Meet Carla!

  Hi! If you’re new here from ICLW, WELCOME!  Each Sunday, I try to post a new success story! If you or someone you know has been successful, go here for the info and thanks in advance! Today, meet Carla, she blogs at C & C’s Baby. Read on for her inspiring story!

1. How long did you struggle through infertility? 5 years

2. What did you go through (as far as treatments, different doctors, adoptions agencies, etc.)?  

We tried for a baby for 2 years on our own before I could convince my husband to finally go and see a doctor.  We started out at a regular OB/Gyn and got a lot of my preliminary testing done there which all came back normal but I could not get my husband to go for a sperm analysis.  It weighed on our relationship a LOT so we put a hold on the Doctor thing.  A year went by and we started to see a Reproductive Endocrinologist.  My husband finally had his sperm analysis and we found out he had low morphology issues.  My husband had emotional issues with this news which again, weighed on our marriage so I decided to just wait until husband said he was ready to go to the doctor again which took another 2 years of naturally trying for a baby.  Finally, in December of 2009 he said that after the new year he would be willing to go back to the specialist.  So in January of 2010 we had a consultation with my Dr who had said that we could start trying IUI in February.  I had to have an HSG done before my first IUI, so I did that and all came bck normal.  My Dr put me on 100mg of Clomid cycle days 3 – 7 and then a 150iu shot of Menopur on cycle day 9.  Checked my follicles on cycle day 11.  I had 2 that were big enough to ovulate with so I did the Ovidrel trigger shot that night at 10:00pm and then 36 hours later we had our IUI.  We found out at that IUI that my husband’s sperm count had gone down significantly from the 2 years before when they tested him last time and we only had 1million sperm post wash to do the IUI with and were told they usually like to see at least 3million for good success rates.  We went ahead with the IUI anyways and it was unsuccessful.  For our 2nd attempt my Dr kept me on the same medicine protocol and I had one good follicle ready for Ovulation on CD11 so I took my trigger shot that night, again at 10pm and IUI was about 36 – 40 hours later.  This time the Dr called us back to talk to us before doing the IUI after the sperm wash.  She informed us that the post wash count was even worse than our first IUI.  It had dropped to 100,000!!!  She advised us to go ahead with the IUI anyways because she had seen success with that low of a count before but informed us that if it didn’t work that we would have to go to IVF and no more IUI’s.  I went through my two week wait convinced that the IUI hadn’t worked.  My husband was thinking positive and I was just moving on to the next step.  I had an IVF consultation scheduled for the end of my two week wait and everything.  Well, the morning of my IVF consultation, I decided to take an HPT just to verify that I wasn’t pregnant from the IUI and I got the biggest surprise of my life!!  The test was positive IMMEDIATELY!!!  We got pregnant with one follicle and 100,000 sperm with IUI!!  I just couldn’t believe my eyes!  I went in for a blood beta test that day and my HCG level on 13DPO was 74.  I got another one done on 20DPO and it was 1699!!  I was indeed pregnant!  I did have a little scare around 6 weeks along with some bleeding so I went to the ER where they told me I was probably having a miscarriage.  We were scared but went to my OB/Gyn the following week and they did another ultrasound and found the baby and a strong heart beat of 111bpm!!  All was perfect with the baby.  The bleeding was coming from a subchrionic hemorrhage that I had from implantation of the baby.  I spotted off and on until 9 weeks along and haven’t had any bleeding since then.  I’m currently almost 24 weeks along in this pregnancy and due on December 12th, 2010!!  Both my husband and I are thrilled and we truly believe that MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!!!!

3. How did you handle disappointments through your cycles (natural and otherwise) or months of waiting?

The first two years of trying for a baby the disappointment, month after month was devastating.  I let it rule my life and my emotions.  I planned around possible pregnancies and went into depression when I didn’t fall pregnant.  After a couple of years, something just snapped in me and made me realize it really isn’t the end of the world if I didn’t get pregnant.  I was still alive, had a husband that loved me and a great support network through family and friends.  I think the best thing I did was be open and honest with my friends and family about what was going on so I wasn’t handling it alone.  That truly helped!

In front of the monorail @ Disney World

4. What were the ‘stress-free’ techniques that you tried that helped you get through the cycle or time (yoga, meditation, acupuncture, support through family, friends & on-line, etc.)?

As I said above, my best stress reliever was talking it out with my husband, friends and family.  I don’t know what I would have done without that support.  They’ve been fantastic through it all and really helped me to stay sane and realize that when it was time for me to have a baby, it would happen.

5. If you could give advice for couples going through infertility now, what would it be? 

- Hmmmm, I guess all I can really say is try to keep your relationship as priority #1 and your relationship with God too.  I know it’s so hard to have faith during times like these but even when you’re praying to YELL at God, at least you’re communicating with Him and letting Him know how you feel.  He really is listening!  And that support from your significant other is one that just can’t be matched so, continuing to focus on the 2 of you when you’re not going to a dr’s appointment or something like that is so great.  Take trips together, talk to one another, go out to eat together.  Just try not to plan your life around the possibility of being pregnant.  There’s no guarantee in any of this.  Even with treatments so if something doesn’t work out and then you had put a trip or big event on hold because you thought you might be pregnant then you have the disappointment of not being pregnant AND not doing that event or going on that trip.  You really need to give yourself things to look fwd to other than pregnancy.  It’s a hard realization to come to and it’s hard to make it happen, I know but once you stop living your life for the baby you may or may not have and live it for YOU and your significant other I think it makes the infertility blow a little easier.

11 weeks 2 days

19 weeks 5 days...A BOY! Alexander Paul

Thanks so much Carla! Congratulations on the news of your little boy!

To follow her journey into motherhood, check out her blog!