In 1997, my wife Janie and I welcomed our first child, a healthy daughter born after an uncomplicated pregnancy. The baby thrived and became the light of our lives.
A year later, we tried for another child, but Janie suffered a first-trimester miscarriage. Two more first-trimester miscarriages followed. We wanted more children but wondered whether trying yet again was worth risking more physical and emotional trauma.
In late 1999, we chose to try. Once more, Janie quickly became pregnant. Janie’s pregnancy survived the first trimester, and we were thrilled when the March 2000 amniocentesis test was normal. We started thinking about names and how to tell our daughter that she was going to have a baby brother.
