Katharine & Brandon

Brandon and I fell in love my senior year of high school. I was 17 and he was 18. He was my first true love and I fell hard. I went away to college and we went our separate ways for a couple of years. Later, we reunited during my senior year of college and he proposed with my mother’s ring. We moved in together in a townhouse in Gettysburg and married in July of 2009 in an Army brat’s “dream wedding”: on a military base with friends and family.

A startling diagnosis

I suffered from horrendous lower abdominal pain when I was a pre-teen, which later worsened as I got older. After several trips to the ER, and many visits to gynecologists over the years, we finally found Dr. Parnes. She knew right away and surgery confirmed it: I had endometriosis. Brandon was there with my mom and brother, and waited for my procedure to be over. Dr. Parnes came and told them what they found, and my older brother looks right at her and asks what everyone wanted to know: “Will my baby sister be able to have kids?” She said it would be hard, but she thought it was possible.

Trying to conceive

After we got married, Brandon and I started trying right away. It was so much “fun” timing my ovulation and urinating on those sticks and having let down after let down. I was completely frustrated. Then the endometriosis came back and I had to have surgery again. This time they flushed my tubes while they were there. After surgery, I ended up back in the hospital with an infection, which delayed us from trying again. I was at my wits’ end with the pain and complications and I asked Dr. Parnes for a hysterectomy. She refused, knowing how much I wanted a child and sent me not only to Shady Grove Fertility but specifically to Dr. Esposito. And to this day, I thank her for that.

We started with a consultation with Dr. Esposito who was confident we would have a baby. I not only had endometriosis but scar tissue and a hostile uterus. We thought we would probably never get pregnant on our own. We discussed starting with IUI drugs, as she felt this would work. We were scared of multiples and were comforted that it usually doesn’t happen with endometriosis. So we started the meds and the injections and tried 4 times unsuccessfully. Insurance would pay the 50% again for 2 more tries, but after another consultation with Dr. Esposito, we were told it just wasn’t an option anymore, and that it was time to discuss IVF.

Reconciling religion and treatment

I’m Catholic and had a hard time talking about it. Dr. Esposito was great and shared a personal story with me, and advised me to speak with my priest. I did so and we moved on with IVF. Ecstatic doesn’t even begin to describe how happy we were when it worked: we transferred one embryo and we were pregnant. We told everyone in the family. They were all happy for us. Then the most terrible thing happened. I started bleeding and we found out on Mother’s Day that we lost the baby.

Miscarriage wasn’t even a thought. I mean why, after trying for 5 years, would this happen to us? Brandon and I were completely discouraged and we didn’t want to try anymore. The emotional rollercoaster and the finances were done. We had already had family help once and we weren’t asking again. Dr. Esposito called me on vacation and talked to me. I mean who takes time away from vacation to comfort a patient?? She was great as she talked to me and listened to me cry, like she was my sister.

She gave me the number of a counselor to speak with, to help me heal. I can’t thank either of those women enough because it was HARD. Then my parents–who were divorced for 10 years–talked, and my Dad called and said: “Take some time, and if and when you are ready, I want you to know that I’m paying for it.”

After a lot of soul searching, Brandon and I agreed that we would try “one last time” and transferred our two remaining embryos and said that twins were not the worst thing that could happen. Well, two weeks later, we were pregnant! The phone call with the high number was an indication that we might be having more than one. I think when they called me, the whole staff, including Dr. Esposito was on the phone laughing and crying and cheering with me! These people are so fantastic and I will always consider them family! Because of them, we have two wonderful, happy, and perfect 9 ½ month old twins: Hunter and Alice. They are our life now and we are so happy!

My SGF medical team

The SGF medical team at both the Frederick and Rockville offices was just great. They treated us like family and shared our hopes with us. They cried with us and in the end cheered with us. Graduation day came and they all hugged us and wished us luck. They are truly angels.

“Our family is finally complete”

Our family is finally complete. We are exhausted taking care of the twins while working full-time, but we love them so much and couldn’t imagine life without them. Currently, we are planning the first birthday party and smash cakes! They are getting ready to crawl and love interacting with each other. They truly are here because of God and Shady Grove Fertility.

Katharine’s advice to future patients

I would tell them to go to Shady Grove Fertility and talk to the experts there, and to get the tests done, because there may be a reason. If they already are in treatment, I would tell them to never give up, because no matter how dark it is now, the light that is coming is so bright it will warm up your life forever.