Help Delaney & Ryan Bring Home Baby Daugherty!

Hi, my name is Jordan Begley. My friends Delaney and Ryan are in the midst of their fertility journey. This journey has not only been mentally and physically exhausting for them, but financially as well. Delaney is so deserving of becoming a mother and I want to help them make this possible. Please consider donating even just a small amount, I know they would appreciate anything including prayers for a future baby Daugherty! Here is their story:

In spring 2022 I decided to get my hormones check to be “proactive” toward my fertility. Just two weeks later I was given a diagnosis that would change my life, and arguably the future of my family. I had the egg count consistent of someone in their 50’s. I was only 23 years old at the time, and my egg reserve was supposed to be at its peak. Not only was it so low, it was barely detectable. I was told I would be in menopause in “just a few short years.” I had just moved to Kentucky, and self referred myself to a fertility clinic. I had to wait months to get in, and the only thing I had to rely on were Facebook support groups and Google who told me my only option to have a family would be donor eggs or adoption. When I got into my clinic, they ran just about every test you can think of. All normal, except my egg count. How frustrating that we didn’t have a reason or cause for this. My doctor suggested we proceed with IUI’s. I was so hopeful, and thought surely this would work. 4 IUI’s later, they all failed. The only thing left to try was IVF.

Our first egg retrieval gave us 5 beautiful embryo babies! We were shocked. I beat all the odds. This meant 5 chances of growing our family. Even enough for a sibling. Our first frozen embryo transfer was March 2023 and it couldn’t have gone better. Everything was perfect, I was officially what we call in the IVF world, PUPO (pregnant until proven otherwise). 10 days later I got the call no one wants to hear; my blood pregnancy test was negative. Devastated would be an understatement, but we kept going for our 4 embryos left frozen. Surely it was just a fluke, the next one would work.

Fast forward to now: 2 egg retrievals, 2 grueling biopsies, hundreds of shots, doctor appointments, a temporary medicated menopause, ultrasounds, 5 embryos later, we are not pregnant. How frustrating to put all your energy, time and money into something and have nothing to show for it. At this point I fell into the category of RIF (recurrent implantation failure) which may I add is described as a rare phenomenon, and only happens to a very small percentage of couples. In the midst of all of this, I started my new job as a Mother Baby nurse. I spent my days at work teaching others how to take care of their babies, not knowing if I’ll ever get the same opportunity. What a beautiful irony.

Fast forward to today, we are met with only a handful of things to try next. Most would recommend using a gestational carrier (surrogate) at this point. There is no reason I can’t carry a child, therefore I’m choosing to explore other causes. Even if that were the direction we wanted to go, the costs associated with a carrier are extremely high (rightfully so). The reality is insurance does not recognize infertility as a necessary expense. We have to do a third egg retrieval to bank more embryos for future attempts. Each egg retrieval averages roughly $10-12,000. Each embryo transfer averages $2-3,000. I will also be seeing a specialist this month in Chicago (there are only 5 of these specific doctors in country). We will also be seeing another doctor for an endometrial laparoscopy surgery to rule out endometriosis being the cause for blame.

No family should have to face the financial burden infertility has been on us. No family should have to go into thousands of dollars in debt have a baby. Not only is this process emotionally taxing, but financially it is astronomical. Taking out a new loan what seems like every month, working overtime just for the opportunity of growing my family. IVF isn’t a guarantee, it’s a chance. So for now, our guest room sits empty. What should be our nursery remains empty waiting for a baby to fill its walls. Being a mother and experiencing pregnancy is all I ever talked about as a little girl, and I can’t imagine not getting that chance. I refuse to give up. Please pray for my little family as we navigate this journey. You work so hard for something and you don’t know what the outcome will be. Most have success once they move to IVF, and unfortunately that hasn’t been the case for us. Ryan and I are hoping to ease the financial burden for a third egg retrieval surgery as we are left with only two frozen embryos at this time. Your support, prayers, and success stories would mean the absolute world to us. I know there are so many struggling in silence right now, my messages are always open to talk.