Episode 189: Teamwork Makes a Dream Work: How Jennifer’s Village Made Parenthood Possible

We originally signed with California Cryobank, and that’s who we used for our IUI. You sign up, you pay your monthly subscription with them. I did some genetic testing and once I got the tests back, I knew what donors I could and couldn’t have and they find matches based on that. You then pick through their genetics and background. You only see baby pictures of them, and you can do open or closed, which means they can have contact after 18 years.

So, we did three IUIs and after the third is when she sent the referral over to the IVF clinic. We chose to then go to the IVF Memphis fertility clinic. And immediately they said, first and foremost, let’s do some ultrasounds, let’s, let’s see if your tubes are clear. They ended up finding I have endometriosis stage three. He said, “You can have a hysterectomy to fix it, or you can continue with IVF, your chances are only 10% less than anybody else without it and I’m very confident and happy to continue the process with you as long as you guys know that I’m here for you, we’re good to go.” We knew our chances were slightly lower, but we’re willing to go through this together.

They covered 90% of the cost, which is a significant amount. They also offered payment plans. They could break them down how we chose and because they structured it so well from start to finish, we knew how it was going to be billed, and we were happy to go ahead and pay as the bills came in, but, I mean, at 10%, it was incredible.

I had someone I could direct my call to every single time. So financially, it made it super affordable. Mentally, just the structure of the program, they laid it all out in one 45-minute call of what to expect, how to expect it, dates that were needed for approvals for insurance and Progyny purposes. As far as the mental preparation on the front end, I couldn’t have asked for a more pleasant experience. You know, I’m lucky that AT&T does support that. It’s definitely made me even more ride or die for the company. And the fact that they support you through it, they even offer emotional support, physical support during this time, too, just makes you see the company in a different light.

I give 99.9% of credit to my wife. She did all my scheduling; she organized all my shots. She did all my orders. She bought a box that organized everything. We had a chart that had a time frame on it. I basically turned up to appointments. She spent so much time doing the studying. Mentally for me, going to appointments, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, for blood work, doing the retrieval, the transfer, the genetic testing, and all the other things that I did were mentally enough for me. So, definitely teamwork.

I had to get I had to go to work, and my wife was asleep. And I thought, you know what? I don’t know how I’m gonna do this, but I’m just gonna go ahead and test at home. And I took a test, brushed my teeth, and it came back with two lines, I’m sorry. And immediately I just like, busted the door open. And I was just like, I think I’m pregnant. And then I like, called my younger sister, who stays in England still, and I broke down in tears.