It was an emotional morning on Good Morning America on November 29 as hosts George Stephanopoulos, Michael Strahan, Robin Roberts, and Lara Spencer talked to their friend and colleague Rebecca Jarvis.
The 42-year-old ABC News anchor is on cloud nine after welcoming her second child earlier this month with husband Matt Hanson, baby Leo. The couple are already the parents of daughter Isabel, who is four.
However, their road to becoming parents twice over was not easy, involving struggles with fertility, multiple rounds of IVF, and heartbreaking miscarriages.
In a personal essay shared with ABC News, Rebecca penned: "I started trying to get pregnant with Isabel almost ten years ago, and we were in and out of doctors' offices all over the city, constantly on calls, constantly going to appointments."
She explained that the reason for their struggles remained unexplained despite several visits to the doctor, and she'd gone through seven rounds of IVF before welcoming her daughter.
"Every time I got pregnant, I would look at the world with rose-colored glasses, and I would imagine what life was going to be like on the other side. And every time I lost a pregnancy, to have that taken away was so tough."
© InstagramRebecca made the difficult revelation that two years ago, after another round of IVF, she had suffered a miscarriage five months into the pregnancy. Her husband held her hand throughout as she fought through the tears to share her moving story.
She continued: "We looked at our doctors and said, 'What do we do? This keeps happening, and there's no telling whether we can be successful, whether I can maintain a successful pregnancy.' And our doctors said, 'Surrogacy is your best path forward.'"
MORE: GMA's Rebecca Jarvis: all we know about the very famous anchor
It was a difficult decision at first, given the amount of time it took to match with a surrogate and the expectations it placed on a third party, but finding the right surrogate eventually made it much easier for them.
© Getty ImagesRebecca explained that it was initially hard to allow herself to feel the joy of motherhood till it was a "sure thing" after her heartbreaking ordeal. "But when I did allow myself to feel that way, it was truly the best feeling."
MORE: Good Morning America hosts celebrate baby news as beloved anchor departs the show
The couple flew out of New York earlier this month to bring home their bundle of joy, who made an appearance in Matt's arms on GMA.
© Getty ImagesThey revealed also that they told Isabel she would be a big brother on a family trip to Disneyland, where she said she wished for that exact thing. The hosts of the ABC morning show doted over the newborn as Rebecca called from home, and sent a basket of goodies for the family-of-four.
Isabel could not stop waving or doting over her baby brother. Rebecca wrote: "The moment Isabel met Leo, to see her meet her little brother and to give him such care and such sweet kisses and hugs, she really is an incredible big sister."
© Getty ImagesCongratulations to the new parents!
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