After Years of Struggle, 2 Miracles Born—Weeks Apart

For years, Kelsi Pierce and her husband tried to have a baby. Infertility treatments drained the Minnesota couple's savings, and while they considered a gestational carrier, the cost was too much for them. Then, two miracles: First, Pierce's 53-year-old mom offered to carry one of their embryos for them. Then, little more than a month later, Pierce—who had stopped all her fertility treatments and medications—discovered she, too, was unexpectedly pregnant. Everly was born Oct. 1 in Michigan to Pierce's mom, and Ava was born to Pierce Nov. 23 in Minnesota, ABC News reports.

"Every time something is hard or I’m tired, I remind myself that this is my dream finally coming true," Pierce tells the network. "It’s just so surreal. I keep pinching myself, like I can’t believe this is my life." As for her mom, she says that while her first two pregnancies—in her early 20s, when she says she didn't eat well or exercise—were hard and she was often sick, this one was a breeze: "I did my best to make sure I was eating well and in the best shape possible and this pregnancy was awesome. It went off really well." Pierce told WCNC last month that doctors can't explain how she was able to become pregnant and carry Ava to term. (More uplifting news stories.)