Meet Lizzie, Ben and George

When Ben and I decided we’d like to think about starting a family I had visions of the surprise positive test reveals you see all over social media. Never in my wildest dreams did I think our story would look so very different…..We both have siblings with no family history of fertility problems so the fact that we needed medical intervention to have a family was something that was alien to us. We initially started our investigations in 2020, however it would be over a year and half later before treatment would start thanks to covid delays.

This was probably the worst part for me – the not knowing when it would be. My mental health took a downward spiral during this period and some days I really struggled. The dream of having a baby seemed further away than ever. We knew we needed ICSI, so in a bid to salvage my mental wellbeing I threw myself into researching ICSI and what I could do to give us the best chance possible.

When our time finally came and we started treatment I was dealt with another heartbreaking blow that I didn’t respond well to treatment, and despite thinking that good number of eggs would be able to be collected we only got 4. Even though all 4 were mature only 2 fertilised. I had resigned myself to the fact that our round was not going to work, and I started thinking ahead to after Christmas when we decided we’d try again. The slither of hope I had when we transferred our fresh embryo dissolved with the negative pregnancy test. Heartbroken and feeling incredibly despondent I took the advice of the consultant that did our follow up appointment and went into our frozen transfer, calm and positive that I was giving this little frostie the best chance possible.

On the 17 August 2022 we went for our FET. I had already requested a guided transfer and was assured that I could have one. The transfer was actually a wonderful experience, we had a room full of people – there were students in, and we actually had a nice time and a bit of laugh with them. The guided transfer took longer than I thought it would, and with a full bladder it was a struggle. However, the doctor was adamant she wanted to get it in the right place. We were shown on the screen after, and she explained where she wanted to place it and that she was able to. So off I rushed home for MacDonalds chips and then a follow up acupuncture session……After the longest 11 days ever it was official test day. I had convinced myself that it hadn’t worked so I didn’t test early. At 6.15 am when I took that test it was the biggest shock ever to see the two lines appear. I can still feel the absolute shock and elation even now……When you have dreamed of something for so long and after a roller coaster journey that feeling of success is something indescribable…..

We had a positive experience at the Hewitt – we have our baby you can’t get much more successful than that. I always say they work magic through those doors, and we will forever be grateful for them making our dreams come true. Yeah, the wait to start was tough, and some days I honestly struggled to get out of bed – the shear weight of what we were going though felt too much to bear sometimes. I must admit I was worried that we had been forgotten about and once I did call up in tears begging for an update. As always, I was treated with compassion and respect and a lovely receptionist put me through to a nurse and gave me some much-needed reassurance and what felt like a hug down the phone. Dr Russel was amazing at explaining things to us which we both really appreciated, he listened to our concerns and wishes and everything we requested was acted upon thanks to him.

 

Our darling Hewitt baby – George is now 18 months old and our absolute world.

He was born 27 April 2023 exactly 1 year after I did my first injection, during National Infertility Awareness Week and during International Caesarean Awareness Month – talk about serendipity. I was booked in for a C-section just over a week later, but little man decided to choose his own date and my waters broke at 10pm at night and he was born by way emergency C-section a few hours later, with the help of forceps. His birth was exactly how I imagined it to be – despite being an emergency it was calm and absolutely perfect.

George attends nursey and is a little hurricane. He is exceeding his milestones and is going to take the world by storm one day.

To people starting their journey I will say that I hate false positivity and I dint like it when people would give me cliché advice – but I have come to understand it’s because unless you are in the trenches of infertility, people honestly don’t know what to say, and that’s not their fault. Infertility isn’t spoken about enough and its time to break the stigma surrounding it.

Your feelings are valid. It doesn’t matter what your story looks like, I struggled that I didn’t belong in the IVF community sometimes because my journey wasn’t as long, or we hadn’t been through certain things. But I absolutely do belong. It is a roller coaster like no other and there will potentially be some very dark days. I found that throwing myself into something really helped – I became a bit of a gym bunny, it was my refuge and my time to focus. There will always be a listening ear and there is copious amounts of advice – don’t be afraid to reach out – It’s the worst club with the best members!

 To the Hewitt Team  - Thank you! How many ways can I say thank you?!! There just aren’t enough words. Our darling boy wouldn’t be here without you. Our lives wouldn’t be as happy and as enriched if it weren’t for you. I would not be called “mama” if it weren’t for you! I have said once, and I will say it again – there is magic behind the doors are the Hewitt and we will always be grateful for you all!