MASSILLON, Ohio — Mother's Day will be especially meaningful for a Stark County woman who has endured the heartache of three pregnancy losses before delivering twin boys at the end of 2022.
Amanda Rodriguez, 33, of Navarre, continues to adjust to the demands of caring for two babies but said her 4-month-old sons, Hudson and Liam, have brought her great joy.
"I will take all the sleepless nights over again to be where I am now. Even on the bad days, they're still the greatest joy of my life and the best thing I will ever do," Rodriguez said.
Her journey to becoming a mother has been long and difficult. She had miscarriages in 2017 and 2019.
"Growing up from a young age, knowing I wanted to be a mom, it just made me feel like I couldn't perform the one thing I was born to do that I wanted to fulfill my life," she said.
In 2021, she faced more heartbreak when her daughter, Rosalie, was stillborn at 28 weeks.
"Everything was smooth, and just one day, I woke up and tried to use my Doppler at home, and she was gone," Rodriguez said.
Last year, she decided to try intrauterine insemination (IUI) and picked a donor from a sperm bank.
She said doctors informed her that she only had an 11% chance of getting pregnant, but the twins had other ideas.
"I found out last Mother's Day that I was pregnant with them," she said.
The babies were born on Dec. 30 and are both doing well. Rodriguez said Hudson has been very alert since birth, and Liam is "just happy from sunup to sundown."
Amanda's doctor, Brittany VanBeek with OBGYN Associates of Akron, said Rodriguez becoming a mother is "the ultimate story of redemption."
"I think that is the ultimate story that there is hope. I think it helps women to keep going forward," VanBeek said.
Rodriguez, who said she has struggled on Mother's Day in years past, said Sunday would be very special, and she continues to feel very blessed.
"It's just really a full-circle moment," she said.
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