My name’s Richele and my husband is Daniel, and we’ve been married 6 years. We’ve battled infertility for 4 of those years.  Months after we were married, we realized something may be wrong because we weren’t taking any steps to prevent pregnancy, but no baby had come yet. My OBGYN put me on Clomid and after 6 months of ineffective timed intercourse cycles, he referred us to a reproductive endocrinologist (RE). Our first visit to the RE, she said my BMI was too high to do any tests. I was determined, and within 5 months I lost the 50 lbs I needed to get into the doctor’s good graces.  She did all the normal tests, and when she didn’t find anything abnormal, she put me on Femara and had us do the timed intercourse for 3 months. After the 3 months of failed IUI’s, she told us the next step was IVF. Unfortunately their clinic doesn’t perform IVF cycles on overweight women.  At which point she said there’s nothing more she could do for us.  This was my breaking point…I had a nervous breakdown. After months of therapy, support groups and heart-to-hearts with the hubby, we were on our road to recovery and getting back to our old selves. We were planning to either adopt or live our lives child free. Many months had passed and it was now Christmas time, and my period was much later than normal. Usually a good sign, but my cycles were never regular after the failed IUI’s, so I didn’t think anything of it. I don’t know how or even why I was chosen to be blessed with this gift, but I was finally pregnant! Our little boy arrived August 2017.

Since my husband and I weren’t paying for fertility treatments, we were able to save enough money to buy our first home together, and we’re enjoying our new found privacy and ability to do what we want, when we want.  My little boy, who just turned 1 in August, is undoubtedly the light and love of my life! I was told I’d never have kids, and yet here I am teaching him to walk on his own and say his first words. When he stares in my eyes smiling when I sing to him, I usually can’t even finish the song because I get choked up and teary-eyed. Best feeling in the whole world! We hope that one day we’ll be able to make him a big brother, but I’m more than blessed to have my son, even if he’s all God bestows upon us!!