Hello! I'm so glad you've found your way here, to our blog where we hope to chronicle our struggle with infertility and our adoption journey. I'm not sure what your story is, but I think the best way to start things off is by introducing myself and my husband, and sharing our struggles to add two tiny feet to our family.
I am Amanda. I'm 29 years old any my husband is 31. Tyler and I met in 2012 at a "Christmas Tree Decorating Party" (read: nosy friends thought they'd introduce us in a cute way) at the end of November. We began seeing each other casually at first, and then started dating in earnest after the first of the year. In November of 2013, Tyler proposed, and we got married in May of 2014. Here's a cute photo. :)
In October of 2015, we decided to start trying to have a baby. It was almost an accident, if I can call it that. I'm not the best at remembering to call in my prescriptions, and missed my birth control refill. Turns out I had no refills, and it was that magical time of year when I needed to check in with my general physician. Of course! So, I manage to get in for a physical with my nurse practitioner, who is a wonderful woman. We discussed my options - I could go back on birth control or I could... not. I had her write the rx, and then I went to the pharmacy to fill it. Tyler and I had only been vaguely discussing babies, so I wasn't 100% sure where he was on the whole issue. Oh, how I wish you could have seen me that day in Kroger! Filling birth control, purchasing condoms (because I couldn't start a new pack until I had a cycle), finding prenatals, and pregnancy tests. I had all the things for all the options so that I could talk to my husband. We had a couple of weird, hard conversations (hello, marriage!), but eventually, reached a conclusion that ultimately meant I was going to stop taking oral contraceptives. I downloaded an app to track my cycle, and away we go!
October to November...
November to December...
December to January...
Almost 120 days without a cycle. This was uncharted territory for me. I'd been taking some form of oral contraceptive since I was about 18 because I had horrendous periods. Just horrible. So, birth control solved those issues for me. I started to panic. I took pregnancy tests (negative), and called my FNP. She suggested that it was time to start seeing an OB/GYN. I made an appointment.
On that day, I have no idea what I was expecting. What happened was this: I checked in, gave a complete medical history, gave up pee and blood, and waited to see the doctor. My doctor walked in, and in a sweet, soft-spoken voice told me that she felt very strongly (based on my medical history and the blood work) that I had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. She briefly explained what PCOS was and how it impacted my reproductive abilities, but that nothing was sure without an transvaginal ultrasound. Don't those words just bring joy to your heart? No? The ultrasound, indeed, confirmed that my ovaries were beautifully adorned with cysts. She wrote me a prescription for metformin, told me to work up to taking it three times a day and that she had no doubts I'd have a positive test within six months. I went home, filled Tyler in, and we resumed "the good part" of trying to have a baby.
Next time, I'll pick up where I left off, after my diagnosis of PCOS, and fill you in on our journey up to 2018.
The ultimate end to this story is that Tyler and I are working on the process for domestic infant adoption. Our first hurdle is the formal application fee, which is $550, and then the immediate need for $2,900 for the home study. As a swim coach and a public librarian, we pay our bills and... not much else. If you feel led to contribute to our adoption, our first fundraiser is a t-shirt sale through Bonfire.com. The links are below. Thank you.
It Takes a Village Shirt
https://www.bonfire.com/it-takes-a-village-shirt/
For this Child Shirt
https://www.bonfire.com/for-this-child-shirt/
I am Amanda. I'm 29 years old any my husband is 31. Tyler and I met in 2012 at a "Christmas Tree Decorating Party" (read: nosy friends thought they'd introduce us in a cute way) at the end of November. We began seeing each other casually at first, and then started dating in earnest after the first of the year. In November of 2013, Tyler proposed, and we got married in May of 2014. Here's a cute photo. :)
In October of 2015, we decided to start trying to have a baby. It was almost an accident, if I can call it that. I'm not the best at remembering to call in my prescriptions, and missed my birth control refill. Turns out I had no refills, and it was that magical time of year when I needed to check in with my general physician. Of course! So, I manage to get in for a physical with my nurse practitioner, who is a wonderful woman. We discussed my options - I could go back on birth control or I could... not. I had her write the rx, and then I went to the pharmacy to fill it. Tyler and I had only been vaguely discussing babies, so I wasn't 100% sure where he was on the whole issue. Oh, how I wish you could have seen me that day in Kroger! Filling birth control, purchasing condoms (because I couldn't start a new pack until I had a cycle), finding prenatals, and pregnancy tests. I had all the things for all the options so that I could talk to my husband. We had a couple of weird, hard conversations (hello, marriage!), but eventually, reached a conclusion that ultimately meant I was going to stop taking oral contraceptives. I downloaded an app to track my cycle, and away we go!
October to November...
November to December...
December to January...
Almost 120 days without a cycle. This was uncharted territory for me. I'd been taking some form of oral contraceptive since I was about 18 because I had horrendous periods. Just horrible. So, birth control solved those issues for me. I started to panic. I took pregnancy tests (negative), and called my FNP. She suggested that it was time to start seeing an OB/GYN. I made an appointment.
On that day, I have no idea what I was expecting. What happened was this: I checked in, gave a complete medical history, gave up pee and blood, and waited to see the doctor. My doctor walked in, and in a sweet, soft-spoken voice told me that she felt very strongly (based on my medical history and the blood work) that I had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. She briefly explained what PCOS was and how it impacted my reproductive abilities, but that nothing was sure without an transvaginal ultrasound. Don't those words just bring joy to your heart? No? The ultrasound, indeed, confirmed that my ovaries were beautifully adorned with cysts. She wrote me a prescription for metformin, told me to work up to taking it three times a day and that she had no doubts I'd have a positive test within six months. I went home, filled Tyler in, and we resumed "the good part" of trying to have a baby.
Next time, I'll pick up where I left off, after my diagnosis of PCOS, and fill you in on our journey up to 2018.
The ultimate end to this story is that Tyler and I are working on the process for domestic infant adoption. Our first hurdle is the formal application fee, which is $550, and then the immediate need for $2,900 for the home study. As a swim coach and a public librarian, we pay our bills and... not much else. If you feel led to contribute to our adoption, our first fundraiser is a t-shirt sale through Bonfire.com. The links are below. Thank you.
It Takes a Village Shirt
https://www.bonfire.com/it-takes-a-village-shirt/
For this Child Shirt
https://www.bonfire.com/for-this-child-shirt/
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