Katrusia

We started trying to get pregnant shortly before we got married, anticipating some difficulty because I had some thyroid and other health issues. Less than a year later, my gynaecologist referred us to a fertility clinic. The doctor (who has since received a lifetime ban from practicing fertility medicine) performed 7 IUIs over the course of about a year, none of which were successful. We switched to Fertility Ontario in London, and Dr. John McNaught recommended IVF. We did one round with very high doses of meds, and I had only 6 mature eggs, which resulted in 4 high quality embryos. We lost one right away, and another on the morning of our 3-day transfer.

We transferred two embryos, and after some first trimester bleeding, all went well until about 26 weeks. At my 30 week midwife appointment, I was measuring 26 weeks. I had a growth scan done, which showed that the blood flow in my son’s umbilical artery was not optimal. I was admitted to hospital at 32 weeks for monitoring. Daily ultrasound and Doppler scans showed that my son was healthy and doing well, but once the blood flow reversed (at 33 weeks and 6 days), they decided to do an induction to avoid him going into distress. I delivered a healthy (but wee) baby boy at exactly 34 weeks. He was only 3 pounds and 9 ounces and spent 25 days in the NICU at Victoria Hospital in London, but had no major health issues. He is an incredibly smart and loving 2 year old now and we consider ourselves lucky to have him every day. I will always remember our struggles with infertility because they ruled our lives for nearly 4 years and took away some of the easy joy of pregnancy because I knew what could go wrong. It was a difficult (and expensive) road that makes me appreciate what I have more than I might have, had it been easy. My son is an exceptional kid and I sometimes can’t believe he is ours. We are just grateful that we live in a time where technology exists to help families like ours.