Graduation

9/28/24

I have graduated high school, earned a Bachelor’s degree, and also my Master’s. I thought I was happy when I graduated then, but it doesn’t hold a candle to today. I officially graduated from Shady Grove Fertility! After 3.5 years of trying to conceive and being a patient there for nearly 3 of those years, I finally got to walk out of that office with a huge grin on my face.

It was a busy day there so we ended up waiting about 45 minutes for the ultrasound. My gut told me everything was fine, but it doesn’t mean I wasn’t still worried. Waiting in those chairs, watching the clock hands continue to spin, I was dying! We went in and got to see the heartbeat again. It was 170bpm this time! Our miracle is measuring exactly 8 weeks and is actually starting to look like a baby! They showed us which part was the head and these little bitty nubs that were the start of arms and legs. It was truly incredible. They printed multiple pictures for us this time and let us record a video again.

When we left the room, the nurse was there with a card signed by all the staff and our baby with a little graduation cap sticker. She started humming the graduation song and had me go over to their little table where I got to put a bead in the jar while she rang the bell. I burst into tears. I couldn’t believe that it was my turn. I made the staff cry! I got hugs, well wishes, and was told they’d still be here with our other embryos when we want to try for baby number 2.

I have dreaded going to that office so many times. It wasn’t just because of the pokes and prods, but because of the constant depletion of hope. Day after day, cycle after cycle, year after year, I would leave the office feeling defeated. I can’t even count the amount of times I just wanted to give up and never come back. Thanks to my perseverance, I have such a beautiful memory of that place now. I hope it overtakes many of the other memories. Miracles really can happen! I am praying that our miracle will grow and thrive so I can one day show him or her off to all the SGF staff that was an integral part of my journey.