Infertility can feel isolating, overwhelming and never-ending. Fertility Specialists of Texas wants to share the beautiful light our patients often find on the other side of the shadows. It’s our sincerest desire that you read this amazing IVF success story and find hope, help and a little healing.
The Ward Family, In Their Own Words
Fertility Specialists of Texas: When did you first know you wanted to be a mom?
W: I’ve known I wanted to be a mother forever! My husband and I have been talking about our kids since we first started dating in high school.
Fertility Specialists of Texas: How long did you #TTC on your own? When did you realize you needed In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to help grow your family?
W: We tried for two years before going to Fertility Specialists of Texas. I figured we were going to need a specialist about a year in, but I was afraid so we tried for an additional year. From the beginning of TTC on our own to now it has been just under six years of trying.
Fertility Specialists of Texas: What was that realization like for you?
W: Infertility wasn’t in my master plan. We were going to get married, start trying after two years of marriage and be done having kids by the time I was 30. That didn’t happen. I was afraid and in denial. I never had regular cycles so I always knew in the back of my head we were headed down that route [of infertility treatment], but I was determined to conceive naturally. However, once we saw reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Satin Patel I had a renewed sense of hope and felt so much relief. I was afraid for nothing and wish we would have started the process sooner.
Fertility Specialists of Texas: What was your experience like at Fertility Specialists of Texas?
W: It was so great. I can’t even begin to describe how much they held me together through the crazy ride. The Southlake team and the team we saw when in Frisco for our transfers are the only reasons our infertility journey had any sort of light in it. They made us feel like people, not just another case of infertility. We feel they really got to know us and genuinely cared for us. My visits were actually enjoyable and not something I dreaded. What I appreciated more than anything, was knowing that most of the staff I interacted with at FST had been through infertility, as well. They really understood how each shot and blood draw felt. The team became more like family and I owe so much to them. They were with me through heartache and joy, and gave me hope. The Southlake team definitely holds a special place in my heart.
Fertility Specialists of Texas: Talk about *the* phone call, that first OB scan, hearing baby’s heartbeat for the first time, graduation day.
W: Let’s be honest, I started testing at home before my beta so the phone call was the reassurance that I didn’t have “line eyes”. Hearing the excitement from the team in the background when they called to tell me it was positive was everything. We never made it to the first OB scan with our first two pregnancies due to an underlying issue, so making it on the third time was so surreal. Seeing proof inside my body, not just in my blood, that we were having a baby was a dream come true. We were scanned more frequently due to my history of loss and each scan was nerve-racking, yet exciting.
Our graduation day was bittersweet. I was so excited that we had made it to that point and would get to be “regular” OB patients, but so scared because we weren’t just a regular pregnancy; we were an IVF pregnancy with a history of loss and a history of subchorionic hemorrhage. I felt like I was losing my safety blanket, which was Dr. Patel and his team. I cried that day. A lot. And I’m not usually a public crier. I was sad that I wasn’t going to get to see the team anymore, but had happy tears that this was finally happening. It’s was a dream come true.
Fertility Specialists of Texas: Tell us about your beautiful gender reveal.
W: My husband and I are high school sweethearts and have been together for 17 years (married for almost eight). Getting to this moment had been a LONG time coming so we decided to go big or go home and do a fireworks display. My husband owns a fireworks company, so it was perfect. We feel the process of fireworks resembles the infertility journey. There is a lot of set-up and work done behind the scenes. You can do everything perfectly and something can still go wrong. Then there is the pretty show that everyone sees but nobody knows the things that have gone wrong or how long it took to set up. We had just family and close friends with us for the gender reveal. When the pink-colored fireworks popped during the finale our entire family screamed. You could hear our aunts screaming and crying the most; they all had boys, and their boys have boys!
Fertility Specialists of Texas: What do you most look forward to about parenthood?
W: It’s putting the two of us together as one, so we can’t wait to see what she gets from each of us, and what she gets from previous generations!
Fertility Specialists of Texas: When is Baby Girl expected to make her world debut?
W: June 2020!
Fertility Specialists of Texas: What advice do you have for others who are struggling to have a child?
W: Definitely have patience and take every treatment one step at a time. Don’t think about the time you’ve been TTC and how your treatment plan will add to it; it only makes it worse. Focus on the here and now, one treatment at a time. Temper your expectations and only focus on what you can control. One last thing, don’t google. Just don’t.