Home - An IVF Miracle From Mahers

A journey of life

An intimate and inspiring memoir of my journey of sadness, utter despair, sheer determination and triumph to become a mother after eleven rounds of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).

While IVF can create a pregnancy with many successful deliveries, IVF does not guarantee a baby, a full term delivery or a live birth. My decision to undertake IVF was never guaranteed to result in a living baby for me, and while this possibility absolutely rattled me, it was a risk I was prepared to take. I knew very well, once IVF worked for me, the outcome I wanted – which was a living healthy baby – was not promised and this made me incredibly nervous for the duration of my entire pregnancy.

Miscarriage, stillborn, premature birth and infant loss have brought many tears to four special women in my life. With my deepest admiration and gratitude, I have permission to share their stories.

My saving grace was optimism and hoping science would result in the fairy tale that IVF can be, because I could not see the finish line. I now feel determined to help and inspire others so their flame of hope might also continue to burn.

Why I wrote my book

I wrote my book in the hope of inspiring, connecting to and shining a ray of light or hope for people who have suffered, or may suffer as they try so incredibly hard to create and hold their baby. As my guests and I experienced.

In addition to sharing my eleven rounds of IVF, my memoir includes four separate stories of pregnancy/infant loss, reflection and new beginnings (IVF and non IVF). Thank you Renée, Rosalie, Kim and Kylie for your courage and permission to share your stories. Our united message is “You are not in this alone”.

After ten tormenting and unsuccessful rounds of IVF, I am grateful for every moment. I hope my book of over 90,000 words inspires many people who are struggling, to find a way to try, try again or reflect and relate.

I hope people find solace in my words and they give you somewhere soft to lean for a while.

To people who haven’t experienced infertility or pregnancy/infant loss, I hope my writing increases awareness and provides an insight of what your nearest and dearest, colleagues or neighbours may be experiencing.

To people who have tried and were not able to fulfill their heart felt desire, please accept my admiration for your courage.

Parliament House Community Recognition Awards

I’m honoured and proud to share my book has been recognised and mentioned twice in Parliament House, Australia.

To receive awards of such high accolade is an absolute privilege and is humbly received. Thank you Tanya Davies MP for reading the local newspaper and discovering my book. This mention was unexpected and I will be forever grateful

Book Cover Design

When I was in the design phase for the cover of my book, I sat down with my miracle, Jy and asked him if he had any suggestions. Jy responded with three ideas (marked in pencil) and apologised for spilling his water on the paper.

We did use the boy symbol over his birth photo instead of the E and decided we wouldn’t proceed with the other two ideas. We both love the final cover design.

"I give this book hands down a 5 out of 5! It was ironic as I started reading it while in hospital recovering from my hysterectomy. An IVF Miracle from Mahers isn’t just for women on the IVF journey, it’s for all demographics! Such a powerful and emotional read. Jodi, the Author, has done a phenomenal job at making the reader feel as though they’re on that journey with her! I found myself willing her on and hoping for that miracle! The chapter where she is having her miracle Jy felt like I was right there beside her! I cannot thank Jodi enough for sharing this experience with the world. So many women will be able to relate however men can relate also as it’s a two way journey. Having read it from Jodi’s perspective may help many men understand what their wives/partners are going through both mentally and emotionally. I cannot recommend this book enough! It’s relatable, it’s got a strong family ethic, it’s non-stop cannot put the book down! It will have you wanting to know so much more chapter by chapter! I wish Jodi every single success in this world because this is a beautifully written, raw experience of what she herself went through and I thank her deeply for sharing that with us".

About The Author - J Maher

From the moment I punched the air with delight – upon learning I had a new baby sister named Renée – I doted over babies. As I grew older, I really envisaged life as a mother.

My mother, Cheryl and my grandmother, Jessie had babies and I really believed when I wanted to become a mother, I would be able to. I never considered this wouldn’t be an option.

I wrote the majority of my story in 2015 and have been waiting for it to feel like the right time to publish, not knowing if this time would or would not arrive.

While aboard the Indian Pacific (train) at midnight New Years Eve, 2019 (crossing the vast Australian land, somewhere between Ivanhoe and Condobolin NSW), I sat beside a 94 year old vision impaired lady, who was travelling alone.

This lady wished me all the best for 2020 and advised me “You might lose your sight dear, but you never forget how to feel”. This reminded me of my IVF journey. I couldn’t see the finish line and despite the heartache, I could still feel emotions and desires (hope and yearning for a baby).

I woke on the train, on the 1st of January 2020 and decided this was the beginning of me agreeing to publish my story and making a difference in the world. I had to answer the ongoing call to share my story and connect people through: emotion, heartache, trauma, relatability, vulnerability, determination, understanding, hope and healing. My book launched into the world on 27th November, 2020 which was my dad’s birthday. Dad inspired me to round five of IVF before he suddenly passed away with no warning, as explained in Chapter Ten ‘Dad falling asleep – forever’. Dad’s words would keep me going until the IVF victory round, “No Maher ever gives up”.

I’m not a medical professional (IVF, pregnancy or mental health) and will never claim to be. These incredible human beings study and train for years to help others. I will be forever grateful for their skill and kindness. My Fertility Specialist, IVF medical staff, Counsellors and Obstetrician called upon their years of training and experience and I leaned on them to cope with the next step. They gave me hope and solid ground in between my tears. They had a plan and I agreed to try it. We tried eleven plans. My strength and endurance were constantly tested when the trauma and heartache set in after failed IVF attempts. Despite how difficult it was, I tried to reset at night and surrender to tomorrow being a new day and opportunity.

A chapter in my book contains sayings and discussions I had with my son Jy throughout his early school years. One of the questions he asked was, “Where did you get me from Mum? The shops?”. When I explained to Jy he grew in my stomach, he had to know how he ‘got out’. When I advised him the Doctors helped, he said “Wow!”. Along with my son, Jy, my gratitude continues for the medically trained professionals who help many people and families in their time of need. From one very grateful mum, thank you.

I believe when we do our best and keep backing up through adversity, we inspire others, attract goodwill and weave miracles into the life of ourselves and others.

Whatever your journey may be, I send you love, comfort, strength, quiet moments of peace and hope.

To all the babies in the world, no matter where you are, thank you for meeting us in our dreams and nesting safely in our hearts.

Kind Regards,

Jodi Maher

Mum to An IVF Miracle from Mahers

Book Launch Interview

Please sit back with a cuppa and enjoy my 30 minute interview below, with my outstanding and inspirational Publisher, Karen McDermott (https://www.whitelightuniversal.com.au) who is an author herself of an outstanding 30 books, winning a swag of awards along the way. I am very grateful to Karen for her encouragement, kindness and support to assist me and other incredible authors to launch their books around the world.