Let's Talk about Infertility

I've been thinking about this subject for awhile.  I have felt sort of weird talking about it.  I guess it is something personal, but I know a lot of friends who are going through the same thing & they're out there talking about it, so why not I.

Back in June 2010, James & I felt that it was time to add to the family.  We kind of knew that Madison was not our last, so after keeping track of my cycles for over a year, we were ready to begin the pregnancy adventure.  With all three of our kids, it usually took 1-2 months to get pregnant, so I figured that would happen this time around.  That June, we did not get pregnant, so on to the next month we went.  We worked super hard that second month, & I just had a feeling that this was it.  I started figuring out everything.  The first day that my period was late, I took a pregnancy test & it was positive!  James & I were excited.  A couple of days later, while in the shower, I had a gush of blood, and continued to bleed the next couple of days.  I was so upset & heartbroken, and I figured that I had a false-positive test.

We tried the next couple of months with no results, and then I had my knee injury.  With surgery & all the drugs that go with it, we had to postpone the baby-making progress.  When I was off the narcotics, James & I still felt that there was still an addition to the family.  Every time that we had gone to the temple, we would get a feeling that we were on the right track.

In October 2012, James & I finally decided that we needed to go in and see the doctor; especially since we had been trying for over year with no results.  When I called, my appointment was made for January; which was kind of upsetting, because I wanted to figure stuff out at the very moment.  James suggested that he & I do our own Fast the upcoming Sunday, to which I agreed.  The Sunday we fasted, we came to the conclusion that: Yes.  We were suppose to have another Baby.  It wasn't going to be quick & that it would take awhile.  After that, we've had a calm spirit.

In January 2013, James & I headed to my OB/GYN to talk about all these issues.  The basic instructions we got were: have James' "stuff" tested; have my blood tested to see if I'm ovulating.  There was no concrete answer, which I was hoping for, that came out of that meeting.  The doc said that my body was working right.  She also suggested that we could go and see a fertility doctor & look at the possibility of IVF etc...  The doctor also said that after my blood work came back, that she could prescribe Clomid & try that out for a couple of months.

James & I came away from that appointment in a daze.  We talked it over & would proceed with the tests & be put on the medication, but that would be it.  We both felt that the specialized fertility treatments were not for us.  Well, James' "stuff" came back normal, and my blood test came back normal as well.  And although we had previously decided to try the medication, I guess I was too afraid of the over-ovulation & the possibility of twins (although Samantha is wishing that for me).

A week later, after I had done all the blood work for the Ovulation testing, my period had not come yet.  I tried not to think about it, because in the past, my body has liked to "screw"around with me.  But then another day went by...and then another...and then another.  A week later, I was still thinking that my body was playing tricks on me, so James went to the store & bought a pregnancy test .  And there, on the night of February 13th, 2013, James & I found out that we were pregnant.

To say that we were shocked & surprised was an understatement.  After trying for so long, and going through tough emotional roller coasters for the past year-and-a-half, I had a hard time grasping the concept that I was actually pregnant.

A couple weeks later, on March 5th, I headed into the Doctor's Office to have the official blood work done.  And again after peeing in a cup & having the tests run, I was indeed pregnant.  And yet, still hard to wrap my brain around, even after all the scientific stuff.  I set-up my first official baby appointments and headed home.

On March 12th, James met us out in Layton at the clinic for our first exam.  We got lucky & had an ultrasound done then to confirm the pregnancy.  And there it was....a little kidney bean with it's beating heart, right there in my tummy.

Everything looked good.  All my tests had come back normal.  Baby's growth was right on track with the estimated due date; which is October 21st.

The next 4 weeks would probably be the longest weeks I have ever gone through.  I started getting nauseous more towards the night...but not too bad, more like upset stomach let me lie down on the couch-sick.  My body does not hide pregnancy well. And although James said that he couldn't tell, my already protruding uterus was causing me angst every morning as I tried to find something to hide the growing belly.

Then we hit week 12...the magical week of being done with the first Trimester.  And with me tired of trying to hide, we decided that it was time to tell the kids the good news.

We knew after my birthday party that the kids wouldn't be able to keep a secret, so after Conference on Sunday, we headed over to the Grandparent's houses to let them in on the secrets.  I quickly grabbed some cards & wrote #1, #2, #3, and #4, and pinned them on our respective shirts.  We walked into the Clegg's house & waited for Grandma & Grandpa to figure it out.  Allan, after a minute or two, caught that each of the kids had a number on...and kept saying that James was #5, to which we shook our heads No.  Then Suzanne got a big grin on her face, and asked if #4 meant a baby...which was a Yes.  Dave caught on quick, while Phil & Adrienne also took a bit to gather what it meant.  We then headed over to the Nelson's and told Grandma & Grandpa...again, they were perplexed by the numbers, but once they caught on, they were ecstatic.

The kids have been pretty pumped the last couple of days, and it's been hard for some of them to keep a secret...namely Jaxson & Madison.

So here we are, after a very long journey, excited to welcome another baby into our family.  You cannot believe how grateful we are.  And because of previous C-Sections, I'm thinking they'll take me a week early (especially since I grow them big....remember Madison was 9lbs), so James & I are planning on October 14th or 16th...leaving James' sister Kris her own birthday.