(Hazel Crest, IL)….When Hazel Crest residents Deandra ‘Dee’ Hayes, 40 and Carrie Henry, 46, met five years ago through mutual friends, both were certain that they wanted marriage AND a family…they just didn’t imagine things would play out as they did. Confident of their union, the two married three years ago and settled into their lives. Considering her younger age, the couple decided that they would use Dee’s eggs along with a sperm donor. Dee planned on carrying the child. “It just wasn’t something I contemplated,” says Carrie Henry. “I love my family and wanted one, but we discussed that Dee would be the one to carry.”
Invitro Fertilization (IVF) with Dr. Elena Trukhacheva, MD, MSCI and President and Medical Director at Reproductive Medicine Institute in Chicago (www.teamrmi.com), yielded 5 beautiful embryos, both women were thrilled. “We initially had planned on having ‘one and done’,” says Dee, despite the fact the Carrie had always wanted her child to have a sibling, based on her own happy family memories. Dr. Trukhacheva (Dr. T.) implanted two embryos and the couple found out they were pregnant. The mothers to be were thrilled, but at 25 weeks, Dee developed Preeclampsia, a hypertensive disorder, that can compromise the health of Mom and Baby. Her Obstetrician began careful monitoring, but a stress test at 36 weeks, showed that Dee was suffering from Cardiomyopathy, an enlargement of the heart which can cause dire consequences. Labor was induced immediately and on July 30, 2016, Landyn Henry Hayes was born.
Both Dee and Landyn fared well despite the circumstances, but the medical team warned Dee against future pregnancies, due to the risk of cardiac complications. “But of course, as soon as Landyn was born, I could think of nothing else than a sibling for our beautiful boy,” says Dee. “What I didn’t think was that Carrie would offer to carry our next child.” When Carrie came to her spouse with the suggestion, Dee was thrilled. Carrie on the other hand, was willing but still proceeded with trepidation. ” I watched Dee go through a lot in both pregnancy and delivery,” says Carrie. “None the less, I fully supported her wish to give Landyn a sibling and with that in mind, I was ready to go!”
Dr. T. implanted a single embryo into Carrie in January of 2017. The embryo did not take, leaving the couple with only two remaining embryos to produce a full-fledged sibling for Landyn. At the second transfer in February 2017, two embryos were placed and two weeks later, the family celebrated the news that Carrie was pregnant.
Now 12 weeks along, the family is adjusting to their second pregnancy in the last year. “Dee is there to give me support and suggestions and help me over every ‘bump'”, says Carrie. The two are managing life with a baby and a pregnancy. Carrie continues to work at the Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association (NEDRA) while Dee stays home with Landyn, until the time of Carrie’s maternity leave after the projected November 22 due date.
Mother’s Day was a reminder of how much is going on with this fledgling family. “We are so grateful,” says Carrie. Adds Dee, “it’s still amazing to think that my embryo is growing in her body.”
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