northern VA in 2013 and get married. Matt and I immediately started trying to build a family, but it took a little longer than expected.

It was always our dream to have a little bundle of joy of our own and everyone around us was either pregnant or already had kids. A couple of years went by full of dietary and exercise changes to enhance the chances of pregnancy, but none of it seemed to work. It was very hard on us, especially because it seemed like everyone was having a baby, except for us.

We did several fertility tests and the diagnosis was “unexplained infertility.” Rather than wait and hope for it to finally happen, we decided to consult with a doctor at Shady Grove Fertility.

Coming to SGF

I was immediately nervous that I would be the one person that SGF would not be able to help. I felt that “it would just be MY luck” that for some reason, there was nothing they could do. I expected failure, but my husband, on the other hand, was the eternal optimist.

I think that helped me A LOT. He got me out of my rut and motivated me to keep my faith. The initial appointment with Dr. Moon went great. She was very optimistic that we WOULD have a baby.

Like a yo-yo, I went from negative to, “this IUI will work. I will be pregnant immediately!”

Starting treatment

I felt optimistic that the first IUI would work because it was “unexplained infertility” and everything looked to be fine with my husband and me. I proved to be wrong. We did a total of three IUI trials and each time, I got my period. It wasn’t getting any easier.

When Dr. Moon and I spoke about next steps, it was a no-brainer. My husband and I had already invested so much energy and emotion into the process, we were NOT going to stop now. We were going to do whatever it took to get pregnant.

I stayed #SGFstrong by reaching out to people I knew who had also gone through IVF. I never realized how common it is nowadays to go through treatment. I reached out to as many people I knew and listened to their stories. That in itself helped me stay positive because whether it was 1, 2 or 3 IVF cycles, in the end, they became pregnant.

It also helped to talk about what I was going through. I did not want to keep it a secret and fertility treatment was nothing to be ashamed of. Just letting it out made it feel “normal” and I truly believe it helped me accept it.

Transitioning to IVF

Our chances for a successful IUI were high, but after months of failed trials, we decided IVF was the way to go. Again, because of our stats, Dr. Moon had high hopes for successful IVF, which in turn, gave us hope too. The IVF process was long and mentally exhausting, but after our first IVF trial, we received the good news that we were pregnant.

At about 7 weeks, I had a lot of blood loss and was convinced I miscarried. It was the weekend and I was able to reach a nurse practitioner at Shady Grove Fertility. They remained calm and said that nothing was 100% certain until I got into the examination room.

After a night of crying (lots of it), my husband and I walked into the examination room convinced we’d be receiving bad news.

But there it was…a heartbeat!

I had a big blood clot, which was causing the bleeding. I was asked to come back for ultrasounds every week to monitor the growth until we ‘graduated’ from SGF to my OB/GYN. Their care and the continuous monitoring kept me relaxed and my mind at ease during those difficult weeks.

Fast forward to 32 weeks later and our beautiful baby girl was born.

She is now 8 months and her smiles, cries and poopy diapers bring a huge smile to our faces every day. And every day, we thank SGF for bringing this little girl into our lives. Yes, the road was long and difficult, but we got to where we wanted to be with the help of everyone at Shady Grove Fertility.

Advice for my SGF sisters

Reach out to people you know who also went through fertility treatment. If you do not know anyone, join online groups or actively search blogs for women who went through it.

Don’t be afraid or ashamed to let the world know what you are going through. By sharing your story, you are making it ‘normal’ instead of feeling like there is something wrong with you.

There is NOTHING wrong with you and it is such a blessing we live in today’s world where we have amazing medicine that can help us reach our dreams.