Aspen is going to be a big sister!

So we’ve made it to the announcement: Aspen is going to be a big sister!  It was so hard for us to keep it a secret from everyone especially since we shared our entire IVF journey with Aspen on RHOC from the very beginning.  Tonight on the RHOC reunion you’ll see that I’m only one month pregnant, but that was filmed five weeks ago: we are now ten weeks pregnant (and I’m feeling every bit of it)!  Because you won’t see any of our current journey on RHOC, I’ll share our beautiful journey with you here!

When Aspen was only a few months old Jimmy and I knew we wanted to add another baby to the mix.  Yes, Aspen has half-siblings but we wanted her to be able to share in the joy of waking up to a sibling every day of her life.  Plus her half-siblings are completely enamored by Aspen and they LOVED the idea of expanding our family even more.

We began the IVF process over the summer.  We started from scratch because we really wanted to have a boy (Jimmy has a total of five girls and one boy) and we only had two frozen female embryos.  This was a difficult decision for us.  Jimmy was adamant he didn’t care about the sex of the baby, he just didn’t want me to have to again endure the emotional rollercoaster that comes with IVF.  (If we had decided to transfer one of the female embryos my drug regimen would’ve been much less involved than full blown IVF.)  But I insisted: I was more comfortable with going through IVF again since I knew what to expect.  So we moved forward with IVF.

Opposite of my first experience with IVF, this time I was anxious for the emotional toll while knowing I could handle the physical repercussions.  Additionally, I had reliable companionship this time around with Jimmy by my side, my trusty furry companion Girly Girl and of course, baby Aspen.  It may seem silly to mention Aspen and Girly Girl but this support system was everything to me during round 2 of IVF.  (Side note: If you remember from RHOC, during my first round of IVF I entered the worst depression of my life, probably due to the erratic hormones combined with loneliness.  I was able to wean off my depression meds halfway through my pregnancy with Aspen which directly corresponded with when I got Girly Girl, and I haven’t been on a lick of antidepressants since then.  Dogs are truly woman’s best friend and medicine for the soul… and apparently clinical depression!)

We began the IVF process after baseball season ended so Jimmy could be ever present – it was so dumb of us to do round 1 of  IVF in April at the height of spring training.  We were so anti-overlapping-IVF-and-baseball that we even had to shift our original schedule due to The St. Louis Cardinals’ schedule!

I felt like I handled this IVF much more in stride. I’m not sure if it’s because I knew what to expect or if maybe my body was used to the hormones, but it was easier.  I was also armed with the emotional mindset to be so much healthier this time around whereas last time I was surrounded by the stress of filming RHOC (which is VERY stressful and emotionally taxing).  I ate super healthy, cut out most alcohol (next to impossible to do while filming), attended regular acupuncture sessions, and took daily walks.  I also prayed, meditated, and read a lot.  I didn’t even watch emotional or negative TV shows.  I just felt at ease.  Ultimately my healthy lifestyle helped produce less follicles than round one BUT only produced two less mature eggs than last time!  (Not all follicles contain eggs of those that do, not all eggs are mature enough to fertilize.)  I was very happy with this since I’m now 33 and eggs like to age rapidly once you hit your ancient childbearing years of 30-something… oy!

(Another side note: somewhere in here, my amazing nurse convinced my doctor to use the Erickson Method aka “spin the sperm” to try to separate X and Y sperm – basically we wanted to manipulate the fertilization to produce as many male embryos as possible.  There is no medical proof that this method is successful, in fact it has been proven time and time again that it doesn’t work.  But we wanted to try it anyway. So the embryologist suggested we defrost five vials of sperm (as opposed to one) to give the scientists more room for error in order to apply this method.  We were crossing our fingers hoping it worked!)

All in all I produced ten mature eggs, all ten fertilized, and all ten made it to zygote stage (this is INCREDIBLE!).  At this point we again did PGS (preimplantation genetic screening), which not only uncovers which embryos have genetic abnormalities but also identifies the specific chromosomes that are additional or missing.  The reason for this test is so that we do not transfer genetically imperfect embryos because their chances of making it to term are low: most miscarriages are a result of chromosomal abnormalities.  We can essentially eliminate the risk of miscarriage due to chromosomal abnormalities by transferring completely healthy embryos determined by PGS.  The way I see it is that if I get pregnant with a PGS embryo my chances of miscarriage are virtually eliminated except for an act of God.  PGS also uncovers the sex of each embryo.  Of our ten embryos, only four were chromosomally NORMAL: three boys and one girl!  We were a bit shocked that 60% of our embryos were abnormal but so happy to have four VERY strong and perfectly healthy embryos.

Fast forward to today and I am pregnant! I’m not feeling the greatest but we know that it will all be worth it in the end.  Aspen will make a fabulous big sister at only a year-and-a-half old in June 2018!  Oh, what about the biggest question: Boy or girl? Think blue this time around!

237 Comments
  1. Congratulations Meghan you are a great mother and Aspen will be the greatest big sister! What a blessing I look forward to seeing this cute bundle of joy in the near future!

  2. so happy for you:) i was pregnant with my girl the same time you were with aspen …loved seeing your journey on rhoc! aspen is a doll…congratulations

    1. In the midst of joy, there is always one in the crowd that has to be critical/negative in some way! Happy for you & your family Meghan! Stay upbeat & positive & focused on family & everything will work out perfectly!

    2. Oh get real! You are what makes our world so crazy. Yep.. breathing, feeling, thinking, decision-making little humans.. sure!

        1. You are an ASSHAT!! She terminated nothing! The others were not implanted…yet! Who knows…she may do so in the future, which is none of your biz!

  3. So excited for you! Congratulations – thanks for sharing the details. I hope the rest of your pregnancy is happy and healthy!

  4. Thank you for sharing such personal info about your life. I sincerely appreciate it. I watch you in the snow and wish you only the best! Happy Holidays!

  5. So happy for you both, now with Jim by your side should be easier on you. No heavy lifting Aspen that will be bad for you. Good to have both littles close together. Pray for a happy & healthy baby. says:

    Debbie mullins

  6. I can’t Witt for you to have another little one! You are such a good mom and I know aspen will be a great big sister!

  7. I’m so excited for y’all. Congrats on the newest member & to big sister Aspen. Little brothers are the best.

  8. I am so incredibly happy for you, Meghan, Jimmy, Aspen, and Girlie Girl! Sending blue vibes, but ultimately wishing you nothing but the best in this pregnancy and for your sweet little one to be healthy and happy. Xoxoxo

  9. CONGRATULATIONS!!! You deserve everything you are working toward. You’re my favorite housewife and you are a great representative for our great State of Missouri!!! You’re a wonderful mother. Never let others deflate you!!

    1. She “deserves” nothing! The WIRLD OWES YKU NOTHING! She paid for a baby that will now be reduced to a trophy jewel. No human to Meagan

  10. Im so excited for you and your family!!! I love arching your journey!!!!! Best of luck and here’s to quick morning sickness as. A fast pain free delivery!!!

  11. That’s so exciting. Love you on the show and can’t be more excited to see what your journey has in store. Congratulations on the baby. She will be a great big disinter.

  12. So happy for you …..you have a beautiful family . Hoping all goes smoothly and you get your boy ,but if not girls are amazing ….especially when they look like you !,,

  13. Congratulations to y’all! Aspen is beautiful and is going to make a great big sister !! HOTTY TODDY❤️????❤️????❤️

  14. So happy for you! Congratulations! Your first journey encouraged with my cycles and I’m so grateful that you shared your second journey! Maybe I’ll have my second journey soon too 😉

  15. Congratulations! Such exciting news! My daughter was born a few weeks after Aspen. I also went through IVF and could relate to your experience documented on RHOC. I am thinking of having another baby, but don’t have any frozen embryos remaining, so I will also have to start from scratch. I hope I am not being too intrusive, but did you stop nursing Aspen when you started IVF again? What was that like?

  16. Congratulations! Although I didn't do IVF, I feel like we are on the same journey. My daughter is about a month older than yours and we are expecting again end of April beginning of May so they'll be 1 1/2 years apart too. Congratulations again! says:

    Dawn

  17. So very happy to hear of Aspen having a baby brother! I’m sure your over the moon and I wish you all a he luck and happiness babies bring into your lives!! Congratulations!! says:

    Cecilia Cruz

  18. Congrats! I love watching your story unfold. I just did my first IVF shot last night. I too am asrepmom andtjiswas the only way my husband and I could have a baby together!

  19. Thank you for sharing and documenting this journey. I currently am in the midst of my ivf cycl. And it can be so terrifying on days. Reading about success stories helps calm the nerves. I am happy to hear you both are getting your baby boy to not complete, but enhance your beautiful family. You are very fortunate to be able to complete the genetic testing. I wish I could afford to but the cost of ivf is so expensive and trying to add that in was not possible. I’m praying I have a successful cycle as well as you did. Congratulations on your growing family.

  20. I’m very happy for Aspen, Jimmy and you! You are a wonderful women to watch on the show and an awesome mom! Congratulations! says:

    Lisa Curtis

  21. Thank you so much for sharing Meghan ! You have a beautiful family and you are a strong woman. I really appreciate you sharing about depression and anxiety . So many people including myself experience it . Sometimes it’s scary and you feel like you are the only one . My hormones and changes cause me to have the same issues ! Good luck to you and your family on the new addition !!

  22. Yay! So happy for you! Boys are amazing. I have two boys, 18 months apart. They play together so well now that they are a little older. I’m sure your children will too! Good luck on the remainder of your journey!

  23. Congrats on baby #2! I loved following your IVF journey with Aspen because my husband and I are wanting to do IVF for infertility reasons. We are hoping to start our journey soon, God willing and finance willing!

  24. Megan , just want to say a massive congratulations to you all , I’m so happy for you …amazing mummy to Aspen and now you will be to the new baby …. wish you all the best xo much love from Australia ????????

  25. Meghan,
    Congratulations!!!! I’m so happy for you, Jimmy, Aspen, and Gurly-Girl. I also believe in the power of “a woman’s best friend”. I went through infertility testing/experimenting and I believe I have survived the past 4 years because of the love I receive from my husband and dog, Lucy! Unfortunately, our time and dedication has not resulted in a pregnancy. We are remaining positive and praying. Have a happy and healthy pregnancy! Happy Holidays!
    Heather G.

  26. Thank you for sharing your IVF journey. I had a failed transfer in July and am starting our next transfer schedule this month. We have three good embryos from two retrievals with testing. Hoping we too get to experience the joy of a positive test result! Congratulations!

  27. Meghan,
    I’ve never posted on a “tv personality”/reality star/person I don’t know blog- but I have to share how excited I am for you and your family. As someone who is your age, and has waited to have children, it’s so stressful to hear of pregnancy and the “your eggs are old and dying” “something’s wrong with you” crap that comes along with being 33 and childless… anyway your IVF journey and your beautiful baby girl and now this news are all so inspiring for someone trying to figure it all out in her own time. Thanks for sharing and for your effervescent personality – it’s refreshing and hilarious, equally. Again- thank you for sharing.

    Best of luck to you and wishing you health and joy!!

  28. I am so excited for you! I enjoy watching you on the housewives you are my favorite!! Your baby is beautiful! Can’t wait to see the new baby. Blessings to you and your family ❤️

  29. Awww congrats!!! Wish we would have been able to see your journey through IVF. I have also gone though IVF and have a beautiful son as a resul. Being able to watch yourney for Aspen brought me to tears. Congrats again and thank you for sharing your journey!! It truly helped me!

  30. Congrats! Would love to hear more about weaning off your meds!!!! Something that makes me nervous about having babies

  31. Congratulations!! This is so awesome! My daughter turned 1 on the 14th but had the same due date as aspen. I am also pregnant with our second and am 10 weeks tomorrow! So excited to get to go through pregnancy the same time as you again, I really loved seeing and relating to your IG post throughout the last last couple years. Congrats again!

  32. Thank you for being so open about IVF. We just went through it and boy has it been an INSANE rollercoaster of emotions… I haven’t had my transfer yet but at my retrieval I had 44 eggs, 39 fertilized, and we only ended up with 8 embryos to freeze and test at the end of it. I was so bummed but our results came back and also 60% of our embryos were abnormal. Also shocking! We have two PGS tested normal baby girls (we wanted a girl) to work with so please send some baby dust my way, I transfer in mid December <3

  33. Hi Meghan – congratulations! Everyone deserves to have the family they wish. We unfortunately just last month ended our first IVF cycle with total failed fertilisation. There are no words to describe how painful a journey this is and I just hope that one day we will be able to share happy news. We live in Scotland and the system is very different over here to the US I believe. It’s just incredible how this can break even the most resilient of people. Could just do with a bit of luck.

  34. Wow!!! What a blessing for the Edmonds family! & now we can see another adorable baby wake up!! Congratulations!!!! ????????

  35. I’m so excited for you. I had a failed IVF cycle on Thanksgiving because I habe a a gene that causes miscarriages and am devestated but seeing successful IVF gives me hope. Can’t wait to see your new beautiful little ibe.

  36. Congrats! My hubby and I are currently going thru our 2nd round of IVF (first round didn’t work) and we are trying for a boy 🙂

  37. Educate yourself. There is still a chance of miscarriage with PGS. Miscarriage or stillbirth can happen due to clots, placenta issues. From someone who lost there child due to a cord accident it’s not an “act of God” thing…..stillbirth and miscarriage can happen due to things other than the genetics of your child.

  38. I’m so very excited for you all!! I hope you are feeling well. Can hardly wait to watch this beautiful journey of your baby boy’s arrival! Xoxo

  39. Thank you for being so open about your IVF experiences! I just finished my first cycle and referenced your IVF Instagram every step of the way. So happy for you and your growing family.

  40. Congratulations! As someone just starting the IVF journey I love how openly you share your story. Excited to see another Baby Edmunds on the show 🙂

  41. Yeah! I was so happy when you made the announcement to Andy and the girls. It was a nice pick me up with all the divorce of two housewives and the drama…. So happy for you both congratulations on the new baby boy June 2018! Yes she will be a wonderful big sister helper! Girly girl will be happy too! 🤗🙏🏼🤗🐩⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️

  42. I’m literally starting the whole IVF process today and am terrified. We did 6 rounds of IUI however, they didn’t work. I’m already having a mini breakdown and we haven’t really started the whole process yet. Maybe because the IUI process is similar and I know how that affected my body…or the fact that all the feelings of being some kind of damaged failure are suddenly hitting me…either way I rarely comment on social media, but I wanted to say thank you for sharing your experience. It helps to get some insight on my very near future experience.

  43. Congratulations Meghan! (Jim & Aspen, too) I’m SO happy for you. The best thing I ever did for my children is give them each other. Now, they’re best friends… My daughter left for college last year & I quickly noticed how she & my son talk everyday, all-day. I hope it goes better for you this time around. I’m sure it’s going to be twice as uncomfortable, but at least you know what to expect! Plus, you’re probably going to be much happier throughout, knowing that you’re almost done completely with the whole pregnancy/child birth part & moving into the GOOD STUFF!!! I’m so excited to be on this journey with you, cheering you on every step of the way as you share it with us. I know you always hear, “Enjoy it, because it goes so fast…” But, it’s SOOO true. It seems like yesterday that I was bringing my babies home & now they’re leaving home. I’d give ANYTHING to be able to go back & do it again. I went through it mostly alone, like you as my husband’s a professional athlete & was still playing during those years. There’s a lot of loneliness & frustration that goes along with it. But, you’re doing a great job handling it. Again, congrats to you! Aspen is beyond beautiful perfection & it’d almost be a crime not to bless this world with more King-Edmonds babies!!! So much love goes out to you & positive vibes throughout these next 6 months!
    XOXO❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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  45. Congrats to you, your husband, Aspen and girly girl, Aspen is so adorable and I’m sure your twin boys will be very handsome too!! I will miss seeing you on the RHOC your the reason why I watched the show! Stay strong.

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  47. Dear Dr Cantara, My husband and I are going to the doctor today as I found out to be POSITIVE yesterday. I am in tears as I write these words. I am sure you get plenty of letter like this every day but I just wanted to thank you for sending me the pregnancy herbs from your temple and for giving hope to women at my age. May god bless you and your family. 
         

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