Jennie & Teddy

Jennie & Teddy's Story:

In November of 2021 we started trying for a baby. Little did we know that the path to parenthood would be a winding road filled with sadness, unexpected challenges, hope, and joy.

As the months passed, our anticipation grew. Each new cycle brought a rollercoaster of emotions that came with trying to conceive. In April of 2022, I found out I was pregnant (conceived naturally). At seven weeks pregnant, I miscarried our baby. We were told that miscarriages are normal and to try again after my cycle returned. In June of 2022, we found out we were expecting again, but shortly after finding out, we had another miscarriage. Grief overwhelmed us, and I knew I could not continue trying to conceive until we looked for answers.

After running several tests on both my husband and me, we discovered that my husband has a balanced reciprocal translocation of chromosomes. We were referred to a genetic counselor who could further explain the results. She gave us the hope we so desperately needed! With the genetic abnormality, we were told we could get pregnant naturally, but the likelihood of another miscarriage was high.

We decided to go the IVF route so that each embryo could be genetically tested for translocations, and we could reduce the possibility of a miscarriage.

In January of 2023, we had a consult with CNY Fertility. We began our IVF journey in March of 2023 and were monitored at CNY Sarasota. At the end of March, we flew to CNY Colorado Springs and completed our egg retrieval. 30 eggs were retrieved, 23 of the eggs were mature, and 19 of the eggs fertilized. Due to our diagnosis, we chose to test all 19 embryos. This testing left us with four normal/balanced embryos. On August 21, 2023, we transferred one of our embryos.

At the beginning of September of 2023, we found out that our cycle worked, and we were pregnant! In April of 2024, our little miracle was born!

(Photos by Kiwi & Bri, and  704 Photography)

Helpful resources Jennie & Teddy found:

I leaned heavily on several friends who had been through the IVF process. It was great having the support of several people who had stood where I was standing. I stayed active during my entire pregnancy, whether it be going to CrossFit, walking or hiking.

The Moment:

The two week wait after transfer was the worst. I am not patient and decided to test at 6 days post transfer. I got a very faint positive line and immediately the flood of emotions came over me. I was scared, excited, nervous and ready for our journey of parenthood to begin! After having two miscarriages, I eagerly awaited our 6 week ultrasound appointment. As soon as the heartbeat was found, the tech let me hear it and in that moment, I knew it was real. The relief I felt was indescribable.

Hope, Inspiration and Advice:

Find your support system before you begin, because those are the people you're going to want to lean on the most while going through the process. If you don't have support or want to keep it private, find support groups through social media. Try to stay positive and know that you are so much stronger than you think!