Patients:
Story Highlights:
- Tammy and Jon struggled to conceive.
- Artificial insemination proved successful.
- Baby Jack was born small but healthy.
Concern:
Treatments:
Specialties:
Doctors:
A Hopeful Journey
When baby Jack screamed upon delivery at MeritCare Birth Center, his mom Tammy took his cries as a sign that he was healthy. She in turn wept. But these tears of joy also marked the end of a journey for Tammy and her husband Jon which began with at MeritCare Reproductive Medicine.
The first step of that journey began online. Tammy was seeking a mate and began reading profiles on an internet site for singles. Jon noticed that she visited his profile but took even more notice when the site sent out profiles of new members. She and Jon were a 100 % match!
They met in July of 2005, were engaged in March of 2006 and married in September of that same year. Tammy and Jon wanted to have a child but conception proved difficult, as is the case for nearly 15 percent of couples.
In April of 2007, they went to Dr. Steffen Christensen and Dr. Stephanie Dahl at MeritCare Reproductive Medicine, where over 500 couples are currently being treated and pregnancy success rates are nearly 20% higher than the national average.
After going through testing, Tammy began a treatment process of self-administered injections that assist with ovulation. Following the injections, the doctors and staff at MeritCare Reproductive Medicine would measure her hormone levels, the release of eggs, or follicles, and size of the follicles.
Next, Tammy and Jon would attempt to conceive. Then came the waiting game. If Tammy's menstrual cycle began, then she and Jon were resigned to begin the process again.
It took three months of shots, tests and attempts before the doctors moved Tammy and Jon to a more advanced treatment: Intrauterine insemination (IUI), where the sperm are placed directly into a woman's uterus.
After a second IUI attempt, Tammy's menstrual cycle seemed to start but soon stopped. She took a pregnancy test that showed a positive result, but Jon didn't trust it. Because they had been using so many pregnancy tests lately, he had stocked up at a discount store. He urged her to get a more expensive test. But Tammy just knew.
She had a blood test and her intuition was confirmed when the staff at MeritCare Reproductive Medicine called her with the positive results. She and Jon were elated.
That elation doubled in December when they found out the baby's sex: a boy. Jon grew up as the only boy among 5 sisters while Tammy has 1 sister. This would be their families' first boy. Tammy says Jon was doing cartwheels.
But Tammy had trouble late in the pregnancy. For three weeks in the third trimester, the baby's weight never changed. Her doctor feared that the placenta was failing, so the doctor referred Tammy to specialist Dr. Kari Wessman, MeritCare OB/GYN.
Tammy was warned if the baby was in distress that Dr. Wessman would induce her immediately.
That's just what happened. Tammy met Jon at the appointment, and Dr. Wessman escorted her to the hospital immediately following the exam. Tammy checked-in at 4 p.m. and Jack Arlie was born at 6:16 p.m. He weighed a mere 5 pounds 4 ounces.
But he was healthy, happy and went home a few days later. Now, Jack is always smiling, a big Cheshire grin… the same grin that spreads across his dad's face.
Tammy admits that conception was a difficult process, with disappointing news month after month. But she and Jon refused to give up hope. In part she feels it's because of the positive attitudes and encouragement at MeritCare Reproductive Medicine.
While the process is not always successful for couples, she feels that it is worth the chance. Staring at Jack, she says, "Look what you get out of it."