You can listen to Stacey’s first birth in episode 181.

Due to her husband Ben’s previous prostate cancer treatment, natural conception wasn’t possible, leading them to fertility treatment. While IUI had worked first time with Bryn, their second journey proved far more complex. Navigating fertility treatment during Melbourne’s COVID lockdowns added extra challenges, with Stacey making multiple interstate trips to Sydney where their frozen sperm was stored, afraid to risk transporting it across closed borders.

After several unsuccessful IUI attempts and multiple early losses, they moved to IVF. Stacey speaks candidly about the emotional and physical toll of experiencing six to seven losses, including both chemical pregnancies and later miscarriages. A particularly devastating loss at Christmas, followed by complications where her HCG levels wouldn’t drop for months, led to a turning point. Approaching her 40th birthday, she made the decision to pause treatment and inject some joy back into her life with a trip to Italy.

The breakthrough came when testing revealed elevated natural killer cells, leading to a protocol including steroids to suppress her immune system. This proved successful, though the pregnancy remained anxiety-inducing after so many losses. In a particularly poignant moment, Stacey shares her intuitive feeling of carrying twins early in the pregnancy, later confirmed when a second sac was discovered – though this twin didn’t survive.

Despite the complex journey to conception, Stacey achieved her dream home birth with Sunny at 41 weeks. She describes a beautiful five-hour labour that began with her waters breaking while watching Friends, her four-year-old son Bryn sleeping nearby with dedicated support people in place for him. The birth proved healing after such a challenging road to conception.

Throughout the episode, Stacey reflects deeply on the physical and emotional impact of prolonged fertility treatment, including the effects of sustained high cortisol levels that she’s still processing. Her story offers hope and connection for anyone navigating secondary infertility or pregnancy after loss, while highlighting the importance of trusting both medical science and intuition in building a family.