Today show meteorologist Dylan Dreyer wasted no time telling her television family about her newest arrival. People reports that colleagues got the call live, shortly after her second son was born.
Dylan has been working with NBC News since September 2012, so it's obvious that she's close to the people she works with. She's so beloved that she even fills in as a coanchor when the need arises. She also hosts a show called Earth Odyssey With Dylan Dreyer. The environmentally friendly program is in its second season. It's a good watch for families — or just fans of Dylan.
The baby news was also big because Dylan publicly suffered from a miscarriage this past winter. She and husband Brian Fichera, who already have one son named Calvin Bradley, opened up about it months later. It's always good for public figures to talk about infertility struggles. Many women go through them, but it's often unknown.
Dylan had difficulty conceiving after the miscarriage, and she was diagnosed with secondary infertility. According to People, she and her husband consulted a specialist after failing to get pregnant for six months. Plenty of women in this situation are told to wait up to a year before taking action.
The two had plans to try IVF, which involves mixing the sperm and the egg outside the body and inserting the fertilized egg into the woman's uterus, hoping it implants. While it is often a successful procedure, it requires a lot of medications, hard work, patience, and money. It's incredible to see how far science has progressed in recent decades.
But luckily, Dylan was stopped from pursuing IVF right before starting. "I was just waiting for the phone call from Dr. Reichman, to tell me how much of each drug to use," Dylan said. "Instead, when he called, he said, 'Well, you can’t start IVF because you’re already pregnant!' We were in complete shock. We couldn’t believe it!'"
Dylan reportedly couldn't wait to tell Jenna Bush Hager about the news, but she had to keep quiet. Ironically, Jenna had announced her most recent pregnancy the same day that Dylan came forward about her loss. That choice was also very important. It not only shows that miscarriage is very common, but it proves that women who miscarry can still be happy about their friends' news. In the early stages of pregnancy, you just never know.
A surprise baby shower was held for Dylan at the beginning of December, and she had no clue about it until she got there. "I knew I was going to see everybody I work with, but when I walked in [and] there was this tunnel of people waiting for me to walk through the door and the camera lights were there. I was like, ‘What is going on?'" she said.
Her second son arrived on January 2. Named Oliver George Fichera, he weighed in at 7 lbs., 2 oz. and measured 19 inches long. It'll be extra sweet to see how he gets along with his big brother when he starts to become more mobile. Since Calvin is 3, they'll be close in age.
That said, with newborns, you shouldn't rush anything. Babies are only so small for a while, and surely Dylan wants to hold these early moments close for as long as possible. After all, she's been waiting to introduce a new baby to the family for such a long time. She's doing her best to stay off social media — her last Instagram post was right before Oliver was born.
She did note on Instagram that she tried her hardest to make sure she spent as much time with her oldest as possible before Oliver arrived, with a post captioned, "We’re squeezing in as much Cal time as we can before he becomes a big brother very soon!!" Going from a family of three to four is definitely an adjustment. But while they may naturally have some bumps in the road, surely the family will work out a great schedule soon.
Speaking of Calvin, his birthday wasn't all that long ago. That means that the brothers will have back-to-back birthdays, which is always special — especially since they at least each have their own month. But for mom and dad, there's plenty more reason to celebrate throughout December and January.
It's possible that there's going to be a ton of play time between Dylan's new baby and Jenna's baby. Jenna welcomed her son Henry Harold Hager, better known as "Hal," on August 2. She also had public issues with getting pregnant, suffering from an ectopic pregnancy before her first daughter was born.
Hopefully, Jenna was there to support Dylan during the hard times. But thankfully, both of them went on to find success with their fertility. Hota Kotb also has talked publicly about her struggles, and she ultimately found success with adoption. Her family has grown bigger, and she has so much love to give.
Hoda lost her ability to naturally conceive a child after battling breast cancer. "One of the things in my life I've always wanted was to be a mom," she told Southern Living. "Sometimes in your life, things just don't work out for whatever reason, so you say, 'Well, I wasn't meant to have that.' But it was really hard to come to terms with it."
At the time, Hoda — who's now engaged to longtime partner Joel Schiffman — had been in her current relationship for only two years, so she was nervous about asking Joel to start the process. "I was afraid to even say it out loud because then it felt so real. I said, 'Think about it for a day or a week or whatever.' And he said, 'I don't need a day. Let's get this journey going.' At that point, I blubbered like a baby. It was like the dam burst," Hoda said.
Many congratulations to Dylan for helping women who are struggling with miscarriage to realize that it's not the end of the road. Every woman is different, and it's easier for some women to conceive than others. But Dylan and the rest of the Today show gang are making it clear that through IVF, adoption, or just pure luck, things can find a way of working out.
