A Decade Later, Infertility Awareness Week

I remember the late nights worrying that I would never be a mother. I always felt like one in my heart, I had been a babysitter for years and around little ones since I was a teenager. The joys of being an aunt to my friend's kids just wasn't the same, my husband and I wanted our own.

We thought about adoption, who wouldn't after all the struggle? It's common to have adoption suggested to a couple who is trying and having difficulty. It's also an unfortunate and often hurtful suggestion. Adoption isn't that easy and if it was a lot more children would have homes to go to, to homes where infertile couples who want a child can give a child a family.

After years of being told many things, being overweight, cycles no where to be found then constantly irregular. Finally everything falls into place, healthy diet, weight lost but still no baby, infertility is a cruel joke that no one is laughing at.

A common thing to do after all exhausted methods to have a child is IUI or IVF. Tests showed at the time we may not benefit from IUI so forward we went and IVF it was.

Years prior with monitoring and an injection there was an early loss but swept under the rug, denial about it ever happening. We never imagined we were about to experience the worst loss possible.

We conceived after our first IVF and were having identical twin daughters. They quickly developed TTTS, a syndrome where one baby becomes larger than the other, deprivation of much needed nutrients. If left untreated it is fatal. Opting for surgery to save their lives we proceeded forward.

It was too late, even though the surgery seemed successful lasering apart connected blood vessels, both girls died in womb. The worst loss imaginable. We felt broken.

Infertility snuck up on us after our loss, we tried unsuccessfully and decided to transfer our frozen babies from our original IVF. This would be our last chance before having to start all over again. This time would be different, we had to believe.

One decade from when we began trying for our family we became parents to a healthy baby boy. He is now 8 months old and thriving, we feel like the luckiest parents to have him in our lives.

Even though we have our rainbow son and our beautiful angel babies, we are still a couple who will struggle with infertility.  I am 1 in 8. This week is about awareness, showing that you are not alone, and hope is out there. Had I given up hope we would not of had our twins and would not have our son.

Much love and hugs to all who struggle, who dream to have a family, you are not alone. It's about awareness and education. Hoping you all get your happy beginnings.