When my husband and started trying to have a baby, we never imagined our path to parenthood would include 25 fertility procedures, two gestational carriers, and multiple journeys to Guatemala.

In this deeply personal episode, I share an excerpt of Breath Taking (what made it in and what didn't), about navigating years of IVF treatments, the complex emotions of working with a surrogate, and how failure after failure led us to completely reimagine what building our family could look like. This intimate story explores the unexpected ways hope can transform us, the definition of motherhood, and how sometimes Plan B becomes the story we were meant to live all along.

From awkward dinner parties with potential surrogates to hormone shots on Amtrak, from the heartbreak of missing plus signs to the growing pull of international adoption, I learned that  sometimes our deepest disappointments can lead us exactly where we need to go.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"This is my go-to podcast for inspiration and to discover new approaches to embrace the challenges in my life." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me reach more people -- just like you -- find strategies and insights to do the things that feel undoable. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. Follow now!

Sign up for my newsletter and learn more about these remarkable stories at www.jessicafeinstories.com

Order Jessica's memoir, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes

Watch Jessica's TedX Talk

Music credit: Limitless by Bells