Sharing Our Journey

 "Our Story"

Sit down, make yourself a cuppa, this is gonna be a long read 

This in no way is a sympathy post, more of a shout out to anyone else going through the same thing, and that sometimes things don’t always work out the way we want them too, and to thank our many friends and family for their continued love and support.
We need to stay strong and still have hope that one day it will all work out. As some of our family and friends already know, over the last few months Kyle and I have embarked on the IVF journey, one that has been very tough, physically and emotionally draining, and, a massive learning curve for both of us. Now as most of you know I don’t mind a drink or 10 so the day that we started this new chapter of our married life I gave up drinking AND smoking and have not had one since – who would have ever thought it 
When we started the IVF process we had not a clue what to expect or what was to come, blood tests after blood tests plus all the other fun tests that come along with it – hey Kyle . Turned out we had unexplained infertility leaving us with a few options we made the decision to move forward and start the IVF journey as our best chance. To say we were very excited, scared and keen to start the process was an understatement. We got all our information and appointment times together – and anyone who knows me knows that listening is definitely not my strongest suit hahahahahaha, so I’m super lucky that I have Kyle and my mum by my side. We have been fairly open about our journey to our friends and family, and are also aware that some people choose to keep this journey private, and that’s totally understandable as it’s such a full on process. We have been so lucky with the support and love from each and every person that has been with us each step of the way, including the amazing staff at the Townsville QFG – we could not have gotten through this without them.
Daily hormone injections for a week, then 2 injections each day until egg retrieval day was full on and if you ask Kyle my normally calm and placid nature was put to the test hahahahahaha, but without him by my side I would have been lost, even if some days I wanted to choke him out  Anyway final injection was before our egg retrieval, with this injection given at a precise time otherwise the whole process is a waste if missed – talk about no pressure hahahahaha. Egg retrieval day arrived on Kyle’s birthday and we went in with high hopes and big smiles on our faces, well Kyle mostly because he was guaranteed to get lucky on his birthday, even if it wasn’t from me but from Mrs Palmer!!!! Hahahahah sorry Kyle just couldn’t help myself and tell that joke  Going in, there are so many unanswered questions in your head, you have no idea if you will even have any eggs that are good enough to use or how many you will get, so the waiting game plays on your mind, but if you have followed all the instructions – probably not something I’m that good at either  - then all you can do is hope. We got the call that everything went well and they retrieved 8 good eggs, and that all 8 are going strong and an amazing number, and 7 could be frozen for down the track when we wanted them. After a few days rest and trying not to go insane having to sit still, along came what we called “Tag & Release” day, or formally known as ET (Egg Transfer) Day, when we got our healthy little embryo put in for the hope of a positive outcome and 9 months later a little baby 
So once this was done the waiting game begun again, also known as the dreaded 2WW and OMG it seems to take forever. Every little feeling you feel you don’t know if it’s bad, good or nothing at all, needless to say it is such an emotional roller coaster with emotions raw and very close to the surface, but once again with the love and support around us we got through each day the best we could. Unfortunately our outcome this time around was not positive and was absolutely heartbreaking for both Kyle and I. 8 days after my last AF (period) I thought for sure that we had done it, that we got lucky, but unfortunately it was not to be A day before our blood test AF turned up absolutely crushing us.
Together we will move forward and try again, once we recover and feel ready to start all over again, once again with the love and support of our many friends and family. To anyone going through the same journey please never give up, and always hold onto hope even in those times that you don’t feel you can.

Pt 2

Just a quick “Shout Out” to anyone going through the IVF journey.
We have been so lucky & blessed to have our dream to become parents coming closer in a few months, there are still so many going through the struggle and heartbreak of IVF. Whilst our journey was thankfully short, it has taught us so much about ourselves, others and life. We are forever grateful, have shed tears of heartache, tears of joy and well, just tears for who the hell knows why. Finding out that our last FET had worked was the most amazing feeling, and whilst we have never felt the amount of joy that 2 little lines on a stick can bring, we are also aware how much pain 1 line can bring. Everyone’s journey is different, and no matter what the outcome it is never easy.

The fact that we had those 2 lines not only meant our dream was one step closer, it also meant our world was about to change forever. We knew so early on that our FET had worked, keeping it a secret for so long was hard, but we were also aware that things can change in the blink of an eye and things are never set in stone to go the way we want them to. We learnt that this journey was not just for us but for our family and friends. The ups and downs, highs and lows, but no matter what we knew they would be there for us no matter what happens.

With our joy has come heart break for others, and we wanted to make sure that our family/friends still fighting the IVF battle were not forgotten nor ignored. It made our joy bitter sweet but we knew that no matter what, our love and support for everyone going through it will never change. This experience has taught us so much about life and how amazing it can be (yep proper cliché i know) our lives will never be the same again no matter what the outcome will be over the next few months. One thing we know is that even though we have given up our boozy late nights (well me anyway hahahaha), quad missions, spur of the moment decisions, sports and whatever else, it has all been worth it. My clothes may never fit the same and my body may never look like it did before but at the end of the day it's how we grow as people (right Kyle, to love no matter what ha ha).

We’ve also learnt that with a baby comes hormones, tears and melt downs, body issues & everything else that can make you feel a little down, but at the end of the day it's all part of the process and creating memories with the growth of this beautiful little human.

So for anyone struggling with body issues, or even a few extra kilos, just remember your body does not make who you are. If you are unhappy with the way you are, learn to love yourself and your body, never hide away & never feel less than the amazing person you were destined to be.

We are now lucky enough to have had Chase in 2018 & now also a little girl Layla in 2019 who was conceived naturally so they keep us on our toes.

We both have jobs other than Chase Clothing but we continually work around the clock to make our brand the best it can be & we are both proud as punch with it. Everything we provide is 100% made/supplied locally with every logo on your shirt/ cap/ jacket done in house by Danielle so you know everyone is done with love & care, we decided to start Chase Clothing to help raise awareness about IVF & also to try use/ support other small business.

We continually are blown away and are grateful for all your support and hope this helps you get to know us a little more.