I can't tell the story about our twins unless I first go back in time for a moment and talk about their big brother, Bryn.

My husband, Thomas, and I married in 2001.  A couple years after our marriage we decided to start a family, thinking, like any other couple, that it would be something magical and simple.  Well, we were in for a big surprise.  Each month was very difficult going through the ups and downs of the waiting, anticipation, disappointment, rejuvenated hopes, and wondering.  It was definitely an emotional rollercoaster.  After 7 months of trying to conceive Thomas told me he just had a "feeling" that something was wrong.  We decided to have a semen analysis done, just to ease our minds about there being a possible problem getting pregnant.  After the analysis was done, Thomas called me at work to tell me he'd gotten the results and that they found zero sperm.  I couldn't believe it!  I thought there must be some mistake.  I left work early that day and cried the entire way home.

We were referred to a urologist at Vanderbilt and from there Thomas underwent a testicular biopsy and exploratory surgery where they discovered that he had congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens.  Basically he was born without any vas deferens and while there was sperm in the testicles, there was no way for it to get out without medical assistance.  The news was a blow to our spirits.  It was definitely (as Dr. Phil would say) "a changing day in our lives."

Thomas and I discussed our options and we decided that the best option for us financially and physically at the time was to try IUI with donor sperm.  I looked online and found Dr. Vasquez and the Center for Reproductive Health.  At our consultation with Dr. Vasquez, he explained every test that was going to be done and every procedure to make sure we understood it.  He explained that his goal was the same as ours, to get us pregnant with a healthy baby.  It felt good to know that he was going to do everything he could up front to ensure that we had the highest possible chance of conceiving and sustaining a healthy pregnancy.

One of the test showed that my eggs were not maturing as well as they should be but that the Clomid® should remedy the problem.  So I was put on Clomid® and on August 31, 2003 I had my very first IUI using the donor sperm Thomas and I had chosen.  The procedure was a piece of cake.  Dr. Vasquez let Thomas have a part in it too.  He got to "push the plunger."  The worst part about it was all the needle pokes I had to endure through the initial blood tests.  I quickly got used to them though.  Two weeks later I found out the IUI worked!  I had a wonderful, uneventful pregnancy and on April 16, 2004 I gave birth to our first son, Thomas Bryn.

One year later Thomas and I decided to try for a second baby.  I wanted our kids to be close in age and so back to Dr. Vasquez we went!  Using the same donor sperm, we underwent another round of Clomid® and IUI.  We found out we were pregnant again!  What a shock!  I didn't expect it to work on the first try again.  What were the chances?  A couple of days after getting the positive pregnancy results at Dr. Vasquez's office, we got the sad news that my hormone levels indicated that the pregnancy was not viable.  One week later I officially had a miscarriage.  Even though it was very early in the pregnancy I was so devastated, but ready to try again as soon as we could.  Once again, 6 weeks later we found ourselves back at the Center for Reproductive Health.  I was so used to needle pokes by this time I didn't even mind them anymore!

Everyone in the office was so nice and caring and supportive.  One of the nurses was so nice, she told us she was praying for us and rooting for us.  Well as it turns out, third time was a charm for us because we were pregnant again and my hormone levels were soaring!  When we went to see Dr. Vasquez for our first ultrasound he announced that we were having twins!  I had thought so all along but Thomas was in complete shock.

April 13, 2006, at 34 weeks and 1 day, I had our twin boys Drew Michael and Caedmon Burke.  They were 4 lb 7 oz and 5 lb 3 oz respectively.  They were definitely fraternal and perfect in every way.  After 12 days in NICU with absolutely no problems they came home.  We are so proud to have 3 adorable little boys.  Our experience with the Center for Reproductive Health was a very positive one and thanks to the expertise and skills of Dr. Vasquez and staff, we have a family that we never would have had otherwise.  The experience of going through infertility treatments and alternative ways of getting pregnant has really had a huge impact on my life.  I have such a heart for couples who opened up to me about their own infertility issues.  I will never take for granted what a blessing it is to have children and what a lot of couples must face in order to have the families they desperately want.

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