CosBeauty Magazine #93

A
t a g e 3 1, a ut h or a n d
b usi n ess c o m m u ni c ati o ns
s p e ci alist A m b er D ai n es-
U n g er ( n o w 4 5) a n d h er
h us b a n d D a vi d d e ci d e d it w as ti m e
t o st art t h eir f a mil y.
Aft er t a ki n g t h e c o ntr a c e pti v e
pill t hr o u g h o ut h er 2 0s, A m b er w as
r e alisti c. S h e k n e w s h e m a y h a v e
t o w ait a f e w m o nt hs b ef or e t hi n gs
st art e d h a p p e ni n g i n t h e b a b y st a k es.
B ut s h e di d n’t e x p e ct s h e w o ul d still
b e tr yi n g t o c o n c ei v e m or e t h a n 1 2
m o nt hs l at er.
‘I j ust w as n’t g etti n g m y p eri o d,’
s h e r e c alls. ‘ S o, e v er y m o nt h I’ d t hi n k
I w as pr e g n a nt w h e n I w as n’t.’
S h e l a u g hs, ‘I w e nt t hr o u g h s o
m a n y pr e g n a n c y-t esti n g sti c ks.
Ir o ni c all y, I h a d s p e nt all m y 2 0s tr yi n g
n ot t o f all pr e g n a nt a n d t h e n w h e n I
r e all y w a nt e d t o, I c o ul d n’t!’
B ei n g n at ur all y o n t h e sl e n d er
si d e, t h e t h o u g ht t h at s h e m a y h a v e
P ol y c ysti c O v ar y S y n dr o m e ( P C O S)
di d n’t e v e n cr oss h er mi n d, d es pit e
dis pl a yi n g s o m e ot h er c o m m o n
s y m pt o ms r el ati n g t o t h e c o n diti o n,
s u c h as oil y s ki n, a d ult a c n e a n d e xtr a
h air gr o wt h o n t h e f a c e.
‘I n t er ms of h e alt h pr o ffl e, I
ass u m e d I di d n’t h a v e a n iss u e.
I j ust p ut t h e ot h er st uff d o w n t o
m y h or m o n es b ei n g sli g htl y o ut of
b al a n c e b e c a us e I w as c o mi n g off t h e
pill – n ot hi n g m or e s eri o us t h a n t h at.
‘I w as fit, sli m, at e h e alt hil y a n d
e x er cis e d. At 3 1, I tr ul y di d n’t t hi n k
I w o ul d h a v e t h at m u c h tr o u bl e
c o n c ei vi n g. I w as n’t a g e d o v er 3 5,
w h e n y o ur f ertilit y b e gi ns t o d e cli n e.
‘I s a w a l ot of d o ct ors, a n d t h e y all
t ol d m e t o k e e p tr yi n g. N o n e of t h e m
s u g g est e d P C O S as I a p p ar e ntl y
di d n’t fit t h e pr o fil e. I fi n all y c a m e
a cr oss a f a b ul o us h olisti c G P w h o
t est e d m e f or i ns uli n r esist a n c e,
w hi c h is a k e y f a ct or i n l e a n p e o pl e
wit h P C O S. H e di a g n os e d m e wit h
i ns uli n r esist a n c e a n d t h e n s e nt m e
t o h a v e a n ultr as o u n d, w hi c h s h o w e d
I h a d P C O S. I w as s o l u c k y t o h a v e
f o u n d t h e ri g ht d o ct or at t h e ri g ht
ti m e a n d t h at I di d n’t h a v e t o g o
d o w n t h e I V F p at h.’
A m b er w as pr es cri b e d a n i ns uli n-
r esist a n c e dr u g c all e d M etf or mi n.
‘It is us e d t o h el p m a n a g e y o ur
bl o o d s u g ar,’ s h e e x pl ai ns. ‘I
o v ul at e d a n d f ell pr e g n a nt al m ost
str ai g ht a w a y.’
A m b er g a v e birt h t o a b e a utif ul
s o n Z e k e, n o w 1 2, a n d h er p eri o d
r et ur n e d aft er s h e st o p p e d
br e astf e e di n g.
A f e w y e ars l at er, s h e a n d
D a vi d d e ci d e d t o tr y f or a n ot h er
c hil d. U n d erst a n d a bl y, t h e y w er e
c o n c er n e d t h e y w o ul d f a c e t h e s a m e
A m b er, D a vi d a n d s o ns Z e k e a n d R e m y
c h all e n g es, s o A m b er w e nt b a c k t o
h er G P t o dis c uss h er o pti o ns.
‘I w as 3 7 b y t his st a g e, s o I k n e w I
w as e nt eri n g a ti m e of lif e w h er e m y
f ertilit y w o ul d b e o n t h e d e cli n e. M y
G P g a v e m e a s cri pt f or M etf or mi n
a g ai n a n d a d vis e d m e t o t a k e it f or
t hr e e m o nt hs. If n ot hi n g h a p p e n e d,
w e w o ul d l o o k at I V F.
‘I a ct u all y di d n’t e v e n g et t h e s cri pt
fill e d o ut. I f o u n d o ut t h at e x a ct s a m e
ni g ht t h at I w as pr e g n a nt, w hi c h w as
a m azi n g. I w as o n a l o w GI di et, a n d
I m a d e s ur e t h at I a v oi d e d r e ff n e d
s u g ar a n d b a d c ar b o h y dr at es. I w as
t ot all y pr e p ar e d t o t a k e t h e dr u g, b ut
w e w er e s o l u c k y t h at w e c o n c ei v e d
n at ur all y wit h o ur s e c o n d b o y, R e m y,
w h o is n o w ei g ht y e ars ol d.’
Cre dit t o Ste p he n Bl ake P h ot o gr a p hic w w w.ste p he n bl ake.c o m. a u
B ot h of A m b er’s pr e g n a n ci es w er e
iss u e-fr e e, h e alt h y a n d e as y.
‘ B ot h w er e a bs ol ut el y s m o ot h
s aili n g,’ s h e s mil es. ‘ T h e o nl y t hi n g
t h at r e all y st o o d o ut w as t h at Z e k e,
m y ffrst b o y, w as v er y s m all w h e n his
d u e d at e arri v e d, s o I w as i n d u c e d at
3 7 w e e ks. H e h a d st o p p e d gr o wi n g
i n ut er o. H e w as n’t pr e m at ur e; h e w as
j ust a ti n y 2. 1 kil os a n d r e q uir e d a bit
of n e o- n at al c ar e i n h os pit al t o g et
his birt h w ei g ht u p.
‘ Asi d e fr o m t h at, t h er e w er e
a bs ol ut el y n o ot h er iss u es. A n d h er e’s
a f u n f a ct … b ot h b o ys w er e b or n b y
n at ur al birt h ( n o C-s e cti o n) o n e x a ctl y
t h e s a m e d a y – j ust f o ur y e ars a p art!’
W hil e A m b er’s st or y d o es m a k e it
s o u n d e as y, s h e r e mi n ds us t h at t h e
P C O S j o ur n e y is als o fr a u g ht wit h
e m oti o n, as a n y o n e w h o h as t h e
c o n diti o n will att est.
‘ Y o u ar e g oi n g t hr o u g h t his w h ol e
pr o c ess, a n d it c o m es wit h a mi x e d
b a g of e m oti o ns. I w as fri g ht e n e d,
a n xi o us … I w a nt e d t o b e p erf e ctl y
h o n est wit h e v er y o n e a b o ut w h at
w as h a p p e ni n g, b ut b a c k t h e n
n o b o d y r e all y s p o k e a b o ut f ertilit y
iss u es t h e w a y t h e y d o n o w. P e o pl e
w o ul d o nl y s h ar e w h e n t h e y h a d a
b a b y, t h e y c ert ai nl y w er e n’t s h ari n g
t h e str u g gl es. N o w all t h es e t hi n gs
ar e c o mi n g t o li g ht o n s o ci al m e di a.
T h er e ar e I nst a gr a m a c c o u nts a n d
F a c e b o o k p a g es t h at hi g hli g ht t h e
c o n diti o ns, w hi c h is f a nt asti c.
‘It is s o i m p ort a nt w e s h ar e t h es e
t hi n gs s o w e c a n s u p p ort a n d
h el p ot h er w o m e n w h o m a y b e
e x p eri e n ci n g it t o o. I b eli e v e w e ar e
a l ot m or e pr o a cti v e a b o ut o ur o w n
h e alt h n o w a d a ys t o o, w hi c h c o m es
d o w n t o h a vi n g t h e ri g ht i nf or m ati o n
a n d k n o wi n g t h at ot h er p e o pl e h a v e
g o n e t hr o u g h s o m et hi n g si mil ar.
‘It’s als o i m p ort a nt t o r e m e m b er
t h at w hil e a g e is a h u g e f a ct or i n
f ertilit y, y o u c a n still b e i n y o ur 2 0s
a n d h a v e iss u es, r el at e d t o c o n diti o ns
li k e P C O S, s o I b eli e v e t h at all girls
a n d w o m e n s h o ul d b e a cr oss t h eir
f ertilit y h e alt h fr o m a y o u n g a g e,
e v e n if t h e y ar e n’t at t h e st a g e w h er e
t h e y w a nt t o h a v e a b a b y.’
w w w . c o s b e a u t y . c o m . a u 1 1 7