Infertility affects everyone differently, and it affects you differently each time you experience it. For me, it caused my brain to stop being able to process information. I was unable to plan very far in advance. Anything more than 2 weeks in advance made me anxious. The 8 months we spent under Dr. Issac’s care were hard, not just because we didn’t immediately get the outcome we desired, but also because it was just mentally draining. I’m a huge planner and I use my calendar all the time. However, trying to plan things with potential doctor appointments in my mind was hard. I don’t like committing to something and having to cancel at the last minute. Add in that the medicines I had to take gave me headaches and made me more irritable, just know Brandon was a trouper this winter/spring. Add in, we traveled 4 hours for every appointment, and we had 12 appointments that we scheduled, while also trying not to alert anyone to what we were doing. Mentally exhausting! We’re on the other side of it now and oh so excited to welcome another baby to the Justus League!
Summer of 2023, we decided we would meet with Dr. Isaac’s in November if I hadn’t gotten pregnant. November, we met with Dr. Isaac’s and I started medicine exactly like we did before getting pregnant with John Charles & Jericho. After one cycle, we decided to proceed with IUIs again.
January 31st was the first IUI. Due date would be 10/23, which seemed pretty great! 14 days later was 2/14. As I posted on Facebook that day, “2/14/2024 will be a memorable Valentine’s Day!” It was a hard day, but the first IUI didn’t work when we got pregnant with Jericho!
March 6th was the second IUI. Due date would be 11/27, still seems pretty great! I’ve always wanted a November due date!! 14 days later, Brandon was out of town on a business trip. It was again a hard day. I have always dreamed of a November due date.
April 5th was the third IUI. Due date would be 12/27. I told Dr. Isaac’s this is not a due date I would pick, but we can’t always be picky about that!! 14 days later, we had lots of family in town for my Dad’s birthday. We also found out a close family member was pregnant and due 11/29. It was a really hard weekend staying positive and upbeat.
We decided to add clomid to my medication list to see if it helped with producing more follicles. Dr. Isaac said I have only had one follicle per cycle so far, and maybe this would give us more. However, it does increase the chances of having twins. That’s ok, we have two children currently praying for or asking us for “two babies.”
I returned for the ultrasound for our 4th IUI cycle on 5/6. There were no follicles ready. None. Not a one. Dr. Isaac was a bit mystified because “Claire, you’ve always been consistent. Consistently late, but always consistent!” We decided to take the medicine again mid-cycle and check again on 5/16. Meanwhile, we found out a second close family member was pregnant and due 12/17. Jillian asked me if I was too old to have another baby. I told her to keep praying to God about it. He hears our prayers. He knows the plan. Talk to Him. I definitely cried that night as I fell asleep. I *know* He is in control. It is often hard to align my wants and desires under His ultimate plans.
At the ultrasound appointment on 5/16. The check-in lady remembers my name because “when you come frequently, we learn your name.” At the ultrasound, I had a follicle of 26 by 34, which is great! IUI was scheduled amongst all the Awards Day & Graduations for 5/18. Due date would be 2/8. We found out a third close family member was pregnant and due 1/24. 14 days later, another difficult weekend.
Meanwhile, we found out our second close family member that announced her pregnancy was actually pregnant with TWINS!
For the 5th round, again, the check-in lady remembered me. We had an ultrasound on 6/14 and the IUI was scheduled for 6/15 (along with three other couples!!). Due date would be 3/9. Officially at the “advanced maternal age” now. We also found out yet another family member was pregnant and due 12/26. I took a pregnancy test on June 28th after finishing swimming lessons and there was a very faint line!! I immediately went to my calendar to see which day of the week is March 9th. It’s a Sunday and “Daylight Savings Time starts” on that day. Brandon and I agree that will add chaos to the mix. We are here for it though!! I told Jericho he was going to have a new baby sibling.
Bloodwork on 7/1 showed my HCG at 179, which the nurse said was a great number. Bloodwork on 7/3 showed my HCG at 389, which is more than double in slightly less than 48 hrs. We are on the right track. John Charles asked me, quite randomly, if there was a baby in my belly yet. “Maybe a teeny tiny baby??”
We went for our first appointment before we left for our Muckleroy family cruise, 7/19. We were thrilled to hear a heartbeat that day. We told John Charles, Jillian, & Jericho they were getting a new baby 9/4 and they were all three thrilled. John Charles was hopeful for a boy, Jillian had said “it was only fair for this baby to be a girl!”, and Jericho said he wanted a baby brother.
I’m 14 weeks behind Ashley, 12 weeks behind Anne, 11 weeks behind Julianne, and 6 weeks behind Katherine.
