A LONG JOURNEY

We couldn't be happier that we are having 2 baby boys!!  It has been a long journey to get to this point but we know it will all be worth it come October.  I am at 16 weeks now (4 months along).  I would like to share at least some of our story of the journey we have been on over the last 4 years.  We were excited to start a family and felt like it was time after being married for a year.  Being pretty naive we figured that I would be pregnant in no time.  This was not the case and after trying on our own for almost year we decided to see a doctor. We did many tests and tried even more infertility treatments over the next 2 years with no success and no answers.  It was difficult to understand why this was happening to us.  We had built a healthy, happy home and were ready to add to it.

Fast forward a few years to this past August when we finally had a breakthrough.  I had a surgery that was able to tell us what was wrong with me.  After having the surgery it was determined that we would never be able to get pregnant on our own.  Meaning we would have to do invitro fertilization or adopt children.  After wondering so long why we could not get pregnant it was a relief to know why it wasn't happening.  But at the same time it was also a little disheartening to realize that we could never get pregnant naturally.  Nate and I both prayed and fasted to know what we should do and we both felt like invitro was what we wanted to try.  This decision meant that I would have to have another surgery before we could even begin the process of IVF.  The surgery was a success and we were able to continue on with IVF.

IVF is a serious process and has a very rigid schedule to follow.  I began giving myself shots in December. The first few shots were pretty difficult. If you know me, you know that I absolutely hate needles, so the thought of having to poke myself with a needle everyday was terrifying!!  Soon more medicine and more shots followed.  At one point I had to give myself 3 shots everyday.  We did a lot of prep work to get to actual process of invitro.  We headed for Utah in January where my IVF doctor was.  It was so exciting when we were actually at that point.  It was such a long time in coming.  We got to stay with our best friends: Shelbie and Tim, who were amazing hosts while in Utah.  We were in Utah for the IVF process for about 2 weeks.  We decided to implant 2 embryos hoping that at least one of them would take.  I then had to be on bedrest for 2 days; which I did at my brothers house in Kaysville. They were also great hosts and catered to me beautifully.  The next 10 days were the longest of my life.  There are no words to describe the joy that came on the day the doctor finally called to tell us if IVF was successful or not.  Best news of my life as they told me that indeed I was pregnant.  I could barely speak on the phone because the tears were flowing!!  Nate and I were overwhelmed with joy and gratefulness for the blessing that Heavenly Father had granted us.  

At 6 weeks along we had a huge scare!!  I began to have a terrible pain in my side one morning.  The pain quickly escalated to a point that I could no longer take it so we headed to the doctor.  I felt like I was in labor and I was terrified.  The doctor is an hour away and boy was it a miserable ride.  When we got there they quickly did an ultrasound.  At this time we found out that we were having twins.  I was in so much pain and overwhelmed with emotions.  They then discovered that my ovaries were overstimulated and 4x the size they normally should be.  Because of the amount of pain that I was in they concluded that they had to be twisted around themselves.  A few hours later I had an emergency surgery to untwist them.  The left one was twisted 2x around itself and completely cinched off.  The right one was only twisted once.  This condition is called an ovarian torsion and is very very rare.  It was caused from all the medicine that I had to take prior to doing IVF.  Dang Shots!!   Once I had the surgery I figured that everything would soon go back to normal and I would feel fine...little did I know.

The surgery took a serious tole on me.  Both ovaries were still very very large so I was ordered to be on bed rest because they could twist again.  After being in the hospital for 4 days I was able to come home.  Once I got home Nate's mom Leslie came to visit and she was a lifesaver   I really couldn't do anything for myself and I needed a lot of help.  After being home for a few days I began to get nautious.  I don't really know where this morning sickness phrase comes from but that is completely bogus!!  I was sick 24/7 and throwing up non-stop for the next month.  I would say it was the worst month of my life.  I was so grateful to be pregnant but boy was it rough.  Nate was the most amazing husband through it all.  He catered to my every need and I knew I had a good husband before this but I couldn't believe how he waited on me hand and foot and did everything he could to make me happy and comfortable.  I was also so grateful for the many priesthood blessings that he gave me during this time.  I ended up being on bed rest for 6 weeks until I was able to return back to school.  Now that I am 4 months the nautiousness is beginning to wear off.  I am mostly just sick at night now and I am able to keep most of the food down that I am eating.  

Wow has been a crazy road but I can honestly say that I've learned so much through the whole process.  I have learned more and more about the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I have learned to be patient and trust more in the Lord.  I have learned that we are so loved by family and friends and so many have prayed and fasted for us.  We are so grateful for the faith of others. It is very hard sometimes to understand what the Lord has in store for you but I do know that he knows Nate and I best and knows what and when we need it.  There are many many more things that we have learned through this trial that are too long to share.  We also have felt very blessed during this time in many other areas of our lives. I have loved the time that I have been able to share with just my husband but we can't wait for our baby boys to get here.  I apologize for the lengthiness of this post.  I know that we all have our own trials and struggles and there is much to be learned from them.  I hope that someone may benefit from knowing that if you are having a hard time getting pregnant you are not alone.  There is hope and miracles to be had!!

14 Weeks