Our Story

Camden and I (Melanie) met through a mutual friend in 2000.  Okay, let me be honest, we met because I dated his childhood best friend.  There, said it. We didn't start dating until almost 4 years later.  We hadn't gotten along well before, but something just clicked this time and it's all been a wonderful journey since.

When we first started dating, Camden was a cadet at Norwich University, and I was still a senior in high school.  After a year at Norwich, Cam figured out it wasn't the right place for him.  At the same time, I decided to go to Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada.  Cam then went into the United States Air Force.  My first year at school, Cam spent at basic training and then tech school.  After he returned, he started working as a corrections officer and when I came home from school that summer we decided to move in together.  The following year was a bit quieter, until 2006.  In September, Camden was deployed to Kuwait.

He returned in December and proposed!!  I was completely surprised!

Wedding planning began and I graduated from university with my Bachelor of Business Administration  (B.B.A.) with concentrations in Human Resource Management and General Business Management.  In the course of about 4 months, our life was crazy but settled down.  I graduated in May, we got married in June, I started my first real job in July, and Cam fulfilled his dream of becoming a police officer when he was hired full time.

After a year of marriage, we unexpectedly got a positive pregnancy test.  We were nervous but super excited.  Unfortunately, the proceeding day, the test was negative.  I have since learned that we experienced a "chemical pregnancy" or a miscarriage in the very early days of pregnancy.  So began our journey to parenthood.

After about 6 months of trying, I got very sick and had to have my gall bladder removed.  After my surgery, I had a menstrual cycle that lasted more than six weeks.  As a result, we were referred by my OB to the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility doctors (REI).  REI was a roller coaster of emotions and hormones, none of which the likes I was remotely prepared for.  We tried Femara and Clomid over the next six months with absolutely no success.  The next step was injectable medications.  These aren't covered by insurance and cost anywhere from $800-2000 per cycle.  We did five cycles over the course of a year and a half.  At that point, the cost of continuing these medications versus the benefits were no longer feasible.  Our doctor agreed with us that moving onto IVF was the best next step.

Our first IVF cycle resulted in 9 eggs harvested.  Of these 9, only 4 fertilized.  Of the 4 that fertilized, we had 2 eggs that were good enough quality to transfer and none of the eggs would be good enough to freeze.  We chose to transfer these two eggs in the hopes that at least one would implant.  We were blessed to find out 10 days later that I was pregnant.  At 7 weeks, we found out that BOTH had implanted and we were expecting twins!

 

17 weeks pregnant.  Last photo I have of my belly.

The boys at 18 weeks.  Samuel on the left, Andrew on the right.

My pregnancy was not uneventful.  I was diagnosed with Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) at 10 days after my transfer portion of IVF.  I had fluid filling my abdomen.  Twice I had approximately 2 liters of fluid drained from my belly and was out of work for three weeks full-time, and returned for another 3 weeks part time before everything resolved enough for me to go back to regular activity.  Just when I thought I was going to get to enjoy my pregnancy, I got diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 13 weeks pregnant.  I was thankfully able to manage my diabetes via diet.

At 23 2/7 weeks, I went to the hospital with severe pain in my abdomen.  They were able to resolve the pain with Maalox/Lidocaine and I was sent home.  Just over three days later, I was back at the hospital with pain again.  This time I was admitted (this is where my blog really begins).  I spent three days in the hospital and my symptoms again resolved.  I was home for just over a day before returning at 24 3/7 weeks.  This time I didn't get lucky.  My symptoms had turned into HELLP, a severe, atypical form of pre-eclampsia (though I never had pre-e).  The only resolution to HELLP is delivery.

Our boys, Samuel Earl and Andrew Thomas were delivered at 7:02 and 7:05 PM respectively on September 3, 2012, weighing in at 1lb 6.6oz and 1lb 2oz and measuring 12.5" and 11.75".  Andrew fought hard for three days before succumbing to the complications of his severe prematurity on September 6, 2012.  We were lucky to meet him, learn his personality, and love him for those three wonderful days.  Samuel fought hard for us for 22 days in the Intensive Care Nursery before succumbing to the issues related to his severe prematurity on September 25, 2012.  We count ourselves incredibly lucky to have had such a little fighter that we got to know and love, too.

Andrew - 3 days old

Samuel - 15 days old

This is the story of our journey.  Of our boys and life after losing them.  Of our continued journey to parenthood, whatever that means.