Infertility, Rough Roads, and Life’s Little Miracles | with Brittany Meckstroth

When I said my own social circle was filled with women who had been through just about everything, I was not kidding. My very own best friend, Brittany Meckstroth has been through more of an emotional rollercoaster in the 7 years of her marriage than most of us have been through in our lives. I wanted so badly to share her story because its chock full of trial, tribulation, heartache and incredible joy. There are countless women in this country and across the world dealing with the same obstacles Brittany has faced, and we want to show you that you can come out a strong, and happy version of yourself despite the hardships. Her strength is inspiring, and so is her story. I simply cannot do her story justice in this post, so for the entire story please listen to the full episode on the podcast. About a year into married life, Brittany and her husband Ben decided it was time to start trying to have a baby. After casual effort and little to no pressure on the outcome, they realized that a lot of time had passed and this wasn’t happening as quickly as they thought. In fact, it wasn’t happening at all… They became more intentional with their attempts and still no sign of a positive pregnancy test. After a couple of trips to the Doctor, they had received news that both her & Ben had odds stacked against them to be able to conceive naturally together. She was crushed. This isn’t how its supposed to go. This isn’t something you ever think is going to be a part of your journey to parenthood. While dealing with the hurt and disappointment as best as she could, Brittany was connected with a woman who had been through IVF treatment. I believe this was the Universe’s way of clearly lighting up her path. They talked and talked about the treatment, the woman’s story and the possibility of becoming Mom. A new hope was breathed into the idea of being able to have their own children once again. Ultimately, The Meckstroths found their guy, Dr. Foulk at the Nevada Center for Reproductive Medicine- and the process began. In June of 2016, Paige Harper Meckstroth was born to her brand new parents and their budding little family began to live the life that Brittany had been dreaming about creating for the past 4 years. All seemed well and they continued to find their way as a family, moving from California to Dallas, to Dallas to Denver. Until an unexpected diagnosis hit them dead on. This past February Ben had been facing some unexplained problems with his vision. After a few more trips to the doctor, the Meckstroths were yet again facing some potential odds stacked against them. This time, Multiple Sclerosis. Ben was diagnosed with MS and the news hit them hard. MS can be absolutely crippling and drastically cause deterioration over time, or it can be completely manageable and relatively mild. The outcome was completely unknown and loomed inside Brittany. Was she going to lose him? Was she going to become his caretaker? What was this going to mean for Paige? At 30 years old, this is something no one should have to worry about. But it was their reality. Amidst all of the uncertainty with Ben’s health, they got the biggest surprise of all- Brittany was pregnant… naturally. What? But they couldn’t conceive naturally, the odds were against them. This is what they worked so hard for years and now?! It was beyond unexpected and could not have come at a more confusing time. Luckily, Ben’s prognosis had been good and he’s been thriving since then. As for the new baby, he is growing happily and healthily, just like they deserve. There is never any way of knowing where life will take you. Its going to make some crazy turns, some bumpy roads and even take you into some sketchy neighborhoods that will make you think… wtf am I doing here? I don’t belong on this path. The incredible part is, you absolutely do. We have no way of predicting how the Universe is going to grant us the biggest blessings in life, and this story is a true testament to that.