My name is Megan, and I have been married to my husband, Ryan, for 5 years. We were blessed with our sweet Huxton 4 years ago after a smooth pregnancy but a traumatic delivery. We conceived Huxton easily after just one month of trying. After a year, we decided we were ready to try for baby #2. After 3 months of trying to conceive, I finally discovered I was pregnant in June 2022. Sadly, just 2 days before our confirmation ultrasound, I experienced my first miscarriage. We were devastated, to say the least. I was fortunate to have an amazing support system in my husband, mom, and sister.
Fast forward to March 2023, we had our first appointment with the Reproductive Endocrine Infertility (REI) specialist after many unsuccessful cycles of trying to conceive following a miscarriage. We received the dreadful “unexplained infertility” with a plan to undergo several rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI) while awaiting an appointment with the IVF team. After 3 rounds of IUI, I finally became pregnant with my rainbow baby. Throughout this pregnancy, I became familiar with the process of beta lab draws. After the initial lab draw revealed a low beta value, I had diminished expectations that this pregnancy would result in holding our precious rainbow baby. Unfortunately, this pregnancy ended as a chemical pregnancy. Once again, we were devastated and left wondering why this continued to happen.
In November 2023, we began our first round of in IVF. The IVF team assessed my anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels, revealing that they were on the lower side. As we entered the IVF process, we remained cautious, understanding that we might not be the couple to produce ten healthy embryos; instead, we were hoping for at least one viable embryo. IVF cycles are filled with numerous ups and downs, and for us, there were many uncertainties. At the end of November, we transferred two suboptimal embryos, which led to our first unsuccessful IVF attempt. We proceeded with another round of IVF in February 2024, which yielded results similar to those of our initial attempt.
After this, we had planned to attempt one more round of IVF. However, after much prayer, we decided to take a break and try IUI again, as we had previously been able to conceive through IUI. IVF is emotionally draining, and we wanted to be more present with Huxton and enjoy celebrating his third birthday, rather than worrying about appointments and ultrasounds.
We were finally prepared to undergo another round of IUI in June 2024 and discovered that we were once again pregnant with our double rainbow. I completed my beta tests, and everything appeared to be progressing beautifully! We scheduled our 7-week ultrasound, believing we had finally overcome secondary infertility. Boy, were we mistaken. During the ultrasound, we learned that there was a gestational sac but no fetal pole. My heart was shattered once more. I felt so confused as to why God would continue to bless us with these babies only to take them away.
After healing from our previous loss, we faced a decision: should we pursue another round of IVF or opt for IUI? After much prayer and discussion with Ryan, we concluded that IUI had previously offered us the best chance with the least emotional burden. Thus, we decided to proceed with another round of IUI. Following a failed IUI, a completely wacky cycle and yet another IUI, we finally received the joyous news that I was pregnant with our triple rainbow baby on Christmas Eve. I was over the moon with excitement, yet also filled with fear. While my beta levels looked promising, I couldn’t help but reflect on my last pregnancy. To say that pregnancy after loss is challenging is an understatement! Although I maintained a baseline of fear in the back of my mind during this pregnancy, I also experienced a sense of peace. When it was finally time for our 7-week confirmation ultrasound, there were nothing but tears of joy as the ultrasound technician, who had supported us through our previous loss, revealed our beautiful baby and a strong heartbeat.
As I write this today, I am 27 weeks pregnant with our triple rainbow baby. We have a very excited soon-to-be big brother who cannot wait for “his” baby to arrive! I haven’t shared my entire story with many people. By sharing my experience, I hope that someone going through a similar journey will know they are not alone in their struggles with infertility.
We cannot wait to meet our precious triple rainbow baby in August and to see Huxton become a big brother!
Photos taken by Daniel McCreight.
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