Hi there! Where to begin.
First things first, my name is Kelly and I live in Humble, a suburb of Houston with my husband Ryan and our two fur babies - Maci and Molly.
Now most people who know us I would say know us pretty well. They know our interests, hobbies, what kind of people we are. But what they don't know, if for the last 13 months, we have been working towards having a baby. Great right? Typically this isn't something I would yell at the top of my lungs. But after 9 months of trying with nothing - I knew someone was wrong. Well let me be the first to tell ya - this has been one of the hardest things I have EVER had to do.
I came clean to a friend of mine that I crossfit with. I hadn't really told anyone the struggles we were going through - not even my parents. I was scared and embarrassed of what they would say. Deep down knowing they would be there for me 100% of the way through this struggle, but nevertheless, actually saying the words "we can't get pregnant" hit like a dagger straight through the chest.
My friend said she knew someone who was doing the Creighton Method and was on her 6th baby! She sent me some information on it and I took it from there. I spent about a week really researching it online, only to find out they provide as little information as possible. I picked up the phone and called the Pope Paul IV Institute in Omaha, NE and asked to speak with a practitioner who could provide me with some information about what I had to do to get started. They emailed me some information on local practitioners in Houston and I went down the list from there.
Elizabeth Martinez was the first to respond. We set up an appointment in early January which lasted 1.5 hrs of learning the basics of what the Creighton method was and what signs to look for in my mucous cycle. I was anxious, nervous but most of all excited. It is a natural method which teaches women how to track their fertility cycle with the presence or absence of mucous. Gross. But I liked what I heard because it was natural.
After two months of charting - we knew something was not right. By the way, you have appointments every two weeks with the practitioner to go through your chart, making corrections, asking questions - something that would involve you AND your husband as the fertility cycle is for the both of you. She then mentioned that Dr. Stephen Hilgers had just moved to Houston (his dad invented the Creighton Method) and to set up an appointment with him. Dr. Hilgers specializes in NaPro Technology - yes it's fertility - and is the ONLY method that is accepted by the Catholic Church - which was a big deal for me.
Ryan and I had our first meeting with Dr. Hilgers on March 26th. He reviewed my medical history, asked what seemed like 100000 questions, reviewed my fertility chart and that's when the journey truly began.
My husband had to be checked, I had to get my blood drawn every other day for 11 days - damn those results were brutal. To spare details - it basically said we could not get pregnant on our own. He quickly scheduled me for a Laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, and some other stuff I can't pronounce within days and here I am 5 days post op.
*side note - it usually does not happen this fast, however since we had been trying for more than a year, Dr. Hilgers wanted to try a more invasive approach.
I wanted to share my story because I want people to know that infertility is common in 10-15% of women. Not once did I think this would ever be me. I remain optimistic. My husband has been the greatest support through this. He is the one that keeps the both of us grounded when I want to explode.
I will share with you my journey on the road to baby. The McCreary's are hopeful and we pray to God each day to remain strong.
God Bless
Kelly
