This Personal Story of HOPE was written by HOPE members, Christine and Ernie Boudreau. The edited version was published in the Spring 2011 New HOPE Newsletter. The version below is unedited. It reflects Christine and Ernie’s journey in memory of their daughter, Dakota Catherine Boudreau.
Our journey started in October 2002 shortly after we got married. We always knew and talked about having a family and wanted to start right away. We never thought that it wouldn’t happen right away for us. So month after month of trying with no success, we decided to seek help. My doctor referred me to Fertility Center of New England. We both underwent a variety of tests and after all the testing with no conclusive results, it was suggested by the doctor that because of our age we should try invitro fertilization. We had no idea how much this would take a toll on my mind & body. We went into it with full force and a positive attitude because we wanted this more than anything. As we went through all the motions, we never told any of our friends and family about our fertility journey. It just seemed easier to keep it to ourselves than to be constantly asked how things were going or where you are in your cycle etc. The first cycle took about two months from start to finish. Having to receive shots every day and going to the clinic three times a week to have blood drawn, plus we were at their mercy. We were ok with this because we were going to get pregnant and have a baby and that’s all that really mattered to us. Oh… and I think Ernie actually took pleasure in giving me my shots. And let me tell you going through a cycle means you can never plan ahead, it runs your life. There’s no vacations, no weddings, parties etc. But again it was worth all the pain and suffering because we were going to have a baby. And as luck would have it we got pregnant on our first cycle.
We were so extremely excited that we started telling our friends and family when I was only 8 weeks pregnant. Shortly thereafter Ernie went down to Florida to visit his brother John. While I was at home one day I received a wonderful surprise. Ernie had sent me two dozen red roses and a card that read congratulations MOM!!…..Love DAD. This was a major highlight in my life because at that moment I realized I was finally going to be a MOM.
This was turning out to be a perfect pregnancy; I never even had morning sickness or any other symptom that makes us women miserable except for our husbands, they really have no idea!! Before we knew it the 16 week ultrasound was here. That’s the day we found out I was having a girl and we had her name already picked out. We named her Dakota Catherine Boudreau named after my mom who passed away in 1991. From that day on we called her by name. She was a huge part of our lives long before she was even born. As the weeks progressed we bonded with Dakota, reading and talking to her. Ernie used to take a flashlight and shine it into my belly just to make Dakota kick. I think it pissed her off but we laughed about it anyways and boy was she a kicker and a mover especially when she heard her daddy’s voice. She always seemed to always know when Ernie was in the room and when he whistled into my belly she would kick & roll like crazy. I think that drove her nuts too. I think back and I really enjoyed being pregnant. It was kind of fun. Read more…
