Today, October 15th, is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day. After five consecutive miscarriages over the past three years, I am incredibly fortunate to be holding a newborn in my arms this year. Recurrent miscarriage is the most difficult experience I have faced; it took a toll on my body, mental health, marriage, friendships, bank account, and much more. Despite spending my whole professional career as a reproductive medicine genetic counselor, seeking the help of many professionals, and spending thousands of dollars OOP on tests & evaluations we never got an answer for why our pregnancies just wouldn't stick.
About 1% of people experience recurrent pregnancy loss (3 or more losses) and only 50% get an answer for why despite extensive work-ups. I fell pregnant this past winter; it was my seventh pregnancy and I assumed it would end in another early loss. I had pretty much given up, was ready to get on long-term birth control, and accepted our son would be an only or at least an only bio child. I was holding my breath all pregnancy and when baby girl was finally born this September it was such a different feeling than what I felt with my son's arrival.
Rather than bliss, I felt immense relief. If you have experienced losses or infertility, I sincerely hope that your moment of relief is around the corner. I'll never know why this baby stuck, as there is so much about reproduction that is not yet understood. While there is a lot left to learn, there is also quite a bit we do know about causes of infertility and miscarriage. Out of the pain of my losses, I started a YouTube channel to share accurate information about fertility and miscarriages in an understandable way. If you're hoping to learn more about how fertility and genetics intersect or to follow my own pregnancy story check out my other YouTube channel and Instagram account.
I recently shared a video about my induction with baby and her labor and delivery. You can also check out earlier videos where I detail my pregnancy after recurrent losses.
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