Charleigh & Conner - Help Grow Baby Thompson

Hello,

My name is Charleigh Thompson, and my husband is Conner Thompson. We got married in Sedona Arizona in October of 2020 and we currently live in Oklahoma City with our three beautiful dogs. Today, I am writing to you today to hopefully shed some light on the journey we have been on these last few years. Most of you that know us know that having a family of our own is something both of us have dreamed of. Conner and I both have loved our younger siblings like they were our own kids. Being the eldest in our family has made both of us grow up with the hopes of one day having a close-knit family of our own. Unfortunately, this journey hasn’t been easy for us. Shortly after we were married, we started “trying” to have a baby. We knew this might be a difficult task for us as we knew that I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Endometriosis at the age of 16. Endometriosis is known to lessen your chances of having children. It is not impossible, but your chances of successfully carrying a baby are significantly worsened by this. Even though I was diagnosed with this disease I have been and continue to be proactive and have had multiple surgeries in hopes of being able to conceive one day.

Our journey started on May 7th, 2021. It was both the best and worst day of our lives. Early that morning I found out by a miracle that I was pregnant with our first child. But later that afternoon I had found out my grandmother, who I was very close to, had also passed away that day. We thought for sure this baby was our blessing to help us cope with the loss of my grandmother. Unfortunately, at our first OB appointment we heard every parent’s worst nightmare “I’m sorry but your baby has no heartbeat”. We were absolutely devastated. Luckily our doctor was thorough and had some blood tests done to see if we could pinpoint a reason we had lost our baby. We found out a few weeks later that I was diagnosed with a rare mutation called the “Homozygous MTFHR Gene”. This mutation attacks pregnancy and causes women to have a higher risk of miscarriages. Our doctor reassured us to not lose hope as some women with this disease have had successful pregnancies, but a stringent medication protocol would have to be in place. We endured several rounds of shots and various medications in hopes of getting another chance at bringing a baby of ours into this world. This regimen continued for another 6 months after but unfortunately it did not work for us. We were fighting and pursuing our dream, but it seemed less and less likely every passing day.

Then, in March 2022, almost a year after losing our angel baby, our doctor recommended we see a fertility specialist. When we met with out fertility doctor we were recommended to go straight to IVF because statistically our chances of getting pregnant again naturally with my Endometriosis was less than 3%. We did our first round of IVF and through this process we ended up with 2 healthy boy Embryos. We finally felt like we were going to get the chance to be parents. In August of 2022, we transferred our first baby boy embryo but unfortunately, he did not make it and we ended up losing him. After some time, we decided to transfer the last boy embryo in October 2022. This time was different as our baby boy stuck and began to grow! Our first appointment with our fertility doctor at seven weeks we heard his beautiful heartbeat, and we finally felt like this was our time. But when we went back to our 10 week follow up, we heard those dreaded words again “I’m sorry but your baby has no heartbeat”. We felt every emotion in that second. We tried to make sense of it, but we couldn’t. To say we were heartbroken would be an understatement. We could no longer proceed with this round of IVF as we had no embryos left. Here we were again… back at square one.

Conner and I decided it would be best to let my body and mental state recover for at least another 4 months before we made any plans of how to move forward. I needed a break, and I knew Conner needed one too. And then boom… out of nowhere by a miracle of God, we learned that I naturally became pregnant in April 2023. How special was it that we were pregnant again naturally with our 3rd chance? It felt like fate, and we could not have been happier in those moments. Immediately after we found out we were pregnant I started my medication protocol to help keep myself and the baby healthy. We remained cautious but at the same time we couldn’t contain our excitement. Unfortunately, on our ten week follow up we were told for the third time that our baby had no heartbeat. Three different times, all the same outcomes.

Since our last babies passed, we have taken some time to grieve, see other doctors, do more research, and try to figure out how to move forward. Unfortunately, with the information we have received it seems like the chances of me carrying a baby to term is not in our future. After some prayer and conversation, we are ready to try again for baby Thompson but in a different way this time. Our plan is to do another round of IVF and create some more beautiful embryo babies. But instead of transferring to my body we have found a Gestational carrier that is willing to grow our baby for us. While this seems like the best decision for us, it is also an expensive one. So, we have decided to start our go fund me in hopes that any friends or family that might want to contribute to growing a beautiful baby for us can donate.

October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and ironically 10/15 is not just our anniversary but it is the National Day for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day. So, for this awareness month and our anniversary we have decided to start a fundraiser to help us pay for our Gestational Carrier journey. For our fundraiser we have purchased a puzzle that reads “Growing Baby Thompson” in the shape of a tree. Our goal is once we finally have our sweet baby on earth, we will hang this puzzle in their room to show them how loved they are not only by us, but by our friends and family. Each donation over $100 will get a puzzle piece designated to that person and we will sign the name of your choosing on a puzzle piece. Even if you do not want to donate $100 or more for a puzzle piece any size donation is appreciated.

Thank you for reading our story, our hope is to update you all as we make progress. if you would like to Venmo, Zelle, or send Check instead please do not hesitate to contact us for more information. Thank you!

Estimated Costs:

-Gestational Carrier Pay = $40k

-Estimated Legal Fees = $6-10k

-Estimated Medical Costs = $10k

Our Family

After our first round of IVF

Being a mom was always a dream from a young age

Our Puzzle Fundraiser & Conner's 1st Pair of Overalls

(we hope to use one day)