Hi everyone! Thank you for taking an interest in this wonderful event! Here is our story.
My husband Bill and I spent two years trying for children, before we decided to seek help. In September 2016, we underwent our first fertility procedure – IUI. It worked, but unfortunately, that first pregnancy ended in a chemical miscarriage and our hearts were shattered. When we received news that we could try again next cycle for IUI #2, we were thrilled, but that round did not take. Since we had already spent about two years with no success, we decided to do IVF.
My egg retrieval was in February 2017 and they retrieved 30 eggs! Despite the massive weight gain and countless shots, we were extremely thrilled with those numbers. Four days after my retrieval, I ended up in the hospital due to a pleural effusion. Pleural effusion is a rare side effect from an egg retrieval where the excess fluid resides in your lungs. After everything that week, we still decided to transfer. The transfer did not take, and before we could start another round, we had to wait to see how many of our eggs fertilized. After about a week, we received a phone call saying that out of the 30 eggs, 11 were fertilized.
Additional complications caused us to postpone our April transfer. Medications were changed around and May was our first FET (Frozen Egg Transfer). Again, this cycle was unsuccessful. July and August cycles were also cancelled due to complications, and after thousands of dollars spent on fertility medications and more weight gain, we decided to take a whole new approach. We switched doctors and spent the remainder of August and all of September undergoing tests. I had another hysteroscopy and we sent out our remaining 10 eggs to be tested through Counsyl Foresight Carrier Screen and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGS). The results came back and we had 5 abnormal and 5 normal embryos. Of the 5 normal embryos, 3 were boys and 2 were girls.
Now that we eliminated the possibility of transferring an abnormal embryo, I underwent Endometrial Receptivity Testing (ERA). I had to go through a mock cycle where they take a small biopsy sample to determine what days my endometrium is receptive. We found out that we had been transferring one day early.
Now that we eliminated all of the possible chances for it to not work, and greatly decreased our risks for miscarriage, we finally were able to transfer on December 4, 2017. Ten days later, I took a HPT and it was positive!
Considering everything that we went through in order to get pregnant, I was hoping for an easy pregnancy. Not so! I experienced a large SCH (subchorionic hematoma) through my 1st trimester which made me fear every day of miscarrying. During my 2nd trimester, I was diagnosed with CPP (complete placenta previa) which resolved itself by 24 weeks, and I found out that Claire was completely breeched.
At 29.5 weeks, I was admitted to the hospital for pre-term labor and three days later, Claire arrived via emergency c-section at exactly 30 weeks on June 14. After they tested my placenta, I found out that I had undiagnosed velamentous cord insertion (VCI). If she hadn’t have come when she did, she could have been stillborn or we both could have died.
Claire spent 33 days in NICU and came home on July 16, 2018. She has been hitting every single one of her milestones, even exceeding in some areas. This NICU fundraiser is special to us because they saved her life. For 33 days, they helped care, feed, bathe and change her and even helped Bill and I become more confident as parents.
How You Can Help
We are going to wear custom t-shirts for our team, “Rainbow Claire Bear.” A rainbow baby is one that was born after miscarriage or loss. If you would like to walk with us on June 16 and also get a shirt, please let me know your size by May 1.
Any and all donations are greatly appreciated and it goes to a wonderful cause! Please support the GBMC NICU that saved our baby’s life, and support our team, Rainbow Claire Bear.
Thank you!
