Brittany had always wanted to become a mother, so when the nurse softly called out across the hospital room and asked if Brittany was the adoptive mother. She froze in her place as tears streamed down her face. She covered her mouth with her hands; she was overwhelmed by emotions that she had always dreamed of and waited years to feel. She was living it. As she managed to respond that she was, the nurse invited her to meet her son.
As she walked toward the bassinet, Brittany could only sob, and when he finally got to see her baby lying there crying, a tiny and perfect baby. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She was not able to make sense of it. The moment his fingers wrapped around hers, she felt the familiar presence of her first son, Max, deep in her heart. She imagined him whispering that he had chosen this baby for her and that the child would heal what remained broken in her heart. After seven long years of longing and heartbreak, she finally felt that they were going to take a baby home.
Years earlier, Brittany and her husband, Tyler, married in 2010 and had hoped to start a family soon after. But as the months passed without success, Brittany tried to stay calm, though anxious, and after a whole year, medical tests revealed that she was not ovulating. She tried medications such as Clomid and later Femara, but the process became emotionally exhausting. But the emotional and physical exhaustion was worth it, as in 2013, they finally conceived, and they named the baby Boston. They believed they were beginning the family they had dreamed of, but at the 12-week appointment, they got the news that the baby had stopped growing. The loss devastated them.
After healing from the loss, they attempted pregnancy again, but this time, the treatments failed. Eventually, Brittany reached a point where she could no longer handle the emotional strain of medications, injections, and monthly disappointment. She stepped away from treatment entirely. She was exhausted from the cycle of hope and heartbreak. Ironically, when she had stopped trying, she discovered she was pregnant again. She later recalled staring at two pink lines on a test she took in a drugstore bathroom, unable to believe what she was seeing.
This pregnancy, however, brought its own heartbreak. At the 20-week ultrasound, doctors informed them that their baby, whom they later named Max, showed severe complications, including fluid on the brain, facial abnormalities, and a neural tube defect. They explained that his prognosis was poor. Luckily, Max was born prematurely and lived for five weeks, defying expectations every day. During that short time, he became a source of love and light for his parents. When his body could no longer continue, Brittany and Tyler held him as he took his final breath.
In the years that followed, Brittany endured two more miscarriages. Genetic testing later revealed that she carried a balanced translocation, giving her a low chance of carrying a healthy pregnancy. Doctors explained that her options included continuing to try naturally, pursuing IVF, or adopting. Adoption had always felt meaningful to her, so she and Tyler kept their hearts open to it.
On a Mother’s Day morning, a close family friend called to say that a young relative was pregnant and considering adoption, and that she wished to meet them. When the young woman visited, Brittany said she had instantly felt a connection and thought the meeting was crucial. She said the woman later told them she had chosen Brittany and Tyler to be the baby’s parents.
Their son, Wyatt, was born on September 6, 2018. Brittany was present in the delivery room as he entered the world. Two days after his birth, when the nurse called out to confirm whether she was the adoptive mother, Brittany felt the reality of motherhood settle into her heart. Wyatt went home with them that Saturday, and before doing anything else, they visited Max’s grave so their first family photo could include both sons in their own way. It was said that when Brittany stood in the cemetery with their newborn in their arms, she felt a quiet sense of peace. She explained that their family had come together in unexpected ways and that, through every loss and every miracle, they continued to believe life could still be good, even in its hardest seasons.
