Meet Ellysia, Matthew and Oscar
We started trying for a baby in 2017 after 7 years together and were excited to grow our family. Months went by and we were greeted by negative after negative test. Towards the end of 2018 we had a couple of back-to-back chemical pregnancies and decided to make an appointment with the GP as it had been over a year of trying with 2 losses I was diagnosed with PCOS and from there we completed 3 unsuccessful rounds of Clomid and then decided to look into IVF.
We decided to self-fund after being quoted a 3 year minimum wait for IVF in our local area. Initial tests didn’t show anything other than my PCOS so we went into the process feeling hopeful. Mr Russell went through protocol with us and after stims we came out of egg collection with 41 eggs! We were absolutely over the moon that we had so many chances!
After 5 days we received the call that 15 embryos had been frozen and then began the wait for frozen transfer.
Our first transfer was successful but after a few days the test line faded and we experienced our 3rd loss. After a little while we started down regulation for our second transfer, this too ended with a positive test but unfortunately at our first scan we found that the embryo didn’t have a heartbeat. We were heartbroken but Lottie, the nurse scanning me was so so lovely and made the whole process so much easier to understand and come to terms with.
After a little break, our next transfer which was twins also ended in loss so we came into the clinic wanting to make some changes and our consultant wholeheartedly agreed! We did further testing and made some protocol changes and geared up for our fourth transfer.
Honestly I had lost all hope. The previous miscarriages had taken away any excitement and the weeks leading up to the next transfer were some of the hardest weeks of my life. I replayed every loss over and over in my mind and convinced myself this would end in the same way.
On the 19th September 2023 we walked through the doors of the clinic to transfer our 4th embryo. The infamous two week wait was filled with the same anxiety as always and on day 11 we were blessed with yet another positive test.
Days turned into weeks and although we had a few scares along the way we made it to our viability scan at the clinic at around 7 weeks. I walked into the scan room and Lottie was there. I can’t put into words how much she managed to make me feel at ease and before I knew it she said ‘congratulations, there’s the heartbeat’. To this day I still get goosebumps thinking about that day.
Despite a few scares along the way I had a fairly uneventful pregnancy and before we knew it we were walking into our local birthing centre to finally meet our baby boy.
On the 22nd May 2024 after a 3 day labour we welcomed Oscar into the world. 7 years, 5 miscarriages and more heartbreak than I thought I could endure later we had our perfect family. He’s now 5 months old and absolutely perfect.
My one piece of advice is to always take it one day at a time. There’s a whole lot of waiting and every day seems impossible but whilst it’s the hardest journey I’ve ever taken, it’s taught me how strong I can be and how resilient we are as a couple. Lean on each other and believe it’s possible because at the point where I had absolutely no hope left, he found me.
Thank you doesn’t cut it. The compassion we were shown at every step along the way was invaluable and a special thanks will always go to Lottie for both holding my hand during the worst day of our lives and then being there for the best day of our lives. We will be forever grateful.