My husband and I struggled to get pregnant with our second baby. The struggle was very unexpected, we conceived our first easily. Finally, after 8 months of trying, we got a positive test. A few weeks later (and less than a month into COVID), we found out I was miscarrying. That loss would be our first of 4 losses and the start of our secondary infertility journey.
From there, we started medicated cycles and timed intercourse monitored by my OB. We finally moved on to IUIs with my OB. We did 3 in total at her office. Our last IUI at my Ob’s office brought another positive test and unfortunately, our 2nd loss. At that time, we started seeing Dr. Omurtag. We did 2 more IUIs at his office and moved onto IVF. Our first retrieval/transfer took place in the fall of 2021. Our first transfer was a success, until it wasn’t.
We kept pushing on and transferred our last embryo from my first retrieval. That again was a successful transfer but ended in an ectopic pregnancy. We went through another retrieval and got 3 additional embryos. We did another transfer and had another loss. While waiting (months and a few rounds of provera) for my cycle to return after our last transfer, we found out I was pregnant. I had more betas than probably necessary, but pregnancy after loss and infertility is not for the faint of heart. I was an anxious wreck my entire pregnancy, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I scheduled extra ultrasounds at a boutique near my house because I needed to see the baby constantly to make sure she was alive. I bought a Doppler and used it almost daily to reassure myself. I still didn’t believe she would get here safe and sound as I was being wheeled into the OR for my c-section. I very gratefully can say she did make it here safe and sound and is now an 18-month-old terror. My son finally got the sister he’d been asking for, and they adore each other. I hate saying everything happens for a reason, because we went through some seriously sucky stuff, and I still don’t know why, but I do know that I can’t imagine my little girl being anyone else.
– The Watson Family
The WATSON family has given prior consent to share their story and image with WashU Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital for informational and promotional purposes.
