What happens when you’ve finally accepted that IVF is your next step, prepared yourself for everything that comes with it and then, right before you begin, your entire story changes?
In Season 2, Episode 6 of Suddenly Infertile, I sit down with fellow Pittsburgh native Shelby Gunter for a conversation filled with vulnerability, laughter, faith, and a few moments that will have you saying, “I know that’s right sis!”
Shelby opens up about her fertility journey and the moment she learned that her fallopian tubes were blocked. She was told she would need surgery and that IVF would be her path forward.
So she prepared.
She processed what was ahead. She got ready to begin treatment. She had her IVF medications and was preparing to start them when something completely unexpected happened:
Shelby found out she was pregnant!
The woman who had been preparing herself for IVF was suddenly looking at a positive pregnancy test.
In this episode, Shelby takes us beyond that incredible moment and into the real emotions behind her journey. The uncertainty, the medical conversations, the decisions, the faith, and what it was like when the plan she had mentally prepared for suddenly wasn't the plan anymore.
We also talk about what her experience taught her and the perspective she now has for other women navigating infertility because one of the things I loved most about this conversation was the GEMS Shelby dropped along the way that spoke to people across generations.
☕ Sis, What’s the Tea?
Oh, we had us a TIME! 😂
Shelby and I get into one of those topics almost every woman navigating infertility has experienced:
“So… when are you having a baby?”
We share some of our own uncomfortable and sometimes unbelievable experiences with people asking about pregnancy and babies without knowing what was happening behind the scenes.
Shelby shares a situation that happened at her business, while I open up about an experience that happened to me at the church I grew up in.
We talk about how you navigate those conversations, when you choose to educate someone, when you simply protect your peace, and why seemingly innocent questions can carry so much weight for someone privately struggling to build their family.
And yes… we laughed, too! Because sometimes when two women who have been through it sit down together, there's nothing left to do but say, “Sis… you too?!”
This episode is particularly special to me because Shelby is from my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, and I'm incredibly grateful that she trusted Suddenly Infertile with such a personal part of her journey. 🖤💛
Whether you're preparing for IVF, navigating a diagnosis, struggling with the questions people ask, trying to hold onto your faith, or simply realizing that your journey to motherhood looks nothing like you expected, there is something in Shelby's story for you.
🎧 Listen to Season 2, Episode 6 of Suddenly Infertile wherever you get your podcasts.
If this conversation resonates with you, please follow/subscribe, rate and review the show, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps another person find this community.
📧 Interested in sharing your infertility story on Suddenly Infertile?
suddenlyinfertile@gmail.com
🔗 Learn more + access resources: https://suddenly-infertile-podcast.kit.com/d1c7a2164b
Instagram: @SuddenlyInfertile
To connect with Shelby:
Salon: Polished & Pampered
8 Freeport St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15223
Instagram : @nailsbyshel_badd
🤎 Because here at Suddenly Infertile… You Are Not Alone.
Produced by Shadrae King
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