it would shrink after childbirth. It did. She didn’t make much of a fuss about it afterwards, so neither did I.
Though a lot of my female clients had fibroids, at the time, I didn’t know much about them. So, after giving birth, I just went on with my life. I didn’t even revisit the issue—that is, until my second pregnancy. This one occurred sometime during early spring of 2011.
I distinctly recall having cravings for white cheeses like brie, blue cheese and feta. Up to that point, I hated white cheeses of any sort. Due to those cravings, I already felt an immediate bond with baby number two.
My husband and I were overjoyed. The timing was perfect, as I would give birth just before defending my Ph.D. dissertation. Once again, I decided to make an early announcement—this time on social media. I remember one of my colleagues commented on how “brave” I was for telling the whole world at such an early stage. What I didn’t know then, that I know now, is that she had experienced recurrent miscarriages prior to giving birth to her son.
My second child’s birthday would never come.
On July 4, 2011, as I packed for a family vacation, an overwhelming pain in my abdomen took me down to the floor. When I stood back up, my lower body was covered in blood. I immediately knew what was happening. I was losing my baby. My husband rushed me to the emergency room where I was immediately taken back to undergo an ultrasound. My crying was uncontrollable. My heartbeats were rapid.
I kept asking the ultrasound technician what she was seeing. She wouldn’t say a word. She said my OB-GYN would have to communicate the results with me. I knew the news was bad.
I ultimately learned that I’d not only lost one baby, but I’d also actually lost three. I was pregnant with fraternal triplets. I also learned that I had a total of three fibroids—one being the size of a grapefruit. Needless to say, both my surprise and disappointed were equally immense.