babypage

Ever since I was a little girl, I always dreamed of meeting "Mr. Right," getting married and having a family. I loved playing mommy to my dolls, dressing them and pretending to feed, bathe and diaper them. As I became older, I would baby-sit for family, neighbors, and friends.
After I met and married Mike, I couldn't wait to hear the sound of "pittering, pattering" little feet.

Mike and I decided to start our family in September 1999, 2 months shy of our 2nd anniversary. A year went by and nothing had happened. I have a history of endometriosis and ovarian cysts and I was having a lot of pelvic pain, so I went to see my ob/gyn, Dr. C. We decided that surgery was in order to find out if the endometriosis had gotten worse or if there was something else wrong. By December 2000, Mike and I had tests and all was OK-I was just not getting pregnant. Dr. C thought I may not be ovulating because of scar tissue from the endometriosis, so I was started on Clomid. I took Clomid for 3 months and I did not get pregnant. By February 2001, I was in extreme pain again, so Dr. C recommended that I go on Lupron therapy to help the endometriosis heal, and hopefully, improve my chances of getting pregnant. After September, I was finished with Lupron. In November, I started Pergonal injections. On November 20th, I had an ultrasound to see how or if the Pergonal was doing its job-I had 18 follicles (or maturing eggs)!! I was instructed to give myself an injection of HCG hormone the next night to induce ovulation and then we would wait and see what happened.

Mike and I went on vacation for our 4th anniversary and by the day it was time to return home, I was so nauseated. I was also exhausted and my breasts felt very "different". My friends at work kept telling me "you're pregnant." I told them I wasn't sure but maybe... On December 7, 2001 my co-workers decided it was time to find out, so they called P. R. at home and asked her to go buy a pregnancy test for me. I took it and it was positive!!! I was in shock, but so happy and excited...I had waited my whole life for this moment and I was finally going to be a mommy! I called Mike and several immediate family members while my co-workers made many phone calls of their own. We didn't get much work done that day! After I got home from work, we called more family and friends to tell them our good news. I still couldn't believe that I was finally pregnant, so every morning for the next 3 days, I took a test...all positive! Since I was an infertility patient, we scheduled an ultrasound for 6 weeks-two days after Christmas.

December 27th arrived and we went for an ultrasound. The tech started the exam and she found one baby...then another. We were shocked but we knew it was possible for multiples with the Pergonal. My due date was set for around August 20, 2002. But we also were told of the first of many problems in this pregnancy: I had a 12 cm cyst on my right ovary. Dr. C came in and told us I had to go on bedrest or the cyst could rupture; if it did, I could develop an infection or hemorrhage, probably causing me to lose that ovary and/or I would lose both of our babies.

Two weeks later, I was dehydrated from being so nauseated and having dry heaves constantly-I was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum and admitted to the hospital. The next day when Dr. C made rounds, he told me we were going to check on the babies while I was there. I went for my ultrasound and told the tech that I was pregnant with twins. She found Baby A without problems, but could not find Baby B. She kept looking and all she could find was an empty sac and the fetal pole-but no baby. I told her that we had seen two heartbeats just a couple of weeks earlier, but she still couldn't find Baby B. I was taken back to my room and Dr. C came in that evening and told us that what probably had happened was known as vanishing twin syndrome. We went to Dr. C's office the next day (January 10, 2002) and it was confirmed that we had lost Baby B to vanishing twin syndrome. We were so sad and disappointed, but relieved to know that Baby A was OK.