In January 2006, I gave birth to a healthy baby girl in Kenya. The pregnancy was straightforward, but after 10 hours of labour, an emergency C section was performed due to deep transverse arrest.

A year later, we decided it was time to start trying for another baby. After 9 months of trying, I was concerned that nothing had happened so went to the doctor. He did not share my concern and told me to come back in a few months. Three months later, I was becoming increasingly anxious and so the tests began. Blood tests, hysteroscopy, husbands sperm analysis etc were performed but everything seemed normal.

In June 2008, we tried IUI without success. In September 2008, a laparoscopy showed adhesions around the fallopian tubes. I had surgery to get rid of the adhesions  which involved having another caesarian type cut. Just 2 months later, I could hardly believe it when I discovered I was pregnant. Unfortunately, the 6 week scan showed no heartbeat and I was absolutely devastated to be told a week later that the pregnancy was not viable (blighted ovum).

The next year was a very long one, as we desperately tried to conceive to no avail. The frustration was almost unbearable.

By August 2009, we felt that the only option was to embark on the rollercoaster of IVF. Everything seemed to good to be true when we got a positive result on the first go, and indeed it was. It turned out to be a biochemical pregnancy.

In December 2009, we felt ready to give IVF another try, this time in England. It was unsuccessful.

Shortly after this and on the brink of accepting that I was never going to have another baby, I discovered the Asherman’s website. The more I read about it, the more I wanted to pursue this line of thought. I read and read and read the information and was absolutely convinced that this was what I had as a result of my C section.

I found an A-list doctor in London and went to see him in April 2010. Because I was coming from overseas, he agreed to provisionally book me in for surgery the day after the initial appointment in case it was necessary to perform surgery. He confirmed that I had intra-uterine adhesions, textbook Ashermans syndrome, and the surgery went ahead. When I came round from the anaesthetic, the doctor told me that the adhesions were so thick that he broke his scissors trying to cut them away! Anti barrier gel and a copper coil were used to stop adhesions reforming. I went to the same doctor 3 months later and he performed further surgery on a small area where some adhesions were still blocking a fallopian tube (this time, I was allowed home the same day). Total shock is the only way to describe how I felt when I discovered I was pregnant the very next month. After more than 4 years of extreme ups and downs, we didn’t dare hope it might finally turn out ok. Even when we heard the heartbeat at 6 weeks, we couldn’t celebrate. The pregnancy was tinged with worry.

Our second daughter arrived a month early and is now 6 months old and perfect. Despite being booked for a C section delivery, she had other plans. She arrived in a big hurry, after a 3 and a half hour labour. By the time we got to the hospital having flown by light aircraft across Kenya and ambulanced through rush-hour Nairobi, she was born naturally 20 minutes later. The placenta was delivered with no problems.

Even now, I can’t believe she’s here. The heartache, sweat, and tears were all worth it. I couldn’t give up hoping that some day our story would have a happy ending and it did! The stories on the Asherman’s website gave me so much hope in times of complete despair. I hope our story can give some hope to someone else out there…don’t give up. It can happen!