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Ep. 8a & 8b - An Armenian in Germany

Mary knew two things in her heart from time as far back as she can remember: she wanted to move abroad, and she wanted to be a mother. But while both of those dreams came true, one was a journey far more difficult than anticipated. After multiple rounds of IVF with ICSI, several cases of OHSS (ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome), multiple early pregnancy losses, postpartum depression, and a personal journey through faith and self-actualization, Mary shares the path which led to her beloved daughter Audrey, and one which will hopefully lead to a second rainbow baby to complete her family.



Having known for all her life that she wanted to move abroad, Mary took an opportunity to volunteer in Germany, where she later met and married the love of her life, Philip. Shortly after settling down, they stopped actively preventing pregnancy... but after several years of not actually falling pregnant, Mary and Philip sought fertility help. It was then that Mary heard the words that no person wishing to be a parent wants to hear: that conceiving naturally was literally impossible for her and her husband.


Thus began a long and challenging journey including multiple rounds of IVF with ICSI (the stim phase leading to OHSS every time she went through it), and multiple miscarriages.


Mary did have one beautiful, successful pregnancy though which resulted in her beloved daughter Audrey, however the stress of a move, a baby who slept poorly, lack of family & friends to help, and various cultural elements that left Mary feeling judged in her parenting decisions led to postpartum depression and anxiety.


Through it all, though, the desire to be a mother and to ensure her daughter would never grow up alone drove Mary to walk the difficult path of infertility once more in the hopes of conceiving once more. And although they have not succeeded yet, her determination and desire to complete her family is much stronger than the pain of setback.


”[Those of us who have struggled with fertility] think we're being punished, but God loves us unconditionally; he can't punish us. There is no punishment for you - there are just certain lessons for you that you have to go through, to love more, to be a better person, or a better version of yourself.”

If you have any questions and would like to contact Mary about her experiences or about her fertility Germany in general, she can be reached on Instagram @mary.c.54 or on her YouTube Channel, "Mom's Diary", at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf2mC_tpTpRTGHw96MkQ11A.


TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

Immigration story, infertility, IVF with ICSI, OHSS, pitocin-induced birth story, vaginal birth, postpartum depression, and multiple miscarriages.



Hyperlinks to our social media and podcast player platforms:

ACAST (Android users): The Birth Abroad Podcast


 
 
 

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