Wishin' and Hopin'

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 16 years old. Maybe only having one cycle a year was the tip off. Lucky me, my doctor didn't cop to the "just go on birth control" non-treatment plan. So I've known for a long time that maybe I wouldn't share in the abundant fertility that most women in my family possess (I am #5 of 11, have 17 nieces and nephews on my family's side and over 100 first cousins on my mom's side).

Of course when you're 16, difficulty conceiving means much less than when you're married and have been charting for ages and nothing is happening. It also didn't help that the closest NaPro trained OB/GYN was in St. Louis. Fortunately, he and his office were willing to work with me long distance.

In the spring of 2012, a laparoscopic surgery in St. Louis confirmed his suspicions of endometriosis, which he was able to address in the same procedure and made sure my tubes were clear. Metformin and weight loss were the treatments going forward.

There is also a metaphysical component to dealing with infertility. Staring your cross in the face daily, finding it in the joys of others, and trying to find joy of your own when it feels like you're being denied one of life's greatest blessings ages a soul pretty quickly. Which is good, because I was starting out pretty immature to begin with.

It wasn't until asking for the intercession of my sister Mary (who knew too well what carrying this cross is like) I ovulated for the first time since my miscarriage in April of 2011. Fast forward 5 rounds of clomid treatments later, I was diagnosed with a low functioning thyroid and started working with a personal trainer and a nutritionist with a PCOS specialty to begin making a dent in my weight loss needs. Another fortuitous blessing was that a NaPro doctor set up practice right here in Houston. And then this spring, during a novena to St. Gianna Beretta Molla (also after signing my full-time teaching contract, because that's how God works) this happened:

After the miscarriage, it was such a blessing to have a doctor who immediately put me on progesterone support instead of the "wait and see" approach that I've heard so many sad stories about. And then a few weeks later, we saw this:

And just today:

My doctor tells me that that's a face

And now, as we approach the end of the first trimester with less than 30 weeks to go, I am thrilled to tell the online world that Baby Bazin will be here in January of 2014!

Of course, I couldn't end this post without a mention of Mark, from his tears of sadness as he watched infertility take its toll on me and our marriage, to his tears of joy at seeing our baby's heart beat for the first time, I'm so glad to be on this adventure with him. You're going to be such a wonderful father, my love.

*I'm happy to go into greater detail about my fertility history and treatment, but don't want to subject the uninterested to the nitty gritty. While I am by no means an expert, I'd be glad to share with you and answer any questions. Send me an email.