Shelby woman talks about difficult road to motherhood
Summer Sheehan always had three dreams for her life.
“I always dreamed of the white picket fence fairytale,” she said. “Growing up I wanted to be a teacher, wife and mama.”
She became an elementary school teacher and then a wife, but the path to motherhood seemed out of reach.
Sheehan said she and her husband, Tommy, who is a law enforcement officer, got married in 2010. Summer said she became a mother through marriage as Tommy had a daughter, Hailey, who was 10, and Summer said she got to adopt her as her daughter when Hailey was 11.
“She filled such a huge void in my heart,” Summer said. “We were like instant best friends. She was so supportive and so sweet.”
Summer said she had missed out on the baby and toddler years, however, and she wanted to experience each stage and give Hailey a sibling. Shortly after getting married, Tommy and Summer decided to start a family.
She would get pregnant, but after each pregnancy, she would miscarry.
After three miscarriages, her doctor sent her to Reach Fertility Center in Charlotte, and they immediately started IVF treatments.
“I got pregnant… and every time I would have a miscarriage,” Summer said.
She said doctors found tumors growing in her uterus and each time, the tumor would grow instead of the baby.
She experienced nine miscarriages, with the last one being twins.
Eventually, she decided she couldn’t keep going through the heartbreak.
“This must not be the plan for my life,” she said. “This must not be God’s plan for my life.”
Summer and Tommy saw the need for foster families in the county and decided to take the classes to become foster parents and not longer after, they took in two boys for six months until they were reunited with their family.
Then, on a Thursday in 2019, Summer said she and her husband went to see Billy Ray Cyrus, who she said she’s known for years, in Tennessee when her phone rang and it was a social worker from Department of Social Services.
“I have a little girl, and I think she’s going to be adoptable,” the social worker said.
Summer told the worker that she was literally sitting with Billy Ray Cyrus and asked if they could hold off until Saturday. She said they drove home, immediately picked up Ivy from the hospital and brought her home.
Summer said Ivy was born into foster care on June 12, 2019, and went home with the Sheehan’s a few days later. Her adoption was final on May 18, 2020. That Sunday, after they had brought Ivy home from the hospital, Summer said she got sick and thought she had picked up an end-of-year virus from school. Worried about exposing her newborn, she made a doctor's appointment for that Monday. She said the doctor did blood work and told her he had good news and bad news. The bad news, he said, was that they couldn’t find anything wrong with her other than the good news, which was that she was pregnant.
Summer said her first thought was 'here we go, another miscarriage.'
She was devastated by the thought of having to experience the sadness of another loss while going through what was supposed to be a joyful time of caring for her newborn daughter.
She said she cried the whole way home from the appointment and as soon as her husband saw her get out of the car, he asked what was wrong. She told him that she was pregnant, but that she still wanted to go through with the adoption of Ivy.
She remembers praying.
“I just got this tiny little miracle, please let this other tiny miracle grow,” she said.
Her prayers were answered, and she had an easy, healthy pregnancy.
On Feb. 19, 2020, at 38 weeks, she went to the hospital to be induced.
She said she wanted three things. An easy delivery, no complications, and she wanted it to snow.
Oakley was born the following day after a smooth labor and about seven minutes of pushing. Shortly after her child was born, Summer was holding her baby and the nurse lifted the blinds over the window, and it was snowing.
“I got to lay there and hold my baby and watch it snow,” Summer said.
She had an 8 month old, an 18-year-old and a newborn.
“It was all perfect,” she said.
The path to motherhood was challenging and full of hardship, but she said her dreams have all finally come true.
She said she loves her three girls - one biological and two adopted - equally and unconditionally.
“It’s definitely been a very hard road,” Summer said. “It’s been a very broken road that led to a very beautiful place.”
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: 'It’s been a very broken road that led to a very beautiful place'
