Our Miracle Babes
When we look back on this blessed journey, it has the brightest, but also the darkest moments we have ever experienced. It has, however, culminated in an answer to our hopes, dreams, and prayers. Our family.
Our journey began at the Regional Fertility Program (RFP) in September 2001. Tracy had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Greene as a teenager, where he consulted on her polycystic ovarian syndrome. We started on 3 months of Clomid without success. Over the rest of 2002 we did three Intrauterine Inseminations (IUI) in conjunction with Clomid. Without success, we moved on to the next stage of treatment, ovarian drilling. This resulted in a more regular cycle; however, two more IUI's still had negative results.
In 2004 we took a six-month hiatus from procedures and eliminated stress from our lives. Tracy quit her job and since then her cycle is as regular as clockwork. =With our hopes high that stress was a contributing factor, we tried one more IUI. After this last negative result we moved on to In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
In February of 2005 we started the process. We increased our line of credit and the few months that followed were a physiological and psychological roller coaster. =Nine eggs were retrieved and fertilized through Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), with 3 implanted. We were unsuccessful and very disappointed. =It was a hard time for our friends and family. =Some couldn't understand how hard it was on us and not having gone through it themselves, didn't seem to be able to offer the support we needed. Many of our friends were pregnant with their first or second children and it was hard for them to understand how hard we found it to share in their joy. This was one of the hardest times of our journey.
We had our second IVF treatment with 3 embryos in October. It was a success! We took it extra easy, but around 9 weeks Tracy knew something was wrong and had an ultrasound. To our great heartbreak we had a miscarriage. We wanted to throw in the towel, but Dr. Greene convinced us to try once more. In 2006 we had our final IVF transfer and two were implanted. Two weeks later, we got a positive test. We were pregnant again! For the next 4 months Tracy was on bed rest - we weren't taking any chances!
On December 17th, 2006, on her Daddy's birthday, Ashleigh was born. I don't think we can ever express how happy we were, and still continue to be. Our darkest days, both physically and emotionally, were a small price to pay for the beautiful baby girl we have today.
Although we always wanted two kids, we were content with Ashleigh. You can imagine our surprise when 9 months after Ashleigh's birth, we were pregnant! On May 6th, 2008 our beautiful Kayla was born.
It is hard to express how much gratitude we have for the staff at the RFP clinic. Dr. Greene embodies what a doctor should be. Aside from our family, we have also gained the ability to provide support and guidance to others going though this same struggle. If we could go back to the beginning of the journey, we would do it again, in a heartbeat.
