Photo: Becky Ankrum Photography
Paralympic gold medalist Mallory Weggemann and her husband Jay Snyder have invited PEOPLE to follow their journey as they grow their family.
Mallory Weggemann’s dream has come true: She’s a mom!
Charlotte Ann Snyder was born to Weggemann and her husband Jay Snyder on March 16.
“Holding Little One in my arms after long carrying her in our hearts is something that is still hard to put into words,” the Paralympic gold medalist tells PEOPLE exclusively.
The couple, who live in Eagen, Minnesota, have had ups and downs on their road to parenthood.Weggemannand Snyder have been through a long IVF journey, navigating Snyder’smale-factor infertilityas well as the timing of Weggemann’s training schedule for herParalympic swimming career.
But they never gave up.
“I look at Charlotte … and I see a sweet little miracle that fought so hard to join us in this world,” says Weggemann.
Mallory Weggemann/Instagram
Over the last few years, Weggemann and Snyder have been candid with fans and followers about their challenges. “Jay was adamant that we have the conversation around male infertility,” Weggemann previously told PEOPLE. “Society needed to see a couple who said, ‘Actually, it’s the non-disabled spouse that has the fertility struggles.”
After several surgeries, more than 440 injections, two stim cycles and one unsuccessful transfer, Weggemann and Snyder,shared the exciting newswith PEOPLE in August that their second egg transfer had worked.
Since then, Weggemann has been publicly documenting herpregnancy, refuting the idea that female athletes have to choose between their careers and motherhood and destigmatizing parents with disabilities. “So often we form our perceptions of what we think is possible based on what we see emulated in the world around us,” she says.
She has openly discussed the importance of motherhood for athletes, as well as the possibilities of motherhood within the context of disability awareness .
source: people.com
