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Deborah: You know, normally, we talk to physicians and staff at Deaconess on this podcast. But this month, we're hosting a five-part series focusing on the personal journeys and stories of our patients. Today, we'll go behind the scenes with one member of our Boston IVF family and hear about her experience as a patient of BIVF, as she shares her story with the community.

This is the podcast series from Deaconess The Women's Hospital, a place for all your life. I'm Debra Howell. And our guest today is Mariah Stubblefield, a patient of Boston IVF at the Women's Hospital. Welcome, Mariah.

Mariah: Hi!

Deborah: Delighted to have you with us today. And you have a wonderful story to tell us today. Let's start from the beginning. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you found your way into the picture at Boston IVF at the Women's Hospital?

Mariah: So my husband, Kevin and I got married in 2004. And my husband is a paraplegic. So he uses a wheelchair to get around and that kind of introduced some difficulties when we decided to start having children or trying to have children. So, we're actually from Southern Illinois, so we went to some local doctors and things, and then someone referred us to Boston IVF to get a little more specialized care there.

Deborah: That's wonderful. Now, can you describe your fertility journey as an IVF patient? We'd love to hear more of your story.

Mariah: So, we spent a lot of years at Boston IVF, sort of became like family really. We started with an IUI, so we did that first and that was unsuccessful. And then, we moved to IVF. So, we actually did multiple rounds of IVF. We did six rounds of IVF before we had any success. So, I like to joke and tell people that, if it has to do with infertility, I probably tried it or did it, or had the procedure.

Deborah: Oh, my goodness. And it was lucky seven or lucky six?

Mariah: Lucky seven. Yep. The seventh round of IVF is what got us our daughter, Maddie Joy.

Deborah: And how old is Maddie now?

Mariah: Maddie will be four in September.

Deborah: I love it. Oh, that's fantastic. And beautiful, healthy child?

Mariah: Absolutely. Yes. She's the sweetest little girl. We actually returned to Boston IVF then in May of 2021 and did one more round of IVF. And so we actually have another daughter named Josie. So we have two beautiful baby girls from Boston IVF.

Deborah: That was lucky number one.

Mariah: Yes. That one worked on the first try. Dr. Griffin told me when we came for our consultation about trying again, he said, "Hey, it worked. We're not going to change anything. We're just going to do what worked. And it worked again."

Deborah: Wow. I also have been in the fertility situation that you were and, you know, it is kind of daunting when you sit in the room and you know that some women are going to get yeses and, you know, you hope that they all do, but you just don't know. I think the not knowing is one of the hardest parts, isn't it?

Mariah: Yes. It's scary. It's sad. It's sometimes, you know, not painful, but it's uncomfortable. You know, you got to put yourself out there

Deborah: What gave you the strength to persist?

Mariah: Well, my drive to have a child. But also, we believe in God and I knew that God was going to give me a baby and we just kept working for it.

Deborah: I'm so, so happy for you. I think you definitely landed in the right place with the right team. If you could describe your experiences with the services provided by the Women's Hospital in one word, what would you say?

Mariah: You know, there's lots of words, I think. We talked about some of them. You know, it can be scary. It can be hard. It can be exciting. It's exciting when you get to certain parts of the journey and when things go well. There's just lots of one words. I think I'm going to have to use two though to wrap it up and I'm just going to have to say worth it.

Deborah: Oh, worth it. Okay, great. and how did you feel when you got the call on lucky number seven?

Mariah: Oh, my gosh. A sense of relief and, like I had said, the Boston IVF team became like family. I knew them. They knew me. When they called and told me, you know, I could hear excitement on the other end of the phone too. So, it was just so exciting.

Deborah: And then, every day you look into your daughters' eyes, both of them.

Mariah: Yes. I got some sweet girls, that's for sure.

Deborah: And you realize it's more than a miracle, it's also medicine

Mariah: Yes, it's both. It takes both. Yes. And I'm so thankful for the doctors and nurses at Boston IVF that were willing to get the education that they have and work the hours that they have and are willing to do that for other people.

Deborah: Anything else you'd like to add or any shoutouts you'd like to give to anyone at Boston IVF?

Mariah: You know, Mandy was there from the beginning with us. She kind of left and came back. So she was a pretty special one. And Missy, Missy is one of the sonographers at Boston IVF. And we had a pretty special bond, so shout out to them. And of course, Dr. Griffin, we can't do it without him.

I'm kind of old school. We started so long ago. I don't know a lot of the new people, but I'm sure that they're great too. And I actually wrote a book about our journey at Boston IVF, so that was pretty cool too.

Deborah: Tell us more about the book.

Mariah: So it's called The Miracle of Maddie, and it just kind of details our journey and some of the ups and downs and the candid moments of going through IVF and things like that and then the outcome.

Deborah: Where can people get a hold of this book?

Mariah: So, it's available on Amazon. And then, some Barnes and Noble stores or barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com.

Deborah: And just in case people just tuned in, the name of it again?

Mariah: The Miracle of Maddie.

Deborah: I love it so much. Well, this has been just incredible talking to you, Mariah. So, so happy for you and your husband and your two little daughters. Such a special story. Thank you so much for being with us today to talk about your journey.

Mariah: Thank you guys so much. And I will never ever be able to thank Boston IVF enough.

Deborah: And for more information about Boston IVF at the Women's Hospital, visit www.deaconess.com/bivf. And that wraps up this episode of the podcast series from Deaconess The Women's Hospital, a place for all your life. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and all the other Deaconess Women's Hospital podcasts. For more health tips and updates, follow us on your social channels. This is the Women's Hospital, a place for all your life. I'm Deborah Howell. Thanks for listening and have yourself a great day.