Waiting for Baby

It was only three weeks after Melissa Segal had moved to Washington, D.C., in August 2001, that she met Seth Edlavitch at a barbecue for a local volunteer organization. Four years later they were married. And shortly after that, the couple began pursuing their mutual dream of starting a family.

Given that they were in their mid-thirties, Melissa and Seth made the decision early on to try to conceive naturally, but agreed that if it wasn't working after a few months, they'd seek out a fertility specialist. Melissa's proverbial biological clock was ticking, and since they wanted more than one child, they knew time was of the essence.

Six months passed, with Melissa tracking her ovulation cycle religiously, but the outcome was never positive.

"It'll be fine," Seth assured her. "It'll happen for us eventually."

But Melissa wasn't convinced. "Every time it doesn't work, I'm devastated," she explained. "And I don't want to continue to endure the disappointment month after month."

Seth understood. After all, he acknowledged, it wasn't his body.

So, in January 2006, eager to expedite the process, Melissa made a call to the fertility center. And, after a thorough evaluation, the couple was told that while Melissa's tests were all normal, there was an issue on Seth's end, making in vitro fertilization (IVF) their only feasible option.

Melissa and Seth were undaunted. Their goal was to become pregnant, and even though it meant a succession of procedures and shots for Melissa, often administered by Seth, they were ready to tackle the process together.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly. Melissa stimulated above average from the hormones, fourteen eggs were retrieved, five of them fertilized into perfect embryos, and two were transferred into Melissa's uterus. All they had to do was wait a couple of weeks for the good news.