DH and I have been married for 5 years, but our relationship started over 15 years ago. I was a freshman and he was a senior in high school when we met. To make a looong story “short”, we met through a friend of his. I had a crush on his friend and him and I ended up dating for 5 years. My “boyfriend” and I had a falling out with DH and we didn’t speak to him for a couple years. We met back up right b4 DH got married to his first wife - a blessing and a curse all wrapped up in one (more on that later). I even attended his first wedding. His marriage broke up about 8 months after it began. He was divorced a year after that. My relationship had also been on the rocks. Our friendship grew out as we supported each other through difficult times – it developed into what it is today. We were married in 2001 and celebrated out 5 year anniversary this year.

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Shortly after we were married we began house-hunting. It was then that we started ttc. I had wanted a house first and with a contract, it was a “done deal”. I went into this new chapter in our lives very excited. I had just gone off the bcp and was sure I’d be pg well within the 8 months it can take on average after coming off the pill. Boy was I wrong. Each month there was disappointment, but still I was confident. About 8 months into, I decided to get more aggressive and chart my cycles. To not drag this out too much, I noticed issues with my cycles. So I saw my doctor, 3 months b4 the standard “1 year” mark. They agreed that tests needed to be done. It was determined that I had LPD (luteal phase defect) and he put me on Clomid. After 2 cycles with my OB, I decided to be more aggressive and switched to a fertility specialist (RE). I did 2 more Clomid cycles, had surgery (was confirmed I had endometriosis) and 3 injectable cycles. It was after this that they decided to tell me that I had low ovarian reserve and that at 27 I would need donor eggs. I was devastated. I wanted to give my eggs a try with IVF (even with the 10% chance they gave me) but they had a waiting list. So I sought out a 2^nd opinion. In the mean time we would try on out own with the <.5% chance that we had WITH medication after ovulation. My new doctor said I didn’t need donor eggs and that they could start me on IVF my next cycle. So, we switched. I had 2 failed IVF attempts and then I saw the top RE in their office – the head of the practice. Boy am I glad we did. Our embryo’s from the first IVF (and 2^nd – frozen transfer) sucked, to be blunt. He had us to a “natural” cycle to see where my problems really were. It’s good we did. Although, it added to my laundry list of diagnoses. Our infertility problems were:

-Severe Luteal Phase Defect

-Mild Endometriosis

-Poor Egg Maturation/Ovulation

-Low Ovarian Reserve

-Poor Egg Quality

-Hostile Cervical Fluid

-Poor Response to Med

<>Well, with the genius of our new doctor, our 3^rd IVF worked and 2.5 years after starting ttc, I was FINALLY pg. We called K our Miracle Baby. We couldn’t be more happy. But we knew that if our dream of having 2 children were to be realized, we could not wait after having K. We would have to jump back on the ttc bandwagon soon after her birth. So when K was 3 months old, we saw our doctor again. He told us to try on our own for just a few months (we started ttc on our own as soon as the OB gave us the green light) and if nothing, to start injectables and possibly IUI. So when K was 7 months old, I ordered my meds and geared up to start the endless cycle of shots and ultra sounds, etc. But when I got the medication, we had a huge blow – DH’s insurance changed and now only covers the meds at 50% - they covered it 100% with K. And since I need about twice what the “normal” patient needs, this meant $6K per cycle. I was crushed and knew a second baby may never come to be. Luckily the office had some samples they could give me and hopefully all I’d need was a boost to get one good egg for an IUI. So I waited for my next cycle to begin. On a Wed, March 23, 2005 I started spotting. I made my first u/s appointment for Friday – as I never spot for more than a few hours. Thursday, just spotting again. So I changed the appointment to Saturday. Friday – not spotting. I was getting annoyed as I was anxious to get on with it with the cycle. Late Friday, I decided that if I had nothing more by Sat morning, I would take an hpt just so my imagination would not run away from me. So Saturday morning, I woke up at 6am with K, took the hpt and sat there in SHOCK as the 2^nd line appeared almost instantly. It was VERY faint, but most definitely there. I then began to hyperventilate. This HAD To be a cruel joke. NO WAY could I have beaten those less than .5% odds (w/o medication no less) and conceived. And if we had, I knew it was doomed for failure, especially with the spotting I had already experienced. I had to have DH come home from work so I could go get blood drawn. The nurses and I agreed that I would start on progesterone support immediately, to be safe. Luckily I had it all in preparation for my upcoming cycle. I was a wreck all day, knowing this pg was doomed for failure. But apparently, on that Saturday, March 26, 2005 – the day before K’s first Easter, at 7.5 months old, A, my 2^nd Miracle had other ideas. K was going to be a big sister and our family would be complete with the 2 kids DH and I had always envisioned.