The husband:
This is a pic from our wedding two years ago. I met Travis back in 2005 in El Paso, TX. We were both visiting family and it was a random meeting at a seedy bar. Who says that never works out? Travis was a marine stationed in Camp Lejeune and the first half of our relationship was long distance. Once he got out, we tried to live in Dallas, TX (not my cup of tea) and ended up settling back in Wilmington, NC, just south of where he was stationed in the marines. Travis is currently in Basic Law Enforcement Training school. He is set to graduate and take the state exam at the end of July. His end goal is to become a NC state trooper.
In regards to the subject of this blog, I'll give you a tiny medical history. We don't know a whole lot about his family history because his mom passed away unexpectedly a few years ago. She was adopted, so she was pretty much the only link on that side. His dad, Philip, lives in Oklahoma (his home state) and doesn't have any overwhelming health conditions. His dad's side is of Hispanic descent, so he is prone to chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. He does have high blood pressure, but so far we've avoided the others! He is the youngest of three brothers from his mom and dad, and there are no obvious infertility issues from his family.
Travis was certain that he was the problem when we started realizing something was going on. He always told me that his sperm "swam backwards" and that was our problem. Contrary to his belief, after having a semen analysis done, he had an abundance of sperm (149 million to be exact), with 4% meeting the motility/morphology requirements. That is literally 6 million good sperm per "load", which just blows my mind. 6 million and not one can fertilize an egg?
The Family:
Another wedding pic! It is rare to have us ALL together for a posed photo op. From left to right: JJ (brother, 23), Jeff (dad, 61), Travis and I, Diana (mom, 53), Becca (sister, 21). I also have a half-sister not pictured named Dawn Renee.
My whole family has been so supportive of Travis and I during our fertility woes. My mom, especially is always willing to listen to me go on and on...and on about everything baby (or lack thereof). For medical history, my mom and dad have some typical chronic diseases (high BP, high cholesterol) but nothing too crazy. My brother, JJ, has severe autism with bipolar disorder. He has a lot of behavioral issues related to his bipolar and OCD tendencies and has little speech capability, but is still totally awesome! My sister, Becca, has become one of my best friends since reaching "adulthood", even though we couldn't stand each other most of the time as kids. She's in her last year of college and is generally healthy, although she has recently come across some issues related to her "lady area", which I'm sure she'd prefer I didn't discuss on the world wide web!
My extended family on both sides are extremely fertile. All of my cousins seem to be able to pop out babies any time they even think about it. I had heard from a couple girl cousins on my dad's side that they had struggled at first to get pregnant, but that's about it. My dad is one of six and my mom one of three, so no issues up the family tree. There are a couple family members, an aunt and my half-sister, that struggled with endometriosis, and in my aunt's case this may have led to her fertility problems. She is, of course, one of my closest extended family members (people always mistake her for being my mom), which is something that weighs heavy on my mind. She was never able to conceive with her former husband, even after trying IUI.
The BFF's:
I have so many awesome friends, but the three above are my closest girlfriends in Wilmington, so they get to deal with me the most. From left to right: Anne, Jess and Elana.
Jess has been my best friend since college back in Pittsburgh. We have known each other for 10 years and have pretty much done everything together (getting through college, living off-campus, moving to Wilmington, getting engaged/married). We REALLY wanted to get pregnant together, but I told her I couldn't wait for her to get married (she got married about a year and a half after me). Her wedding came and went and still no baby for me. Her and her husband Matt decided to start trying and after 3 months, she was pregnant. The good news, I was happy for her (yea! I am a good friend and still want the best for others). The hard part for me is feeling frustrated with myself that I'm not getting to do this with her, for the first time in our friendship.
My other two girlfriends are single ladies and help remind me to keep having fun when times get tough! I really do feel that I wouldn't be in as hopeful a place as I am now without these three!
The dogs (aka my interim babies):
About eight months ago, Travis sent me a link to pet finder as a joke, saying look at this goofy looking dog. It was a dachshund/doberman mix named Otto and yes he did look funny! What Travis didn't realize was that it would be love at first sight for me. I tried to work quickly because his ad stated he was at a kill shelter in Columbus county, NC. Luckily, he had been fostered in time and it gave us some time to test him out.
The poor guy was so scared of everything, he had obvious abuse and neglect issues, which only made me love him more. We did adopt and renamed him Trooper Juicebox (another story in itself). He came at a perfect time for me, giving me someone to take care of (mother). He's come a long way and I'm so glad he's part of our little family.
Amazing job Kaitlyn! I know this will be an inspiration to others going through the same thing as you. You are brave and strong and doing everything exactly right! Love you! XOXO
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