Twelve years ago Melissa Harris-Perry, the host of MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry show, gave birth to her first child. She remembers, “It was easy. I was pregnant within a month of deciding to try and avoided all of the serious complications and most of the minor annoyances of pregnancy. . . I assumed this would be the first of several pregnancies and that I would add to my family immediately. . . Life did not work out that way”.

For many couples the pain of secondary infertility comes as a complete surprise. Each person’s circumstances are different, each person’s choices are different, and each person’s outcome will be different. Due to the unique circumstances surrounding her own infertility journey, Melissa and her husband James made the courageous decision to pursue their own biological children with the help of a wonderful caring surrogate (plus “two families, three states, four doctors, and five attorneys”!)

The birth of every child is miraculous. This little girl is no exception.

What IS exceptional, however, is her parent’s willingness to share the details of their journey with the world. Click here to read her wonderful story. Although close friends and family knew the couple were expecting a baby, viewers of her show had no idea.

Unfortunately, infertility is a disease that people sometimes pretend does not exist. According to CNN a record number of women are using IVF to get pregnant – so why all the secrecy? One in four US couples has an infertility problem. Perhaps if more people shared their stories, their pain, their hopes and their outcomes, infertility would finally be recognized for the disease it is.

The birth of every child is miraculous. Let’s celebrate all the beautiful miracles born today – regardless of how they got here.