We decided in August 2005 that we would start trying for a family. I had up until then been on the contraceptive pill for a number of years. Having come of the pill naturally folic acid was commenced. The months ticked by and nothing was happening not even my monthly menstrual cycle. Between August 2005 and August 2006 I only had 2 cycles which somewhat limited my chances of guessing when my fertile window would occur.
Via our GP we had all the baseline investigations which proved to show that nothing was wrong with either me or Iain. We then went to see a fertility specialist at Queen Mary’s Hospital who recommended trying clomid which we did eagerly. The idea with clomid is that it is supposed to make you ovulate so we thought this would be it. Unfortunately despite 5 cycles of clomid I only managed to ovulate on one occasion. This wasn’t quite what we had planned! Whilst starting clomid I had been toying with the idea of possibly trying some acupuncture. Despite being a GP I was very open to the idea of trying something different and alternative to orthodox medicine which so far had proved to fail me. . The nurse at the fertility unit gave me the details of Hilary and highly recommended her as being someone who had some experience in the area of fertility or should I say infertility.
At the same time I also happened to have some time off work due to a fractured wrist and so felt it was the ideal time to go and see Hilary. We decided to give clomid a break as (a) I had only managed to ovulate once and (b) on the last occasion a cyst had been seen which then had to be investigated to rule out ovarian cancer (a known side effect of clomid) Well with stressful factors like that I didn’t think my chances of ovulating or conceiving were up to much. I must say it was a relief to think that we were going to take a break from clomid which involved regular internal scans and repeatedly monthly disappointments.
So in January 2006 I went and paid Hilary a visit. The first thing that struck me was how different her approach was to orthodox medicine. With clomid I felt I was put into the same category as many others i.e. not ovulating yet nothing wrong with my investigations – another one of those patients! However with Hilary we talked about many things as well as my investigations which could be accounting for the lack of ovulation. Hilary identified that there was a problem with my blood flow and therefore as well as receiving regular acupuncture I also I changed my diet. The main aim for me was to be able to start getting a regular cycle which would at least help me to conceive. Five weeks into seeing Hilary I remember Hilary saying that if nothing had happened i.e. no cycle in the next 2 weeks then we would go back to the drawing board. Again this just seemed so refreshing as she was always questioning what was going on and addressing things if they didn’t seem to go to plan.
Well the following week I remember being so excited as I had ovulated – with the help of Hilary (and no drugs) and so we dutifully did as we should have done and 2 weeks later I tested positively on the pregnancy test. For some reason I felt very positive from the start of the pregnancy despite the fact that I had spotting throughout most of the first trimester. I continued to see Hilary on a regular basis as I felt safe whilst seeing her and knew she was instrumental in getting us to this stage. The pregnancy was more or less uneventful for which I was very grateful. Hilary continued her acupuncture but as well as that we also focused very closely on my diet to ensure appropriate blood flow and energy levels. Again I was amazed how every time Hilary would listen carefully to how I was and then make appropriate adjustments and recommendations in both the acupuncture and my diet.
On 22nd of November 2007 I gave birth to our healthy son John and was lucky enough to have a relatively easy birth. I am writing this as I prepare finally to go back to work next week after having had 9 months off for maternity. I know that without Hilary help and care I would not be lucky enough to be able to share this with you or the news that I am once again pregnant and expecting in February next year.
Funny how when I first went to Hilary my goal was to be able to have a regular cycle and here I am with one healthy 9 month old hopefully another healthy one on the way.
As mentioned before without Hilary I would not be able to share this with you but I also believe that the mind is a very powerful thing and had I not had complete faith in what Hilary was doing I would not be sharing this with you.