Pregnancy, loss, rainbow babies, and sunshine

Pregnancy is a journey full of highs and lows. I know this firsthand. I had been pregnant nine times, including my last pregnancy. I am a mother of three: Amanda (2014), Lukas (2016), and Mathias (2020), and my last pregnancy went beautifully. I reached 19 weeks, and everything looked great.

But the road hadn’t always been easy. I had experienced six pregnancy losses, ranging from 5 to 12 weeks. Each one was heartbreaking and brought fear, doubt, and anxiety. Yet through all the pain, there were moments of incredible joy. I had a rainbow baby, and my middle child was my “sunshine baby”, a pregnancy so smooth it felt like none of the previous losses had ever happened.

More people have started talking openly about pregnancy loss, and sharing these stories is so important. When you experience a miscarriage, you quickly realize that you are not alone,many people around you have been through similar struggles. It is painful, it challenges your faith in your body and in life, and it makes you question what you once took for granted.

Yet, despite the storms, the sunshine comes, and the rainbow appears. Most people eventually have a child, whether naturally, through IVF, adoption, surrogacy, or other paths. Sometimes it takes longer than expected, but hope persists.

Personally, after all my struggles, I became pregnant again totally unexpectedly at age 43! After years of trying with ovulation medication and tracking my fertility, I honestly thought I could no longer conceive. I had even considered early menopause as a possibility. But life surprised me, and this pregnancy reminded me that hope can appear in the most unexpected ways.

Looking back, this journey taught me so much about resilience, patience, and hope. I hope my story provides comfort and encouragement to anyone navigating pregnancy, loss, or fertility struggles.