Cheyenne never thought she would have trouble conceiving, but after 6 months of trying, she began to worry. In this blog, Cheyenne shares her journey that now sees her after 18 months of trying, about to become a mother this month!
The long road to motherhood
In December of 2019, my husband Michael and I decided we wanted to start trying for a baby. We had a pregnancy scare when my period was late. But after taking a pregnancy test that was negative, we were both incredibly upset. In January 2020, we officially started trying with me researching when was the best time to try to conceive based on my cycle. After Googling around, I decided to download a period tracker app to help better understand my cycle.
Three months in, we decided to take another step and try the ovulation predictor kit (OPK) to determine when exactly I was ovulating and the best time to baby dance. Unfortunately, I never received a positive reading and became increasingly discouraged. During this time, I tried to be as healthy as possible by working out, getting plenty of sleep and taking vitamins.
Understanding my body
In April 2020, I turned to OvuSense® for help! After the negative OPK reviews, I had my progesterone checked and ovulation was confirmed. I was looked online for alternatives and came across OvuSense®. Right away with the help of the device, I learned how to track my cycle, and understand the pattern of my chart.
On day 10 of my first cycle, I had the giant dip, that meant I was supposed to ovulate within the next day or two and I did! I ovulated on day 11, which was earlier than I ever had before.
In June 2020, after six months of trying, our concern grew. When Michael and I started trying, I never questioned not being able to conceive right away. I was used to seeing friends and family announcing their pregnancies on social media with what appeared to be a seamless journey. When you start, you never think you will be that one in eight. To make sure everything was okay, I went for an ultrasound and blood work, while my husband had a semen analysis performed.
Surprisingly, everything came back normal. That’s when we were referred to a fertility clinic for more testing. I did everything during this time to stay busy, decorating our new home, hiking often and consistently did acupuncture.
A heart-breaking turn
After 11 months of trying, I became pregnant, but it turned out to be a chemical pregnancy and on Thanksgiving Day I lost the baby. The next cycle, we were able to get pregnant again and were overjoyed about the news. But, when we went for our first ultrasound, we were told the baby had no heartbeat. We were completely shocked.
Still moving forward, I had a Dilation and Curettage (D&C) procedure done at 10 weeks in December of 2020, right before Christmas. In January, my period returned, and I went for blood work in February, followed by genetic testing in March. We kept on trying month after month with hopes that it would happen.
Keeping the hope
On Mother’s Day 2021 I decided to test because that’s what us TTC folks do! We test on any holiday or occasion hoping we have an exciting thing to tell our spouse! I swore I saw a faint line, so I grabbed the last digital clear blue test I had. I even used the same urine! It said, “Pregnant 1-2 weeks.”
I freaked out, but sadly not in an excited way, in a very nervous way. I made Michael breakfast, and I woke him up by placing the pregnancy stick in his hand. This was the first pregnancy I didn’t do some big announcement, I just told him. We were both scared and very anxious after finding out. We found out on May 9th 2021, when I was only 10 DPO according to my OvuSense® chart.
I left work in tears on Friday May 21st and went to urgent care. I went to the bathroom at work, and my panty liner was full of blood. I wear a liner because I take progesterone three times daily and it can leak out. I started ugly crying in the bathroom stall.
I tried to pull myself together. I had to walk down half of the depot at work with tears rolling down my face to get to the office to talk to the assistant manager. I was trying to choke back tears as I told my manager what had just happened and I asked to leave.
They knew about my previous losses as I’ve had to ask for time off. And of course, they handled it with ease and told me to go get taken care of.
Finding happiness
I went to urgent care, and they did a urine sample and pelvic exam and said everything looked good. My cervix was closed and not to worry because my ultrasound was approximately 10 days away. I continued to spot on and off until the day of my ultrasound, which was June 1st.
June 1st I would have been six weeks and one day based off my last menstrual period, but six weeks and five days based off my ovulation detected by OvuSense®. I ended up being exactly six weeks five days as OvuSense® predicted! The baby’s heartbeat was139 beats per minute and I got to see the little heartbeat flutter!
Michael wasn’t allowed to come to that ultrasound. I am due to give birth this month and couldn’t be more overjoyed. During this journey, I have struggled, but in the end it all paid off! I can’t wait for our greatest adventure to begin this month!
The role of OvuSense® on my journey
The OvuSense® customer service team provided ongoing support, which was fantastic. In the beginning, the Facebook group was my best friend. I could ask the ladies anything, compare charts and just ask simple user questions. The OvuSense® team have been my biggest cheerleaders throughout this journey. I even had a consultation with Zermina, one of the OvuSense® fertility nurses. I still follow her incredibly closely. She helped me with my hormones and explained what to do and what not to do when trying to conceive. I truly believe OvuSense® and their dedicated team are the reason I am finally having my baby this month!
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