SpringCreek is determined to share real fertility stories, like this one from Katelyn and Derek. After an endometriosis diagnosis and one IVF transfer, the Freewalt family was gifted with their baby girl, Georgia. They stopped by to share their fertility story with us, recounting their journey to encourage those who may be going through a similar family-building process.
Watch the Freewalt family’s full interview here:
Tell us your names, please.
Katelyn: [My name is] Katelyn Freewalt.
Derek: My name is Derek Freewalt.
K: And this is Georgia Freewalt.
How did you choose SpringCreek?
K: We actually knew two families who had success at SpringCreek. When we got to the next step with our OB, she recommended SpringCreek and it was a no-brainer for us.
What kind of treatment did you go through?
K: We had to do IVF. We wanted to start with IUI, but when we sat down with Dr. Groll, he explained our chances with IUI, so we just felt like we would wait and save our money for IVF. Our chances were lower, our percentages were lower [with IUI]. He was encouraging and said if we wanted to try IUI, he would be there with us and do that if we wanted to. But for us, we just felt like we’d save our money and do IVF.
How many cycles did you go through?
K: For IVF? Just one. [Georgia] was our first try.
D: Yep. She was lucky.
K: We have five more embryos frozen, so we’re hoping to transfer all of them one day. We would love to have a big family.
What did you think of the SpringCreek staff and facilities?
D: They’re amazing. They made it easy for us. We’d recommend [for] anyone [to] come back, or go to [SpringCreek].
K: We’re excited to do it again, to transfer again, and be able to have the relationship with the doctors and the nurses. We felt comfortable going there. For the beginning part, [Derek] always came with me, and then I felt comfortable. I didn’t need him to come with me anymore. I could go by myself. They made [me] feel at home.
I’ll never forget our first ultrasound after we had her. They could tell I was nervous because I was moving my hands a lot. The [nurse] was like do you want to hear the heartbeat? And I said yes, I just need to hear the heartbeat! So they took us in the room right away and got us right up on the screen so we could hear the heartbeat to make sure everything was okay when I was seven weeks pregnant. They’re just really kind. They understand what we’re going through. They make it easier on me, for sure.
Tell us a bit about your fertility journey.
D: It started about six years ago.
K: Yeah, six years ago. We’ve been married for seven years. We knew we wanted a large family. [Derek] wanted to farm, so we wanted a large house and a lot of kids. We started trying early on and it wasn’t working. So we started to do things with our OB. I was diagnosed with endometriosis. After that, we tried after I had laparoscopic surgery. That was supposed to help and it didn’t. So then it was time to take the next step.
We called SpringCreek. They did some testing for both of us. It was the endometriosis that was our issue for infertility, which actually made my eggs small and not grow. So with the medications and the shots, they were able to make them grow and be fertilized and have [Georgia].
Would you change anything about your fertility journey?
D: I think we would’ve started with SpringCreek a lot [sooner].
K: Yeah, I agree. I was scared in the beginning. I didn’t think I could do IVF. I didn’t think we could do the shots. I didn’t think we could afford it. There were a lot of things. But looking back, I wish we would’ve done it a lot sooner, knowing how easy it was, and how comfortable they made us feel. They walked us through every part of the process. I never felt like I was alone. Everything went right the way it was supposed to. We are thankful that I was monitored the whole time. My medication was adjusted to make my eggs grow and do what they needed to do. We’re just so excited for the five more that we have frozen.
D: It’s been a blessing. It’s just been a blessing.
More stories can be found on the Reviews and Testimonials page.
