Kristina

Having a family of my own was always a dream of mine, but my husband and I struggled for years to make that dream a reality. We met in Santa Barbara, California back in 1998 and have been together ever since I graduated from college. I love working with children so I decided to become a middle school PE/Health teacher, and he is a physical therapist. In 2008, we got married and decided to wait a year or two before trying to start a family. We took time to travel, go to sporting events, and go hiking with our three dogs, all things we knew would change once we had children.

When I turned 30, I stopped taking birth control pills, and my husband and I decided we weren’t going to actively try, but if it happened, great; no pressure! Well after a year, we decided to actively try, and for the next two years, we struggled with whether or not we needed to get help. At 33, I began some testing within my gynecologist’s office, and the tests came back normal. I began to think “what’s wrong with me?” It took another year before I finally sought fertility treatment at the suggestion of my gynecologist, family, and close friends. So at 34, I went to Shady Grove Fertility where Dr. Lorna Timmreck was compassionate yet professional during all of the initial testing, which ultimately became “unexplained.” Once I realized that “nothing was wrong with me” I began to think “why did I wait so long?” That will be what haunts me for years because I wasted so much time just “hoping and praying” it would happen.

My first round of fertility treatment was Clomid with IUI. I didn’t like how the Clomid made me feel, but going to acupuncture helped relax me during that time. The good thing about Clomid was it was easy to take; all I had to do was take a pill! The first time I had to take the trigger shot, I was so nervous and felt like I was going to pass out. The fear of the unknown got the best of me, but I made it through that shot because of the support of my husband. He talked me through it, gave me the shot, and put my mind at ease. The IUI procedure was the simplest of everything I had been through and I remember asking the doctor, “you’re already done?” It didn’t hurt or feel uncomfortable at all. I left the office in good spirits and then began the dreaded two-week wait!

I tried to keep busy and not think about it, but to be honest, the only thing on my mind was that I could be pregnant! The morning of my beta blood test was nerve-wracking and so was the entire workday. I was driving home from work when I got the call from my nurse and I reluctantly answered the phone. Part of me didn’t want to know the results because I just didn’t want to be disappointed again. I got the news I didn’t want to hear, a negative beta. As hard as that news was to hear I just tried to stay positive and think to myself, “okay, now I have been through it once before, and I can do it again. The next cycle started a few days later, and this next round was much easier on me mentally because I knew what to expect.

Once again, on the day of my beta test, I got a phone call on the way home from work and this time I decided not to pick up the phone. I waited until I pulled into my driveway and then I listened to the message and I remember that my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest. I got the news I had been waiting to hear for years: I was PREGNANT! On the second attempt, it worked! Immediately I called my husband, who was at work and told him the news. He was shocked and overjoyed and was so happy for us! Overall, I had an easy pregnancy, and nine months later, at the age of 35, a healthy baby boy came into our lives! I remember crying the moment the doctor announced it was a boy(we decided not to find out the gender) and handed him to me. I couldn’t believe after all these years my little miracle was here! We were so grateful that Shady Grove Fertility helped our dream become a reality!

Since we knew we had trouble with the first, we began trying for our second child when our son was five months old. After nine months of actively trying, once again, nothing. So we scheduled an appointment with Dr. Timmreck, and I began all the testing again, which all came back normal. Once again, I had “unexplained infertility.”

In May 2013, I began treatment again. Since I had my son, my insurance had changed and they now required injectables with IUI in order to get to IVF, and that made me very anxious because I hate needles! I had four rounds of IUI covered by my insurance, so we decided to try Clomid the first round, and I just hoped it would work because it worked last time. A negative beta followed two weeks later, and needless to say, I was bummed and knew I would have to overcome my fear of needles and injecting myself.

I did three rounds of injectables with IUI. With each negative beta, it was a blow to my self-esteem and confidence, making me wonder if I would ever be able to have another child. I was on an “emotional rollercoaster” and I thought, “how can the second time be more difficult than the first?” I found the thing that helped me get through those difficult months was talking about it with my family and close friends.

I came to terms that if I wanted another child, I was going to have to go through IVF, which was a fear of mine. I didn’t know how I was going to get through all the blood tests and self-injections. We started IVF and my motto became, “one shot at a time.” And that is how I survived the many injections and blood tests during that two-week period. I made it through the first round, and on Halloween of 2013, I got a positive beta!!!! I was so grateful again that Shady Grove Fertility helped me conceive another child! I will never forget my nurses, Kim and Lauren, who were so good at making me feel comfortable during the dreaded blood tests. It really helped to put my mind at ease knowing how wonderful and caring the staff at Shady Grove Fertility was.

I am now 27 weeks pregnant with my second child and am constantly running around chasing my two-year-old. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby #2 in July! My husband and I are starting to prepare for how our lives are about to change again, of course for the better! This pregnancy is much different than the first because there is no time to rest. I am lucky if I get to squeeze in a nap on the weekend! Also, with this second pregnancy, it has been a bit more challenging. I have placenta previa and just found out that I failed my glucose test, so I have to go back for the dreaded three-hour test next week. But despite all that, as each week goes by we get more and more excited that our family will be complete in just a few more months. Every movement I get to feel in my belly is a reminder that all the struggles of my infertility and discomforts of pregnancy will be completely worth it!

I have referred two friends to Shady Grove Fertility already, and I would continue to tell anyone who wants my advice to “not waste another minute of your life hoping that it will happen, and go make an appointment.” I just wish I would have followed my own advice years ago!