Have you ever met someone who seems able to give of themselves endlessly, even—and especially—when life throws hardship their way? That’s Marybeth and her husband, Will. In the midst of heartbreaking infertility and loss, they chose to become foster parents. When Marybeth finally became pregnant after 3+ years of trying, she endured daily sickness through every trimester (and birth!) with hope and gratitude. Whether you're navigating your own season of waiting, curious about fostering, or battling a nausea-filled pregnancy, the Akers’ story is one of beautiful encouragement. Enjoy.
Name: Marybeth Aker
Children: Lewis Palmer (3 months)
Location: Waco, Texas
Occupation: Stay at home mom
Let’s start with an intro! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
My husband, Will and I live in Waco, TX. We were set up by a mutual friend and have been married for 4 years! Will owns a video production company and I’ve worked in the event space all my life until I recently became a stay at home mom. I will occasionally take on freelance work, but I’m letting motherhood be the main focus in this season. We have one amazing pup, Milo! I was raised on a farm though so I’m always dreaming about a life with land for our kiddos to roam with lots of animals. Maybe one day! For now, we love our little life in Waco.
What was your path to pregnancy?
I think there was some piece of me that always assumed getting pregnant would be easy. No one in my family ever struggled, so why would I? Of course, there’s always an element of fear, but I never really took it to heart. 6 months, 12 months, 1.5 years of trying and still we were struggling. We’d had one miscarriage at that point and I had begun to feel a deep sorrow over our story and what I knew would be a long journey with no guarantees. Thankfully I found an amazing NaPro doctor who walked with us for another 1.5+ through lots of ups and downs until we were able to successfully conceive after 3+ years of trying.
What was your experience with pregnancy like?
Every day felt like a gift with how long we’d waited. The miracle of carrying life will forever leave me in awe. I won’t glamorize it though, I was sick the entire pregnancy, through labor and even some postpartum! Every day was a full on mental/emotional battle to choose hope over the fear of loss. There were endless discomforts, some very scary heart issues, and lots of trips to Austin to our specialist, but it’s all been so worth it!
How about postpartum?
Postpartum was probably the part I was most nervous about because you just never fully know what it will be like until you’re in it! Everyone’s experience is so personal and different. We had a really challenging birth which left my body with extensive damage. It took a solid 3 months for me to feel like I could mostly function again and at nearly 4 months postpartum I am still very much a work in progress. As someone who’s a go-getter and lives a fast-paced life this has been a humbling season of slowing down and relying on those around me to help carry the load. I have absolutely loved being a mom though and again I will say, it’s so worth it! Most days I still can’t believe I have a baby boy! What a gift.
Best thing anyone has done for you postpartum?
Having my mom here for the first week was a game changer for both Will and I. I’d been in prodromal labor for nearly a week when we learned I would be having an emergency induction and she made sure she was there every step of the way through labor, a NICU stay, and our transition home. When Lewis was taken to the NICU shortly after birth she stayed with me so Will could be with Lewis. She quietly and intentionally served us by helping me through all those firsts after labor, wheeling me back and forth to the NICU, cooking, cleaning, mowing the lawn, running errands. You name it, she took care of it so we could rest and soak in all the newborn goodness. She’s the most selfless person I know and we’re forever grateful for the way she loved us so well during postpartum!
Before having Lewis, you were foster parents. Can you share more about that and your thoughts around fostering?
I could talk about this all day! For many years foster care has been dear to my heart. After Will and I got married we pretty quickly started talking about our timeline with fostering. We always imagined we’d start our own family and then open our home to foster kids. A year into our infertility journey we decided, why wait? There are kids who desperately need a safe place. Parenting is HARD work and when other parents need some space and time to heal we could be a safe place for their babies to land. Foster care has wrecked us (in the best way!) more than we could have ever imagined. It’s heavy and hard work, even isolating at times, but it’s beautiful. You fall in love, you pour yourself out, you advocate, you help them meet milestones, you play hard, you walk with them through trauma…real, hard, unfair, unimaginable trauma… and then one day you kiss them goodbye and watch them reunite with their family. We’ve smiled through a lot of tears because that was always the goal and yet our hearts will never be the same. Infertility was hard, but we’re also thankful we were able to give 5 kiddos our full hearts and attention while our own nest was empty. We hope to continue fostering eventually, but for now we are a support system to other local foster families.
Favorite part of life with Lewis so far?
All of it?! Being a mom is so sweet. I’ve literally dreamed of this since I was a little girl. I never could have imagined how much sacrifice was required, but even through it all I’m just so thankful to be his mom. Watching him grow by leaps and bounds brings the sweetest joy! He’s been a momma’s boy since day one and I’ll never get over it.
What’s something about motherhood you didn’t expect?
How sweet it is to watch them learn and grow while you simultaneously want them to stay little forever. Packing up the clothes that no longer fit or going up a diaper size…wow, that hit me like a ton of bricks. Time moves faster than ever as a mom!
What Solly product(s) do you already have, and what are you currently loving/eyeing:
We of course love our wrap! It’s an absolute game changer. I also really love the women’s sleep set! They are so comfy and soft that my husband asks when there will be a men’s line every time I wear them. I’ve been eyeing some new pj’s for Lewis because he’s growing so fast!
Rapid-fire round…
Favorite indulgence: Watermelon. Weird, I know, but I was raised in an area renowned for their watermelons and I can eat my weight in them during the summer!
Favorite children’s book: You Are Special by Max Lucado and Lewis absolutely loves Tabitha Paige’s Tummy Time Set right now.
Drink of choice: Half sweet lavender latte
Favorite sans-baby activity: Maybe getting my nails done or a massage but the more realistic option is a long detox bath.
Motherhood topic you could talk about forever: Probably breastfeeding!
Ideal after-getting-the-baby-down snack: Something dark chocolate
