After years of IVF, a Gwinnett teacher welcomes her first child at 41

For years, Tamica Brown wondered if motherhood would ever be a part of her story.

At 41, after years of trying to conceive, she welcomed her first child. Now, she’s adjusting to a new reality; holding her 2-month-old daughter, Tamia Janae, in her arms.

“There were definitely moments when I thought, ‘Maybe this just isn’t going to happen,’” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Brown, an elementary school teacher in Gwinnett County, and her husband, Ted, welcomed Tamia on July 23. Even now, the reality of motherhood can catch her by surprise.

“I’m really somebody’s mama,” she said, almost in disbelief.

And Tamia is already making her personality known.

“She will absolutely let you know when she wants something,” Brown said.

Brown, an elementary school teacher in Gwinnett County, and her husband, Ted, welcomed Tamia on July 23. Even now, the reality of motherhood can catch her by surprise.

“I’m really somebody’s mama,” she said, almost in disbelief.

And Tamia is already making her personality known.

“She will absolutely let you know when she wants something,” Brown said.

A long road to motherhood

Brown married later in life, and by the time she and Ted were ready to start a family, the COVID-19 pandemic had arrived. They decided to put their plans on hold.

“Life didn’t happen on the timeline I thought it would when I was younger,” she said.

When they eventually began trying to conceive, pregnancy didn’t happen naturally. They turned to fertility treatment and IVF, which Brown said was far more demanding than she expected.

“IVF was a lot more involved than I ever imagined,” she shared.

Brown went through several rounds of egg retrievals, each requiring injections, appointments, ultrasounds and blood work.

“It felt like every time you cleared one hurdle, there was another one waiting for you,” she said.

Then, in the middle of treatment, she was hospitalized and diagnosed with severe pernicious anemia and a B12 deficiency. It was a scary time, she said, as she tried to manage her own health while continuing her fertility journey.

Meanwhile, she watched as her friends and family continued to have children. “OK God, but what about me?” she recalled thinking.

Now, Brown is navigating the sleepless nights that come with caring for an infant, but she has no complaints.

“I’ll take the tired.”

Then, in the middle of treatment, she was hospitalized and diagnosed with severe pernicious anemia and a B12 deficiency. It was a scary time, she said, as she tried to manage her own health while continuing her fertility journey.

Meanwhile, she watched as her friends and family continued to have children. “OK God, but what about me?” she recalled thinking.

Now, Brown is navigating the sleepless nights that come with caring for an infant, but she has no complaints.

“I’ll take the tired.”

A cheering section

Brown entered Tamia in the 2026 Baby of the Year competition, a partnership with national nonprofit Baby2Baby, just for fun. She didn’t expect the contest to attract the kind of support it has.

People who have followed Brown’s fertility journey have rallied around her family, sharing Tamia’s page and sending messages of encouragement.