Whitney & DJ

DJ and I always knew our lives would involve children. At family functions, he was always the one my younger cousins were excited to see. After getting married we immediately decided to try for our first child. We were both young and healthy so we figured we’d be on the path to parenthood in no time.

Approximately 18 months of trying to get pregnant led us to a doctor’s visit with some questions for my OB/GYN. We decided the best plan was to do some initial tests that showed the issue was a lack of ovulation. At this point we had no idea there were any other issues contributing to our infertility.

A prescription of Clomid sounded like the perfect plan. After 3 months and no change, we decided to do some further testing, including an HSG. Everything seemed to be in order and we decided a few more months of Clomid would solve the issue. Three months later I was in the hospital with abdominal pain.

What I didn’t realize on the way to the emergency room was that this pain was a complication of endometriosis. I had always had painful menstrual cycles but thought that was normal. I never complained to my doctor since I thought it was what everyone went through. Just hours prior to my greatly unexpected operation my doctor spelled out all the possible outcomes.

We were told that depending on the severity of my issues, I may lose my ovaries. This was heart-wrenching news for both of us. Suddenly our journey to becoming parents was taking a serious detour. During surgery, it was necessary to remove significant adhesions and my Fallopian tubes, but thankfully my ovaries were unharmed. We had previously been told about Shady Grove Fertility by my regular OB/GYN. This new development immediately put Shady Grove Fertility on our radar.

Arriving at SGF

Our first visit to Shady Grove Fertility was just to get information. I called and scheduled a consultation with Dr. Esposito in the Frederick, MD, office to see what options we had. She reviewed our medical history and spelled out the entire process for us. Along with our nurse Jeannette, Dr. Esposito made us so comfortable. They answered all of our questions and helped to break down what seemed like an overwhelming process. We weren’t quite ready financially to start our first round of IVF so we took the information home to process and prepare.

Our first round of treatment began in early 2015. I was very nervous, especially since my husband would be giving me multiple shots during the process. After he received some training in the office from Betsy, he was suddenly a pro. Injections were not nearly as scary as I previously thought and I just had to remember that they were getting us closer to having a baby. Egg retrieval went well. We went to the Shady Grove Fertility office for the procedure and were well taken care of. Afterwards I had some minor cramping and discomfort but that only lasted a few hours. That day we were told 7 viable eggs were retrieved. Not a high number but all seemed to be good quality. As the days went on we ended up with 3 embryos.

After much deliberation and discussion with Dr. Esposito, DJ and I decided to transfer two embryos. The day of transfer was so exciting. We were amazed to watch on ultrasound as our embryos were transferred. What an awesome feeling! This was the beginning of the longest 2 weeks of our lives. It doesn’t sound like a long time but when you are waiting to see if you will be parents the minutes tick by so slowly. We tried to keep busy with work and spending time with friends. We were optimistic but there were some moments of doubt. I worried. Of course it wouldn’t work the first time. Everything we were so sure of in the past didn’t work, so I had constant doubt. DJ, however, was very positive. He kept me happy and tried to keep me busy.

The news

Two weeks after our transfer I went to my morning appointment to have a pregnancy test done. I was told I would receive the answer later that afternoon. As I sat at work constantly checking my phone I couldn’t help but be nervous. When Jeannette called with our positive results I couldn’t contain my excitement!

Our miracle baby was born on Christmas Eve 2015. We are so blessed and happy to be parents. It was not the journey we expected but everything happens for a reason and we met so many wonderful people because of this.

Our experience at SGF

I can’t tell you how comforting all the employees of the Frederick office were. Working with Shady Grove Fertility was a great experience. Dr. Esposito, our nurse Jeannette, and all the staff in Frederick took great care of us. They get used to seeing you and become friends along the way. I actually missed the morning monitoring appointments once we were released to my regular OB/GYN office. We can’t say enough good things about Shady Grove Fertility and can’t wait to try for another baby one day!

My advice to a friend

My advice to anyone hoping to become parents is get as much information as possible. I spent a lot of time prior to our first cycle just researching and reading all the information on the Shady Grove Fertility website. This helped me wrap my head around the timeline and what to expect along the way. One of my favorite things is that your nurse works with you from consultation until discharge. I could email Jeannette anytime and she would respond as soon as she was available. This allowed me to clarify and ask questions whenever I needed to. She was beyond helpful and kept us at ease. DJ and I were so excited to share the photos of our baby, Lilli Rae, with the whole team after she was born.