As well all know now, Andrew and I are having a baby! It's a girl! Her due date is September 4th, 2014, and we could not be more excited!
What most of you don't know is the journey it took us to get here.
Some of you know some of the background from my previous blog, but for the purpose of today's, I'm going to go over it once more.
When I was 15, I was diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). This is a fairly common condition, and it is also the #1 cause of infertility in women. Even at such a young age, my case was severe. I was told that I would never have kids.
This news was devastating to me. Over the years, I was in the hospital often, getting treatment for the pain and the bleeding from the cysts. Each doctor told me the same thing, that I would never have kids.
Every time I heard it, it sank a little deeper and got a little bit easier to handle. I made a plan, that I would give it my best shot, and if the doctors were right, then I would adopt.
Fast forward to last summer. I was 20 years old, and was in the ER twice within a one-week period for the same bout of cysts. They were causing me so much pain that I would lay in the fetal position sobbing, while Andrew rubbed my back until finally deciding to take me to the hospital when the bleeding became uncontrollable. My biological mother almost died from a cyst causing her to hemorrhage, and I didn't want to go through the same ordeal. They loaded me with drugs, told me there was nothing they could do, and sent me home.
I followed up with my doctor, who decided that the best thing at that point was to have surgery. They would remove the cysts, cauterize the cells that had continuously cysted, and send me on my way. That's was when a doctor gave me hope. "After the surgery, if it works as well as I think it will, you shouldn't have to worry about cysts for years. And I don't see why you wouldn't be able to get pregnant."
What?? I had spent years thinking that pregnancy would never happen for me, and now there was a glimmer of hope. "You won't have the same amount of time as most, meaning you probably shouldn't plan on waiting for college or careers or what-not to do this, but I think you should be able to conceive within the next couple of years."
I was elated. I didn't care how much pain I would be in, or the recovery, or anything at that point. Andrew and I had been dating for over a year at that point, and decided that we would go ahead with the surgery, and begin trying as soon as we got the okay from my doctor.
Fast Forward 2 Months:
I got a stabbing pain in my side. 'Not again..' I thought. But sure enough, another cyst. After following up with my doctor, we learned that the surgery didn't work quite as well as he was hoping. Unfortunately, do to the severity of my cysts and the hemorrhaging they caused, the doctor started discussing removing my ovaries-something that is extremely uncommon for someone my age. I didn't know what to do. He told me that we would wait a year, and see if I could get pregnant within that time, or if the cysts just got worse.
I started researching. Getting pregnant with PCOS is not an easy task, but I know that it had to have been done by someone, somewhere. That's when I found a support group for PCOS and conception. The number one topic? Metformin.
Metformin is a medicine mainly used in diabetics to control insulin and sugar levels. Yet, for some reason, it had also been linked to helping with conception with PCOS. I immediately called my doctor and scheduled an appointment.
"It's not an easy drug to take. You may feel nauseous for a few weeks." That's what the nurse said, and she wasn't joking! I was puking for about 6 weeks. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of having a baby. I starting taking Metformin in August. We had now been trying for 3 months.
Fast Forward to December:
Month after month, I took a pregnancy test. Month after month, it was negative. The holidays came and went, until finally it was December 30th.
"Maybe we should stop trying. I mean, my 21st birthday is less than two months away, and it will give us some time to relax." Andrew and I both agreed with each other.
We went to dinner at my parent's house, where my sisters boyfriend cooked steaks. I took a few bites before nausea over took me and I rushed to the bathroom. "It's the meds," Andrew explained. Everyone understood and didn't say anything about.
The next morning, since it was New Years Eve, I decided to take a pregnancy test. We were going to be going to parties all night, and I wanted to make sure that everything was good to go. It was 5 AM, and I was getting ready for work, barely awake. I sat down to pee, unwrapped the test, and took it.
A line immediately appeared. What? No. That can't be. I'm dreaming.
I rubbed my eyes. I turned the light off, and then back on again. I took out my contacts and changed them for new ones. There was no way I was seeing it. I was pregnant. The test was positive.
I immediately texted in to work that I had the stomach flu, and woke Andrew up.
"Babe?"
"Whaaaa.... "
"Babe I'm pregnant."
"What?... (huge smile spreads across his face) Okay, now come back to bed and snuggle me."
This was, by far, the happiest moment of my life. Laying in bed, knowing that we were finally going to have a baby, I remember just telling myself that I was finally going to be a mom. After years of not knowing, and months and months of trying, it was finally happening.
I took two more tests the next morning, just to be sure, and they were all positive.
Now, at 21 weeks pregnant, it is finally starting to feel real. We are more than half way to my due date. She actually looks like a baby in the ultrasound, instead of just a little blog, and when she likes what I eat, she wiggles like crazy in my belly. We have given her the name of Brinlee Dylan Barton. Now, all we have to do is wait for our little girl's arrival.
<3
I'm so happy for you Shaye :) I'm glad you posted your story so I could read it! What a cute mama you'll be!!!! :)
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