After trying to conceive a baby for more than five years, Natasha and Ryan Derouchie of Ottawa never thought a radio contest would have helped them make their dream come true.

But it did, and they couldn’t be happier.

The Hot 89.9 radio station announced on the air Thursday morning that the finalist couple in the controversial — and award-winning — Win A Baby contest is expecting a child.

The Derouchies and four other couples won up to three fertility treatments valued at $35,000 in October. Natasha only ended up using one in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment before doctors told her she was pregnant.

“I just started shaking when I got the phone call,” said Natasha.

They were at Ryan’s parents house at the time and as soon as he heard Natasha repeat “oh my God” on the phone, Ryan hugged her and then “powerslid” across the floor towards his family with a triumphant fist in the air.

“None of us were expecting a phone call that early,” said Ryan.

Natasha is just now getting used to the typical exhaustion and nausea that comes with pregnancy.

“There are still days that it feels surreal,” she said.

“It’s hard to accept something so positive when you’ve gone through struggling for so long.”

They said they heard from critics who said if they couldn’t conceive naturally, then it’s God’s way of saying they don’t deserve a baby.

“You can’t make everybody happy,” said Ryan. “For five years we tried and tried and got tested as far as our will or hope, and in the end, we could also say that the contest and the way it came was meant to be.

“Maybe that was the plan for us.”

Natasha said the contest has opened up a discussion on fertility treatments and OHIP coverage. She has been blogging about the fertility experience since the beginning.

She is about eight weeks pregnant and is her due date is Nov. 10.

“We knew what we were getting into, we knew what this was going to be and we got the greatest gift we could ever get, so I don’t know how anybody could think that’s bad.”