Well, I am sure you likely know how Baby Anglin ended up happening HAHA, but I wanted to share a little more into the backstory and take you through our journey to pregnancy.
First and foremost, I want to say that for any of you trying to conceive or those who are struggling- we are praying for you. Praying for trust and hope when times are trying and for strength and guidance. For anyone who has suffered the loss of a child, my heart goes out to you and I just want you to know that you are never alone. Women are incredible human beings and are both emotionally and physically so strong. XOXO
In April 2017, Scott and I decided that we were ready to start trying for a baby. Both of us had great careers, we owned a home, and we felt like the next step in our lives would be to start a family (this was pre-blogging by the way). I went to my GYN and we decided I would stop taking my birth control pills- she advised me that it may take a while for my cycles to regulate since I had been on birth control for 10 years, but she reassured me that by 6-12 months later my cycle should be normal.
Initially I had two cycles over the span of 3 months, but then I suddenly stopped having cycles for a period of 3.5 months. I knew I wasn’t pregnant, so I went back to the GYN in the Fall of 2017. After lab work and a pelvic ultrasound, she diagnosed me with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) which is a condition that affects hormone levels leading to ovarian cysts, irregular/no cycles, and difficulty with fertility. My GYN started my on a daily medication called Metformin to help regulate my hormones, cycles, and enhance ovulation. After being on the medication for 3 months, I went back to my GYN for a follow-up visit. At this point in time, I had created my blog and was trying to balance growing it as a business plus working full-time as a nurse practitioner. I felt like I had a lot on my plate and decided that I wanted to ‘pause’ trying to get pregnant and just focus on balancing these two jobs. My GYN mentioned going back on birth control for a few months to see if that could regulate my cycles (all while staying on the Metformin). It was her hope that if I was on birth control for a few months and my body started having regular cycles, then when I stopped the birth control, my body would remember what to do-because I had the addition of Metformin in my system. I was agreeable to this (as a side note, I was suffering from TERRIBLE back acne- like cystic acne- because of all the hormone imbalances). I agreed to go back to birth control for 3 months in the hopes that when I stopped, my body would remember what to do.
In April of 2018 I stopped the birth control (completed 3 months) and happily started having regular cycles- my GYN’s plan worked! Although my cycles were about every 5 weeks, they were at least happening and were regular! We were so excited and I started tracking my cycles and ovulation. Scott and I really started trying at this point because I could finally figure out my most fertile days. Month after month we tried…but still no pregnancy. It was such a letdown each month and I really started getting into my head. Everyone kept telling me to “not think about it” or “it will happen when you least expect it”- I’m like well, this is something that is a little difficult to get out of your head people!
Six months later in October, I went back to my GYN upset that nothing was happening. I was trying to be patient, but at this point we were 1.5 years into trying and I felt frustrated. Scott subsequently had his fertility checked (all normal) and my GYN advised to continue trying until the end of the year.
Mid-February of this year, Scott and I went together to my GYN to discuss what our next options would be. We were getting close to trying for two years and no one had really mentioned/discussed what the next steps would be regarding our fertility options. My GYN suggested that we try 3 rounds of Clomid, an oral medication that can help to increase chances of conception. If this didn’t work, our next step would be a referral to a fertility specialist.
After we left the doctor, I immediately filled the prescription and started looking at my calendar (Clomid has to be taken on specific days of your cycle). Unfortunately, due to traveling and commitments, I realized that I wouldn’t actually be able to use the medication until May. I was really upset, but knew that I couldn’t break contracts I had signed with companies and just told myself that it would all be okay!
*As a side note, it was at this time that I was leaving my job as a nurse practitioner and transition into blogging full-time. I was sad to leave a job that I loved, but I knew that working from home/being my own boss/having the ability to take on as my projects as I wanted would be most beneficial down the road as we *hopefully* had children. Blogging had turned into a full-fledged successful business and I was excited to continue growing! It was also a huge stress relief to know that I wouldn’t be juggling two jobs.
Two weeks later, I left for my first of about 5 back-to-back trips- it was a busy Spring to say the least. I went to AZ for a week to work with a brand and when I came home (on a Friday night), I was literally exhausted- WAYYYY more exhausted than normal. I remember coming home and sleeping for literally 12 hours straight haha! The next day I was looking at my calendar and realized that I should have started my cycle while I was in AZ, but I never did. I didn’t really think much of it because my cycles could sometimes be off by a few days and I had taken SO MANY pregnancy tests in the past that were negative. Plus, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Later that day, I mentioned to Scott that I never started my cycle and he was like “oh, I am running to the store and can grab a pregnancy test if you want.” I told him not to get his hopes up, but sure, go get one.
Later than night, I had to go to the bathroom and decided to use the test- I mean I was not expecting anything (again- I had had so many negatives!), so I was being real casual about it. I waited the recommended time and about fell over- it looked POSITIVE. Like WHAT?! No way! The test Scott had bought was this weird off-brand and I was convinced it was an error. Scott was out in the garage during all of this and I walked out and just started crying haha- he was like what is your deal?! I told him that the test looked positive, but I wanted to go to the store and get a name brand digital one HAHA. Fast forward a few hours later and I had my second positive pregnancy test. Scott and I were ecstatic and couldn’t believe it- I mean, I never used the Clomid! It was literally sitting underneath my bathroom counter! I just remember being in shock that entire night, but so happy.
Although I was so excited, there was definitely a part of me that was scared something may happen to the baby. I felt like we had struggled for a while to conceive and I was very aware of the miscarriage rates for women. It was so weird being happy, yet I didn’t want to be too happy because I knew there was always a chance something would happen (I know this sounds sad and weird, but it was how I was feeling). I really just wanted to make it through the first trimester and then I would breathe a sigh of relief.
We did tell our parents very quickly after we found out, but we waited to announce to everyone else once we had the initial ultrasound and heard the heartbeat.
Honestly, I truly do think that stress was playing a VERY large role in my ability to conceive. During the last 2 years, I was trying to balance two wildly different jobs, our home, and being a wife/friend/sister/daughter- I honestly think that I was under much more stress than I could admit to myself and I definitely know that it played a role in all of this. It was such a coincidence that literally right after I left my job as a NP we were able to conceive- now, I am not saying go off and quit your job so its easier to have a baby, but for me I think this played a huge factor. I had to remove something off my plate as I really had taken on too many things in my life.
I am sure many of you are wondering why we waited so long to announce on social media- side note, I am nearly 20 weeks in case you missed it. After the first trimester I felt confident that we could announce, so I started planning our photos. This was around the same time I was planning my family’s trip to Seaside, FL and I thought it would be fun to shoot the announcement there! Fast forward to our Seaside trip (where I was 16 weeks) and I was so excited to shoot the photos- I had planned out everything! Scheduled a photographer (after lots of research), planned out our outfits, purchased a cute onesie to hold- I mean, I was ready to go! Scott was only able to stay in Florida for two days due to work (PS- thanks Scott for coming, I know it was a quick trip literally just for photos haha!) and the first day it monsooned ALL DAY. Like poured. The second day, we met with the photographer early in the morning. It was cloudy and very humid and literally everything was wet, but Scott left that night so this was our only opportunity to get the photos done. The photographer was WONDERFUL, but I knew I wasn’t going to like these photos because I wasn’t feeling confident- my hair was flat and it was just so dang wet outside. I just wasn’t feeling it and knew these were not going to be our photos. I really wanted to feel confident in myself, but it just wasn’t happening.
Once we got home, I quickly realized that I was running out of time to shoot these photos because I was starting to show and I felt like people would start noticing on social media. Scott and I sat down and figured out another date that we could shoot the photos (just a few days ago haha!) and my mom was a life saver and became our photographer- thanks mom! So, that is the story on why I took so long to announce haha!
Lots of you also asked if we know the gender- Scott and I have decided that we would like to keep the gender between us during this time. We feel like its something special to share together and are excited for everyone to find out once the baby is born. Although gender reveals are SO FUN, we just felt like it was a little something that we could share just the two of us. I share so much of my life on social media and this was just something we wanted to keep private. Hopefully, you guys can all understand 🙂 Anddd this just makes the birth even more exciting!
I hope this was helpful to you girls- especially those of you planning or trying to conceive. We are praying for all of you and just know that you are never alone in this. You can always reach out to me and I will be here!
As always, thank you for reading! -A
So insanely happy for you!! My husband and I took roughly 2 years as well. Successful PCOS pregnancy over here. 💕 Our little Charlotte, aka Charlee is almost 2.5 years old. We, too were supposed to go in to start the IUI process since neither Clomid or Provera (I think it’s called?!) worked for me. I’ll be praying for a smooth pregnancy for you!! Can’t wait to see tour story unfold. 💕
Praying for you and a healthy baby! So happy for you
Congratulations 🎉I am super happy for y’all! Your the cutest!!
I’m so happy you were able to conceive without the Clomid!!! I took it ONCE and I FELT CRAZY!!! I don’t know that I even finished the whole round. I just remember having Uber-weird dreams and thinking I could feel my hormones racing through my veins…nuts!!! I did not end up having a baby but it’s something that I’ve pretty much reconciled. I’m also 42 and WAY too old for that!!! LOL!!! Congratulations to you and Scott and continued prayers for all 3 of you!!!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow! You were born to be a mama!!! Praying for you and Scott! Thank you for sharing this journey with us when you were ready! This is so exciting!!! Congrats again! Im so so happy for you and your family! kiki_1978_ IG Handle 🙂
Thank you for sharing your beautiful story xo
Im ecstatic for you guys xox 🤗🤗🤗🤗
After reading this, I have hope. I feel as if this is me writing this blog post because I relate 100%. I went through everything, I mean, everything you have gone through. I feel your pain when you mentioned you were not going to get your hopes up because you’ve been let down so many times. When people tell me to “not think about it”, I laugh and say, “really? How do you not?!” For real. Thank you so much for sharing. I don’t feel alone. ♥️
What an amazing story. Prayer for you guy. I am so happy for you and even tho I don’t know you this brought tears to my eyes and sharing the journey with you and Scott is so exciting. I will continue to keep all 3 of you in my prayers. Thank you for sharing this incredible story with everyone. We know you don’t have to but as a women in her mid 30s who wants to start having kids some day soon it’s nice to see how incredible brave you are with sharing your story.
So very exciting and encouraging!
I adore this! Thanks for sharing this vulnerable time with us! It’s a beautiful journey to be on! Congratulations to you and Scott!
Alexa, this was an absolutely beautiful story. It may have been a tough start but the miracle that will soon arrive is going to be worth it all. I’m literally so happy for you and Scott and can’t wait to meet baby Anglin!!! 🙂
Really enjoyed reading your journey to conception and hearing your perspective. It’s encouraging to hear success at the end of a struggle. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and your struggles. Issues surrounding this can make you feel so alone, and I feel like people don’t talk about it a lot bc they don’t really know what to say. I lost my baby at 22 weeks last year when my water broke unexpectedly. I was and still am devastated to say the least. However, I am pregnant again and am 27 weeks along now. I am terrified every single moment of the day but trying so hard to trust the Lords plan for me and my husband. I never ever like to hear of other people struggling but when people are willing to share their stories it does make you feel less alone. I am often hesitant to talk about our loss and the pain but it does help to talk about it and not keep it all inside all the time. Congratulations and just try to enjoy every single second of it- heartburn, frequent bathroom breaks and all 🙂
Thank you for your story, and sharing this experience. It has given me hope. My husband and I are trying to also conceive with no luck. About six months before our wedding, I was diagnosed with endometriosis (stage 4- as it has spread to other organs) and a couple endometriomas. I was so scared my husband would not want to marry me because of infertility being such a huge part of this diagnosis, which was not true, since we are married, just an insecurity as a woman. We have done 3 rounds of IUI and tried IVF once. We got so disappointed and emotionally upset we took a break, but going to start back up in September after our bucket list adventure to hike the grand canyon rim to rim. Long story short, thank you for sharing your experience, it has given me hope more than you know.
From someone struggling and navigating PCOS, thank you for sharing your story. I know first hand the frustration and feeling of hopelessness. I would love to hear your thoughts tomorrow in the Q&A around if you feel like you waited to long to seek additional assistance to conceive and how you navigated the mental health aspect of it all. Encouraged to hear your success story. Will try to catch the Q&A tomorrow to post questions. Congratulations!! Every babe is a miracle!
Hey girl!
Thank you for sharing!! I was reading and the first thing that came to mind was, stress. I am SO happy for you all!!!
I’m sending positive vibes!!🖤🖤💕💕
I am 24 and just got married. My periods have always been irregular and I have been on birth control for now 10 years as well. I was also diagnosed with PCOS. That is one of my fears when it comes time when I want to have a baby that I won’t be able to because of the same issues. This gives me a little bit of hope. Also, with the whole back acne I have really bad acne on my armpits and I have never thought about that being maybe related to the fact that my hormone levels are off. I am glad you mentioned that. I really enjoyed this blog post. Congratulations to you both.
beauitiful story so happy for you and your family! congratulations🎉
Thanks for sharing your journey. This was a lovely story and I wish you the very best😊 Prayers 🙏
Ginger
Thank you for sharing your story! We are trying now for our second babe, and it’s taken almost 10 months. Those negative tests every month are devastating 😔
I just recently started following you and wanted to let you know that you are so down to earth. Thank you again!
This literally made me cry! I am so so happy for y’all! I was just diagnosed with PCOS at the beginning of June and have yet to start a pregnancy journey with my husband but this gives me hope! That baby is going to be GORGEOUS! Congratulations!
You are so sweet!
Omg I’m crying 😭❤️ So happy for you sister!
Congratulations to both of you, I’m a new follower and young mom of three baby girls (4,3,10 months) it will be your greatest accomplishment ever , besides your marriage! enjoy ever milestone of pregnancy and infancy because it seems to go so fast when you are so consumed in love for this new arrival!
Thank you!
My husband and I have just hit our 2 year mark and started down a similar path. The crazy thing is I just quit my job yesterday due to stress. (Agreed that not everyone should just quit there jobs) I was working 70+ hours and traveling like crazy. Wanted to let you know I connected with your story and although we do not know each other, thank you for making me feel a little more secure in my decision to choose my “possible” family over my career that I have cherished the last 9 years. Thank you for sharing something so personal, and thought you should know it at least helped one person today. ME!
I love hearing this! I know, I was in the same boat with a super stressful job (I was also working for a HORRIBLE company that was fighting bankruptcy- like I wasn’t getting paid for weeks at a time). It was a lot on top of everything else. In the end, I chose my possible family over that and I am so happy with that decision. I will be praying for you guys and just know that you’re not alone!
I loved reading about your story. It’s so inspiring and beautiful. All in God’s timing! Congrats!!!
I know- it all worked out perfectly in the end. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your journey and being so transparent! Welcome to motherhood, the most amazing role in your lifetime is unfolding right now. Can’t wait to follow along throughout the rest of your pregnancy!
We are so excited and I cannot wait to share this experience with all of you!
Congratulations! Such beautiful pictures! Praying for you during this exciting time!
Thank you so much!
This is a great testimony. So thankful that you shared it. Will continue to pray for you and your family. I think it’s wonderful y’all have decided to keep the gender private. Take time and enjoy pregnancy and each other. Your pictures are gorgeous. Congratulations!!!
Congratulations! I love hearing different stories! I am pregnant as well; 26 weeks with my first. I like other women struggled to some extent. I think it so important to talk about it and share because you are never really alone out there and it’s great to hear other stories to number one make you feel “normal” whatever that really means! Second to give you hope on this crazy journey and third to know your not alone and everyone has a different journey and that is okay!
I think most importantly people are afraid to share or feel ashamed to talk about it and in their end if one person reads your blog and can relate or if you can help one person through sharing what you went through them that is amazing! It brave to write it and post it out there for others to read! It’s amazing though to share it and know you may help someone and to me that is worth it!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Congratulations again!
What a beautiful journey! Gods path is always amazing! You will be a wonderful loving mother!! Look forward to following you and Scott’s baby journey!
This is such a common problem ❤️ Our lives are hectic stressful its crazy.. so thankful for your pregnancy and pray the remainder is smooth sailing ❤️❤️❤️❤️
So so happy for you Alexa! I was diagnosed with PCOS about a year ago, and although I am not trying to get pregnant (just got engaged a few weeks ago!) and won’t be ready for a few years, I worry about the possibility of struggling to have children one day. This post was so reassuring for me and gives me hope! Praying for you and your family during this exciting time!
I’m so happy for you guys! and glad you didn’t have to use the Clomid, I happened to fall pregnant on the second round of Clomid after 15 months of trying. My story sounds soooo similar to yours! Post pill PCOS, not overweight, etc, except my acne was on my face, not my back. I hope PCOS stays far away from both of us here on out!
Also I bet you are having a boy!
I’m on the same exact track as you PCOS, Metformin and all! Let’s hope I have the same results! Thanks for sharing your story!
Alexa, thank you for being so transparent on your journey to motherhood. I’m so excited for you and your husband, especially after the long wait you’ve had to endure to wait for his/her presence! I’m sure it was even more difficult with being a public figure and having people ask about your intentions to start a family! That being said, your story made me feel a little better. My husband and I have been trying for awhile now, we too both have amazing paying jobs, own a house and it’s just been us two for five years we’re ready to expand! Being only 23 at the time I figured I would fall instantly pregnant, but this was not the case. We’re still actively trying and we’ve had one chemical pregnancy — which felt like a sick joke. After reading your story I’m confident our time will come. I’m praying for answers from my dr this month. Thank you again for sharing, we forget we’re not alone sometimes. 🙂 praying for a happy and healthy 9 mos!
@haleyannjuarez
Congratulations!!! So excited for your family on your newest blessing.
Thank you!
Beautiful family and such a sweet story. You guys are going to make wonderful parents.
Thank you!