As many of you may know, I used IVF to have Isabella and James. Isabella is actually 20 years younger than my first born, Shanise. I was a single parent with Shanise until I met my husband in
August of 2005. He met me when I was peaking!! I had just done a few body building shows and my confidence and physique were AWESOME! Shanise and I moved to Watertown in the summer of 2006. Jim and I married in 2008. We didn't start trying to have our own child until 2011. Yikes!!

DISCLAIMER: Do not wait until you are in your 40's to start trying to have kids. Also, your primary care physician should be educating your about your reproductive future when you are in your 30's. If Jim and I knew when we met in 2005 that my eggs would begin to diminish and the quality of them would get worse, I would of froze some eggs then. (if we had, me might have a full school bus of kids right now or still be working on it). God is GOOD!! Anyway, if you want healthy children - don't wait, freeze your eggs or go for it in your early 30's.

The reason why I am going back in my life is so that you can understand how I go here and why I took a hiatus from blogging. 

1. Jim and I were rejected from Boston IVF because of my age and hormone levels. (my chances of getting pregnant were less than 5% and we would hurt their success rate).

2. While doing the pre-tests at Boston IVF they discovered that I had several large fibroids in my uterus, which may prevent me from conceiving.

3. Boston IVF referred my to Dr Stephanie Morris at Newton Wellesley in the Minimally Invasive Surgery Unit. My fibroids were successfully removed in in December 2011.

4. A week after my fibroid surgery I developed a blood clot in my left arm. The IV that I had during my fibroid surgery had been infiltrated.

5. Next I visited the Blood Thinner Clinic at Newton Wellesley weekly for 3 months so that I could recover from my blood clot. Needless to say, our baby making process was put on hold.

6. Dr Morris referred me to Dr Rachel Ashby  at the Fertility Clinic @ NWH. Jim and I did our first IVF cycle May 2012. (we got 4 eggs, 2 fertilized and 0 took)

7. In July of 2012 we did another cycle. (we got 7 eggs and none of them fertilized) We were devastated.

8. In September 2012 we did another cycle and we found out we were pregnant with Isabella on October 12, 2012. (the nurse was concerned because my HCG level was only 47, they like it to be 150 or mor)

9. I then endured weekly ultrasounds and blood tests for the first 12 weeks. (Rachel warned me that she was measuring small and I should not be surprised if the pregnancy ended).

Okay, all of this is what got me filled with FEAR and I dealt with it weekly by eating shit (sugar, etc.)

10. I gave birth to Isabella on Friday, June 7, 2013. She weight 4.9 oz and spent the next 10 days in the NICU. I didn't get to see her until the day after she was born because I had a c-section and she was on the floor above the maternity suite.

11. Once your baby is released from the NICU, you must visit your pediatrician immediately. Our pediatrician detected a heart murmur and made us an emergency appointment with Boston Children's Hospital's Cardiology department.

12. Isabella was diagnosed with Williams Syndrome shortly after.

Since her birth, Isabella has had 9 cardiac catherizations and 1 open heart surgery. Every time a child with WS goes under anesthesia it is life threatening. Anyway, the first 4 years of her life, I lived in fear and I thought I was going to lose my baby girl. So, I ate to soothe myself and I weighed over 200 pounds for a few years. She is out of immediate danger and I have since lost the weight and had a baby boy, James.
Point being, it doesn't matter what got you to where you are - just know when you are ready, YOU CAN STILL BECOME YOUR BEST SELF, living in your BEST BODY.

Let's go!

#williamssyndrome #teamisabella #fitness #weighttraining #smallgrouptraining #personaltraining #postpartumfitness