For some people, two times is the charm. But for Shelby and Chase Stewart, it's three times that's the charm! The couple knew that they wanted to grow their family, and that they wanted to give their daughter some siblings. But they never would have imagined all the twists and turns their journey would take, and where it would eventually land them.
After transferring two embryos after IVF, Shelby learned that she was pregnant. But while they were only trying for one more child, they soon learned that they would be getting three!
"I had cancer when I was 15 years old. I had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and so when I was 19, I was told I'd never have my own child," Shelby shared. "They said I'd probably go into menopause by 26, and I was just floored by that because having kids really wasn't on my radar at that point in my life."
After having their first child, Bennett, at 26, Shelby knew that her window was closing. So she and her husband decided to try for another child when Bennett was 6 months old.
"I had three losses, five IUIs and three transfers, so we ended up having no more embryos left, which was really, really hard for us," she explained. They eventually did another egg retrieval, which resulted in six high-quality embryos. They made the decision to go with their strongest, but learned that two were tied; one boy and one girl. So they decided to go with two.
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After a home pregnancy test, Shelby learned that she was pregnant with at least one baby. But after some bloodwork tests were done that potentially could offer disappointing news, she went and got an ultrasound. And what she learned then was that she was pregnant with triplets! Her initial bloodwork was the result of a lab mistake.
"I was so happy to not be miscarrying," she shared. "I don't even think the triplet aspect sunk in because I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm not losing a baby.'"
The triplets are now toddlers, and spend every moment together and enjoy time with their big sister. Shelby is open about the challenges of raising four kids, but she and Chase are both grateful for their miracle family.
