Some women have a strong desire to become mothers from very early ages. Others feel that way later in life. Not taking into account factors ruling that truth, the right time to conceive a child comes to those who make such a choice. Age does not matter. That was the case of Leila (fictitious name), who decided to be a mother when she was 42. But her daughter only arrived seven years later, after lots of treatments, sacrifices and determination.
 
"I had tried in vitro fertilization three times before coming to Ferticlin, where we did it three more times. In that meantime, we found out two myomas in my uterus and I had to undergo surgery. After a while, my treatment was restarted and I agreed to receive a donated egg. Then, in my fourth IVF cycle, I got pregnant", tells Leila, recollecting her persistent effort in order to have her child.
Persistence in every way.
"I conquered the fear I had in relation to the egg donor, whom I never met. The desire to have a baby was stronger than any fear I could have. So, I got very calm and conceived a baby in my menopause years", she says.
That was not the only obstacle Leila had to overcome. Living in a distant town, three times a week Leila had to travel more than 300 Km by bus to get to São Paulo. "It was very hard. I arrived in the bus station at four in the morning and waited for the subway lines to start operating so that I could get to the clinic. Sometimes I stopped at St. Jude Church on my way and attended the first mass in the morning. Only then I walked to Ferticlin for one more day of exams and follow-up procedures", describes Leila, adding she never felt insecure about her chosen routine.
Besides all that, there was also the financial difficulty – Leila is a school teacher and her husband owns a small company. "It was not easy. I had to overcome too many things, I could not simply accept the idea of adopting a child, even if that were the only solution...", she confesses in between tears.
Leila's strength resulted in a daughter, who is now one year and seven months old. "She is so cute! I would do it all over again to have this child", says the teacher who, at 49, had her life changed by achieving a goal so passionately longed for.
May this be an example for so many other women who are in doubt in relation to age, difficulties, methods. After all, the end justifies the means.

We hope this example can put an end to the fear some couples still have of trying a fertilization method.

After all, having a child is a unique experience, but it can be repeated. This is the case below.

"This girl is different from all others I have seen. I think that being a test-tube baby is better than being a regular one". Those words, said by engineer Luiz Lasas, an executive in a multinational company, about his daughter Júlia, a two-year old girl, summarize the reason for their second pregnancy, through the same in vitro fertilization method.
 
The experience lived by Luiz and his wife Roseli to have their first child was so well accepted that they are living now the seventh month of their second and last pregnancy. But to make their dream come true was not exactly "child's play". "Doctors were not giving us any alternative, they simply told us to adopt a child. After the stress of going from doctor to doctor, we came to Ferticlin, a clinic listed in our health insurance plan", tells Luiz.

They went through exams and searches and felt very anxious about the idea of having a test-tube baby. But they conceived Júlia. "We were successful in our first try. If I had known it before, I would have already done that. I would have chosen fertilization from the very beginning", says Roseli.

However, they warn us that it is essential to find a reliable clinic with reliable professionals in order to achieve your goal. "The process involves a lot of anxiety, it is important to deal with it in a healthy way, and Dr. Raul helped us a lot with it", the patient admits.

The result is an increased family who, in spite of living in the city of Guaratinguetá, did not hesitate to go directly to Ferticlin the second time.

Some thoughts

The first test-tube baby was born in 1978, and she is still seen as an experience and not a person. "People who can have children naturally forget that the love dedicated in order to conceive a baby is the same, no matter the method used for it" – Luiz Lasas.

We are going to tell our children how they were conceived and all the difficulties we went through to have them, after all, we experienced several conception methods before getting to the right one" – Roseli Lasas.

"Thank goodness there are medical improvements every day. The effort to have children is worth it" – both say.

Every woman has the desire to become a mother, but sometimes nature does not help. This is when technology comes into action in order to realize an expectation.

Rosana and Luiz Carlos were a common couple. Living together for five years, they had a natural wish for a bigger family, but some problems made them come to Ferticlin. The result? Four beautiful and healthy babies: Fernando, Guilherme, Gabriela, and Alexandre. Their dream came true fourfold and today they are not so common anymore.
 
"It is obvious that when I learned I was going to have four at once I got extremely concerned. After all, this would not be the easiest task", tells the mother who greatly smiles looking at her children. The father was told on the phone: "We were counting on more than a baby, but four! It was a big surprise", says Luiz Carlos with Gabriela in his arms.

Their daily routine (if we can use the word routine here!) was totally changed: rooms look like day nurseries: medicine, baby trolleys, toy animals on the walls, and diapers, lots of diapers. "Right now our main goal is to find a bigger house", informs the father. The substantial increase in the family still counts with Luiz Carlos' mother, who moved to the couple's house to help with the babies, and a babysitter, Fátima, who is also in charge of the task.

However, when we talk about the financial aspect of it all, the publicists do not hide their concern: "Our families help us a lot, but the amount we spend on milk and diapers is huge. We have been trying to get some assistance from companies like Nestlé and Johnson&Johnson, but it has been difficult to get something", reveals Rosana.

The new mommy is already thinking of going back to work: "I need to help with the home budget and I am sure it will be good for me". She also tells us she can't breast feed the babies because of all the drugs she has always taken for her several allergies.

The quadruplets
On February 8, the first one to be born at Santa Joana Hospital, in São Paulo, was Fernando, weighing 2.120 Kg, followed by Guilherme, 2.620 Kg, Gabriela, 1.690 Kg, and Alexandre, 0.540 Kg. The cesarean delivery was performed by the medical director of Ferticlin, Dr. Raul Nakano, who was in charge of the fertilization treatment of the couple.

Guilherme is the most laughing of the four, Gabriela, the one who cries the most, Alexandre, the sleepy one, and Fernando, the strongest. It is absolutely clear who is who, after all, they are very different in their looks and personalities from their very early days. The "crowd" is beginning to allow their parents some sleep: the typical newborn colic is lessening and they are better adapting to feeding times. Organization is essential here: Rosana takes notes of all the times they are fed (one by one). "The most difficult time is at night, but I can sleep five to six hours now", says the mother. "I do whatever I can at that time. Once, I got home from work at 3:30 in the morning. I opened the door very carefully and found a huge "party" here: The four of them were crying, the three women were awake, in the end, I went to bed at 10 in the morning", recalls the father.

The babies demand some adaptations even at the time of a visit to the pediatrician: since not everyone fits in only one car, the family splits up, with their respective assistants. "It is crazy, but it is also very gratifying", says Rosana. Everybody who meets the family can confirm that. A good example was seen when the babies were photographed for this site: Rosana set them up on the bed, a big smile always on her face, and she moved as if she were going to embrace them, saying: "They are all mine!".

Rosana and Luiz Carlos have four excellent reasons to be proud of the day they first came to Ferticlin. "We had a great dream come true and Ferticlin is responsible for that. Dr. Raul is more than a physician, he is a tremendous friend for us", they conclude while milk feeding their babies.

Curiosities
Rosana got less than 20 kilos fatter during her quadruplets pregnancy. Her belly weighed eight kilos.
A diaper bag contains 24 diapers. The four babies need 32 diapers per day. Every day almost two cans of milk formula are used to feed them. The couple had a list of favorite names, but at the moment of registering their birth, Luiz Carlos was responsible for deciding who would receive each name. The family needs two cars to leave their home.