Our Infertility Journey
First, I have to start off letting you know that I am not a writer. In fact, I try to avoid writing, especially about myself, at all costs! HOWEVER (and this is a BIG HOWEVER), I can’t stop thinking about sharing my (our) story, thoughts, and emotions with others like me (and my husband) who struggled with infertility.
Sharing experiences and knowledge with others is what is going to help solve this epidemic. I say it is an epidemic because it keeps growing! A scientist and doctor that I spoke with at my school said it best: “America is not growing because of new births; it’s growing because more people are coming to America. In fact, American and European birth rates are declining due to fertility problems in both men and women.”
Second, I am not a doctor. I am a certified holistic health coach with a passion for learning about health and nutrition. All my findings, research, and ideas come from my personal experience and relationships with some tremendous doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and guest speakers from my school (Institute for Integrative Nutrition).
If I can help one person by sharing my experience, that would mean the world to me. Let me add one more thing: when I say “my” experience, that is being very selfish. My wonderful and supportive husband shared this struggle and story with me. We spent a lot of time together running to the doctor for fertility treatments, researching why we are the 25% who are “unknown,” and shared many heartaches along the way (failed IUIs, failed IVF treatments, miscarriage, and all the negative pregnancy tests). BUT, with all the heartaches and experiences, we were blessed with our miracle. Our 2nd IVF procedure was a success, and on March 15, 2013, we had our son Owen (a true warrior).
After a successful IVF transfer in 2014, we were blessed again but ended up losing our baby in a miscarriage. We took time away from trying, said many prayers, grieved, and listened to God. Less than 2 months later, we were extremely surprised with another pregnancy that happened NATURALLY. Another boy, Liam, joined our family in August 2015. God answered our prayers!
In 2018, we used our remaining embryos, and right before my 40th birthday, we were blessed with our third son, Luke.
We have documented our journey and treatments so we could share them with others. You can CLICK HERE to go to the treatment page. If you are currently struggling with infertility, thinking about your options, and if you need someone to talk to that understands, please don’t hesitate to contact me. My way of giving back for God’s amazing blessings is to share and help others. I would love to hear from you and support you on this difficult but wonderful journey.
To all the men out there like my husband: “CHEERS to YOU” for being the rock in our lives!
– Amie