IVF success story and NICU graduate

Mechanicsburg Newborn session – IVF Success Story

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I was so excited when Brittney reached out to me to take their newborn photos. They had quite the journey in getting pregnant and bringing Thea into the world. Here is Brittney + Justin’s story.

“Our story together really begins when I was 16-17 and Justin was 18-19. We were kids. Friends first and then honestly, I remember telling him “I’m going to marry you someday”. We got engaged on August 12, 2017 and married on September 27, 2019.

We wanted a family instantly. We tried immediately and as the months went by, I would be bummed when I wasn’t pregnant. I felt in my gut something was wrong but we just kept trying. The doctors say “try for a year” before any fertility testing takes place. A year went by and I called my OBGYN, and we started the discussion.

We had a horrible experience with my OBGYN at the time and decided to seek specialty fertility care at Shady Grove Fertility. It was the best decision we ever could have made. Justin did his testing and I did mine. Our doctor determined we had “unexplained infertility”. All our tests looked great, there was nothing really concerning. So we tried a procedure called an IUI.

They put me on a medication to help intensify my ovulation and then inserted Justin’s sperm. We did that 4 times. Each time I wasn’t pregnant, I cried. I was devastated. So the next option was IVF. The IUI procedures were covered under my insurance but IVF was not.

We got a $30,000 loan, paid Shady Grove in full, and qualified for the Shared Risk Program. We would have 6 embryo transfer tries and if I didn’t get pregnant after them, we would get our money back. I had polyps removed from my uterus. I had 2 egg retrievals and we did 2 transfers. Our first embryo transfer in November of 2021 was unsuccessful. And that devastation was like no other.  But we weren’t giving up. We did another transfer again in March of 2022, and that transfer worked!

I was diagnosed with preeclampsia at 29 weeks pregnant, hospitalized, and delivered our baby girl 10 weeks early, by c section at 30 weeks and 5 days. Thea Jo was born on October 9, 2022 and spent 6 weeks in the NICU. Our little fighter, miracle warrior baby, and most precious gift came home on November 14, 2022. She is amazing. Worth every shot, procedure, doctors appointment, dollar, and tear it took to meet her. We are so lucky.”