92: ~IVF Got This~ Pamela & Kevin's Fertility Journey Round 2
03/09/21 • -1 min
1 Listener
If you listen to our podcast, each week you will hear the loving and compassionate voice of Pamela Quinn. To know Pamela is to love her. She is kind, selfless, thoughtful, hilarious, and all around beautiful inside and out. She gives her whole heart to our podcast and our friendships. As listeners we are sure you haven’t noticed too much of a change in Pamela’s tone from each episode because she is a never ending ray of sunshine, but our incredible Pamela and her husband Kevin have been enduring some very emotional times.
In January of 2019 Pamela and Kevin began trying to conceive their second child. In that year Pamela ended her 2 year breastfeeding journey and gave her body time to realign with her changing hormones. Without a successful conception in 2019, Pamela and Kevin consulted with a fertility clinic, at the start of January 2020, in hopes of having an Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). As Pamela completed her necessary testing to start the IUI, January quickly faded into March. Unfortunately with March came the pandemic, and as a result the clinic closed putting a stop to all fertility procedures. Pamela and Kevin refused to give up. For the next few months, the couple used the medication Clomid, timed intercourse, and an at-home insemination kit to help them get pregnant. The sadness of negative pregnancy tests began chipping away at Pamela’s self esteem, but she wasn’t ready to resign. June arrived with new hope as the clinic reopened allowing Pamela the opportunity to have an IUI. Leading up to and following the IUI, Pamela felt discouraged as the fertility clinic did not listen to her concerns. After a cold and cruel negative pregnancy result delivered from the fertility clinic, Pamela, with the unending support from Kevin, reached out to Northwestern for their fertility assistance. During her first virtual appointment with Northwestern, Pamela immediately felt heard and seen. After 2 more IUIs and a Hysteroscopy with Northwestern, Pamela decided to take the month off in September to rest her body and prepare for In vitro fertilisation (IVF). Her IVF retrieval took place in October, and her IVF transfer happened in November. Finally after countless struggles and draining attempts Pamela and Kevin received the greatest news in December that they were pregnant.
Pamela and Kevin’s commitment to their growing family has been truly remarkable. The way the two supported one another through internal ultrasounds, Covid testing, isolation, blood work, test samples, intramuscular injections, a variety of medications, overall exhaustion, and so much more is absolutely inspiring. The couple’s bond has remained unbreakable, even in a pandemic, as they worked toward their common goal of growing their family. Their story has provided so much promise and hope to many other couples struggling with infertility, and their devotion to one another is absolutely extraordinary.
Pamela thank you for educating us, for being such a strong advocate for yourself and your sweet baby, and for your vulnerability in sharing. Your story brought tears to our eyes, smiles to our faces, and optimism to our hearts. We are so honored to celebrate with you, Kevin, and Oliver. And as Lauren so perfectly put it, “The world’s a better place that the Quinn family is growing”.
Xx, the Boob Broads
Show Notes:
Northwestern Fertility & Reproductive Medicine
The Fertility Tribe Instagram Account
The IVF Warrior Instagram Account
If you listen to our podcast, each week you will hear the loving and compassionate voice of Pamela Quinn. To know Pamela is to love her. She is kind, selfless, thoughtful, hilarious, and all around beautiful inside and out. She gives her whole heart to our podcast and our friendships. As listeners we are sure you haven’t noticed too much of a change in Pamela’s tone from each episode because she is a never ending ray of sunshine, but our incredible Pamela and her husband Kevin have been enduring some very emotional times.
In January of 2019 Pamela and Kevin began trying to conceive their second child. In that year Pamela ended her 2 year breastfeeding journey and gave her body time to realign with her changing hormones. Without a successful conception in 2019, Pamela and Kevin consulted with a fertility clinic, at the start of January 2020, in hopes of having an Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). As Pamela completed her necessary testing to start the IUI, January quickly faded into March. Unfortunately with March came the pandemic, and as a result the clinic closed putting a stop to all fertility procedures. Pamela and Kevin refused to give up. For the next few months, the couple used the medication Clomid, timed intercourse, and an at-home insemination kit to help them get pregnant. The sadness of negative pregnancy tests began chipping away at Pamela’s self esteem, but she wasn’t ready to resign. June arrived with new hope as the clinic reopened allowing Pamela the opportunity to have an IUI. Leading up to and following the IUI, Pamela felt discouraged as the fertility clinic did not listen to her concerns. After a cold and cruel negative pregnancy result delivered from the fertility clinic, Pamela, with the unending support from Kevin, reached out to Northwestern for their fertility assistance. During her first virtual appointment with Northwestern, Pamela immediately felt heard and seen. After 2 more IUIs and a Hysteroscopy with Northwestern, Pamela decided to take the month off in September to rest her body and prepare for In vitro fertilisation (IVF). Her IVF retrieval took place in October, and her IVF transfer happened in November. Finally after countless struggles and draining attempts Pamela and Kevin received the greatest news in December that they were pregnant.
Pamela and Kevin’s commitment to their growing family has been truly remarkable. The way the two supported one another through internal ultrasounds, Covid testing, isolation, blood work, test samples, intramuscular injections, a variety of medications, overall exhaustion, and so much more is absolutely inspiring. The couple’s bond has remained unbreakable, even in a pandemic, as they worked toward their common goal of growing their family. Their story has provided so much promise and hope to many other couples struggling with infertility, and their devotion to one another is absolutely extraordinary.
Pamela thank you for educating us, for being such a strong advocate for yourself and your sweet baby, and for your vulnerability in sharing. Your story brought tears to our eyes, smiles to our faces, and optimism to our hearts. We are so honored to celebrate with you, Kevin, and Oliver. And as Lauren so perfectly put it, “The world’s a better place that the Quinn family is growing”.
Xx, the Boob Broads
Show Notes:
Northwestern Fertility & Reproductive Medicine
The Fertility Tribe Instagram Account
The IVF Warrior Instagram Account
Previous Episode
91: A Stepmother Journey: So Much Care, and Always There ~Katie's Story~
1 RecommendationsWelcome to Part 2 of our special mini series celebrating stepmoms, where we meet incredible Katie.
“Meeting James was its own blessing and then getting the bonus of having his children in my life was even more of a blessing.”
In this week’s episode, we learn all about Katie and her phenomenal role as stepmother to Alyx and Jessie and wife to James. Katie shares all about meeting James, and how their relationship evolved while Katie simultaneously grew a relationship with his precious kids. Right away Katie felt a strong connection to Alyx and Jessie, and as a music teacher, music was and remains one of their biggest ways to bond. Katie says that even to this day, she can hear one or both of them singing to themselves as they fall asleep. Additionally, Katie instantly had maternal intuition when it came to recognizing special needs and the support that was needed.
It takes a special person to see the beauty in everything but Katie has truly found the magic in each moment of this journey - the good and the bad. Katie discusses in the episode that she is currently going through the adoption and custody process with the children’s biological mother which has been quite a bumpy road. While it’s been difficult to navigate, Katie is so looking forward to having this process be finalized. As you’ll hear in her voice, she absolutely adores her role in these kiddos’ lives and considers it to be the highest honor.
“I hope it never stops feeling so special when they call me “Mommy,” or when they run to me when they’re sad. It’s been the privilege and honor of my life. It hasn’t been easy but I am so thankful for this journey.”
Wow, just wow. Katie, thank you for sharing your story with us so candidly; your mindset and dedication to your family is truly awe-inspiring and we are so honored to have you on the podcast this week! Thank you, thank you!
Xx, the Boob Broads
Next Episode
93: A Story of Hope, Love, & Resilience: Cherisse's Gestational Carrier Journey
1 RecommendationsRe-sil-ient: Adjective- able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.
This week we are joined by our guest Cherisse, and if there is one word we can use to describe her story it is resilient. Cherisse and her husband Joe married in 2012, and began their journey to start a family. Cherisse shares her attempts to conceive with Clomid, Femara, IUI, and IVF. And after 8 years of trying to conceive, and limited embryos remaining from IVF, Cherisse and Joe were left with a decision to make. Together the couple decided to seek a gestational carrier to help them achieve their dream of having a baby. Through many tears from those trying 8 years the couple was finally able to meet their baby that they hoped and prayed for, for so long.
Cherisse shares, “I hope he understands one day and knows that we love him more than anything, and obviously would have done anything to have him here”. There is no doubt in our minds that your son will be forever thankful to you and your husband for your tireless efforts.
Cherisse, we are so grateful that you were willing to relive that difficult time of your life in order to share with us. We hope that sharing the incredible outcome brings back all of those comforting and loving feelings for you. Everything from your story illustrates your qualities of being a mama who is strong, compassionate, and so much more. We couldn’t be happier for you and your sweet family. Hugs to you all and thank you so much!
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/the-boob-broads-76972/92-ivf-got-this-pamela-and-kevins-fertility-journey-round-2-12243808"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to 92: ~ivf got this~ pamela & kevin's fertility journey round 2 on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy