My Shero – Strength is the New Medicine, Meet Alex Albertson
Welcome to Warrior Women Wednesday!
Wow, boy oh boy do I have something special for you today. It’s with the utmost pleasure I introduce to you My Shero, Alex Albertson!
Truth be told, I met Alex through our lovely WW Lindsay in December. I can honestly say we don’t even have each others numbers but became “Insta-Friends” over on Instrgam.
Within a short time (like maybe 5 hours), we became #ttcsisters and spilled our journeys to one another. I was so grateful for her kind checkins during those dark hours before we found out Sprinkle didn’t take.
She’s a remarkable woman who I invite you to get to know too. Please welcome with me Alex to the community here at Bumps to Baby and join me as we listen to her story below.
Tell your story. What was your fertility diagnosis? Did you have one?
Like many women, my husband and I waited until we felt financially, emotionally, physically ready to have children, which ended up being about four years into our marriage. When we made the decision it was time, we started trying, and around the year mark decided maybe we needed to see a fertility doctor. Initial testing showed that I had hypothyroidism and that was potentially contributing to the lack of being able to conceive, along with the fact that I was not ovulating. At this point, our best possible chance to conceive was to move forward with an IUI. It was successful and we were over the moon excited! At ten weeks in, I went to the restroom and noticed some blood. I called my doctor and they wanted me to come in immediately. I knew in my heart of hearts what was happening. An ultrasound determined that we had lost the baby. I will never forget that day das long as I live, after suffering this loss, we took some time for things to normalize. I ended up bleeding for about six weeks and it was determined I needed to have a D&C. After a few more months of waiting, we made another attempt at IUI, which was also successful and lead to the birth of our daughter, who is now two.
How many years did you try? Ovulation calendars? IUI? IVF?
We did different fertility treatments/tests for about three years before conceiving our daughter, and went through two rounds of IUI. This leads to present day, when I thought having a second child, would be “easy” even if we went through the IUI process again. I have always heard, and so many people told me that I started to believe, after you have one child, your body just knows what to do. I am afraid for my situation (and probably most) that is not the case. My body is confused and clearly has no idea what to do! After four failed attempts at IUI, our fertility doctor said it was time to move onto IVF. We were extremely lucky and completed our first round of IVF this Fall/Winter, and I can now say I am officially 17 weeks pregnant!
How has infertility changed you?
Infertility has made me much more aware of how hard it truly is to have a child, that sometimes waiting for the perfect moment may not be the best route, and has made me much more patient.
It has also been a huge pain in the rear end, literally. I never thought I would be administering a shot to myself in the rear end in the ATL Hartsfield-Jackson airport restroom, but, alas, with the automatic toilet continuing to flush and spray me as I tried to hit the target dead on, I can go ahead and cross that experience off my bucket list. In all reality, I have learned to find some humor in the process. It helps with the emotional rollercoaster, and makes the bad days seem not so bad.
What advice do you have to women with infertility?
I think the hardest part is having patience, when you are in the moment, it is ALL consuming. It literally consumes your every thought, action, and emotion. I think finding a way to let go of some of that (even though it is nearly impossible) can lead to a lot of inner peace.
What is your favorite quote to pick you up?