Since becoming a member of the NBC Information household in 2012, Dylan Dreyer constructed a profitable profession as a meteorologist and “Immediately” co-host. In 2021, she additionally added “writer” to her listing of titles with the discharge of her weather-inspired kids’s e book, “Misty the Cloud: A Very Stormy Day.” Work additionally introduced her soulmate into her life, as she met cameraman Brian Fichera throughout her time at Boston’s WHDH. Collectively, they created a household, welcoming three boys between 2016 and 2021. With a stellar profession and a terrific household, it is easy to suppose Dreyer’s life has been picture-perfect. However she has confronted her fair proportion of exhausting instances.

Dreyer’s motherhood journey was particularly troublesome. She skilled quite a lot of unknowns when it got here to creating the household she envisioned, together with infertility points, being pregnant issues, and neonatal hospitalization. The household can also be no stranger to well being hurdles. However she would do it another time to have her sons. That wasn’t at all times the case, although.

Earlier than welcoming their eldest in 2016, Dreyer and Fichera had a special tackle parenthood. “For a very long time, Brian and I, we weren’t actually certain if we wished children. We had been form of proud of our life,” Dreyer informed “Immediately” in 2019. Throughout her first being pregnant, she continued to doubt whether or not they had made the suitable determination. “Actually scared to dying,” she confessed. “My life’s going to alter.” Then she had her first, and her forecast was proved right. The journey was no stroll within the park, however Dreyer would not change a factor.

Dylan Dreyer and Brian Fichera at all times wished their son Calvin to have a sibling. As a result of they confronted no struggles the primary time, they did not anticipate they’d encounter any boundaries when attempting for child No. 2. However six months got here and went with no double traces popping up on the being pregnant take a look at. As a result of she was over 35, her physician referred her to a specialist. She realized her egg depend was low and that her uterus had extreme scarring from her earlier emergency C-section.

Dreyer was identified with secondary infertility, which occurs when girls who efficiently had a baby or kids earlier than wrestle to conceive afterward. “I did not know secondary infertility was a factor!” she informed “Immediately” in 2019. After present process surgical procedure to take away scar tissue, she received a constructive take a look at. She and Fichera had been over the moon. Then, she began bleeding. “I feel I misplaced the infant,” she informed Fichera.

After processing their heartbreak, they determined to offer IVF a strive. “I am scared about what’s forward … the timing, the pictures, the drugs, whether or not or not it will even work,” she wrote in a Immediately piece. It turned out she did not want to fret. Earlier than beginning, she found she was pregnant. “I used to be simply ready for the cellphone name from Dr. [David] Reichman, to inform me how a lot of every drug to make use of,” she informed Folks. “As an alternative, when he known as, he stated, ‘Properly, you’ll be able to’t begin IVF since you’re already pregnant!” Oliver was born in January 2020. 

Dylan Dreyer was devastated about her struggles to conceive after welcoming Calvin. However she did not really feel she had the suitable to really feel that manner. In any case, she already had a gorgeous child. When she determined to return ahead along with her fertility points, Dreyer anticipated to get criticism. She even addressed the difficulty in her Immediately essay. “I have to preface this with a disclaimer in order to not offend anybody. I am so very grateful for the gorgeous household I’ve,” she wrote.

In her thoughts, the suitable to grieve over miscarriages and destructive being pregnant checks was restricted to {couples} who could not even have one little one. “Going into it, I assumed I used to be going to get a bit little bit of destructive pushback — form of like, ‘Properly, you have already got a son, so be blissful for what you’ve gotten,'” she informed Folks. However after studying that what she was going via had a reputation and that different girls skilled the identical heartbreak and ache, she determined it was definitely worth the threat of receiving criticism. 

After initially retaining her fertility journey personal, Dreyer opened up in an effort to deliver consideration to the difficulty and provides hope to others who is likely to be in the same state of affairs. “I simply need individuals to know that, yeah, I am form of going via it with you,” she stated within the “Immediately” interview. However she was pleasantly stunned. “I used to be so overwhelmed by the constructive suggestions and the overwhelming assist, she informed Folks. 

Dylan Dreyer and Brian Fichera continued to come across obstacles of their parenting journey. Just like the second time, they struggled to conceive after they tried so as to add a 3rd child to their brood. As a result of they already had two, they selected to not try IVF or different measures. Their physician suggested them to maintain attempting however to not focus an excessive amount of on it. “Positive sufficient, that is what we did!” Dreyer informed “Immediately.” Stress-free and watching a number of steamy TV helped.

In early 2021, Dreyer received pregnant once more. “When two persons are quarantined collectively for over a yr and [“Bridgerton”] is on….” Fichera captioned his Instagram announcement that Might. However Dreyer skilled being pregnant issues along with her third little one. In late September 2021, Dreyer’s water broke at solely 33 weeks, practically two months early. “I have been hanging on the hospital,” she shared on Instagram. At that time, Dreyer had been on the hospital for a few days in hopes of delaying labor. “Docs are intently monitoring each of us and attempting to maintain him on the within for a short while longer to get stronger,” she wrote.

However Russell was born virtually six weeks early regardless of all efforts and needed to be transferred to the NICU. Fortunately, he dealt with it effectively and was discharged a few week later. “Man it feels actual good to be house collectively!!!” Dreyer celebrated on Instagram. After her troublesome journey, Dreyer is finished having children. Her household is full.

When Dylan Dreyer and Brian Fichera’s eldest son, Calvin, was about 5, he started to expertise unrelenting digestive points that triggered intense ache. The dad and mom spent a full yr attempting to assist their boy, however to no avail. “There was one time the ache was so unhealthy that we thought possibly he had one thing like his appendix burst,” Dreyer informed Immediately in 2023. “He was hunched over in ache.” A visit to the emergency room confirmed nothing incorrect along with his appendix.

However Dreyer and Fichera knew one thing was incorrect and had been decided to get to the basis trigger. In March 2023, blood work confirmed Calvin had celiac illness, an autoimmune situation characterised by an excessive response to gluten that damages the small intestines. “I knew nothing about celiac illness. I knew a pal of a pal had it, and he or she could not eat bread. That is mainly the information I had,” Dreyer stated.

The prognosis led to a significant life-style change not just for Calvin however for all the household. Within the Dreyer-Fichera family, nobody eats gluten. “It really works for us and takes quite a lot of stress off of us at house,” Dreyer captioned an Instagram put up. It is leaving the home that poses the toughest obstacles. “You recognize what takes up quite a lot of house in your suitcase when touring with celiac illness … POTS AND PANS AND GF PANCAKE MIX AND SPATULAS AND KNIVES AND CUTTING BOARDS AND SILVERWARE,” she wrote on Instagram.

Dylan Dreyer’s breastfeeding journey was powerful from the start. With Calvin, she was decided to completely breastfeed for the primary six months. She thought the primary three months went effectively and that Calvin was naturally slim. However at his three-month checkup, the physician had some disconcerting information. “He stated, ‘[Calvin]’s getting about half of what he ought to get in a typical day,'” she informed Folks in 2017. Dreyer was left in tears. “I felt like I would let him down and my physique could not do what Calvin wanted me to do,” she stated.

Dreyer started supplementing with formulation however continued to breastfeed. Her second time making an attempt to breastfeed wasn’t a lot simpler. Oliver had a tough time with it, so Dreyer primarily pumped milk for him. She did not prefer it however pushed via for her child. “Pumping gave me such dysphoria … a sense that wasn’t actually a melancholy, only a momentary fleeting feeling of hatred towards everybody and all the pieces within the second and a sense of nausea that was sickening,” she revealed in a 2021 Instagram put up.

But, she nonetheless had a tough time quitting when she reached the one-year mark. “Perhaps it is as a result of I do know that is probably the tip of this period in my life. A disappointment that I am shifting into the subsequent part of my maturity. Or possibly it is the DAMN HORMONES!!!! WTF???” she shared. Regardless of her struggles, Dreyer additionally breastfed Russell — and continued to open up about its ups and downs.

If you happen to or somebody you already know wants assist with psychological well being, please contact the Disaster Textual content Line by texting HOME to 741741, name the Nationwide Alliance on Psychological Sickness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or go to the Nationwide Institute of Psychological Well being web site.

Having a baby endure surgical procedure is tough sufficient, however Dylan Dreyer had two of her sons face medical procedures on the identical time. To make the state of affairs extra difficult, Calvin and Oliver’s surgical procedures passed off on the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Calvin needed to have his tonsils eliminated when he was 3, whereas Oliver was simply 6 months previous when he had his undisclosed process. “Again-to-back routine, however essential, surgical procedures for my boys!” Dreyer shared on Instagram.

They dealt with the procedures effectively, and Dreyer was blissful to place the ordeal behind her. “They’re house and on the mend and I am certain glad these previous few days are over,” she wrote. She was a wreck after, however her boys had been again to their previous selves very quickly. “To place each my 3 1/2 and 6-month-old via that was demanding, however children are simply wonderful,” she informed “Immediately.” “Calvin laughed via his COVID take a look at, and Ollie was smiling the entire time. Children simply deal with issues completely in another way than we do.”

Dreyer needed to accompany the boys to the hospital alone due to the pandemic restrictions, making for a endless day. Oliver was only a child, so she needed to haul the pump and all the pieces else alongside. “After which the diaper bag, and I am additionally carrying Oliver, and it was identical to attempting to hold all the pieces was demanding sufficient,” she stated. “After which post-surgery, attempting to hold him out delicately was so much.”

In October 2023, Dylan Dreyer and Brian Fichera stated goodbye to an excellent pal. Tim Wakefield’s dying got here as a shock to most, as the general public had been unaware he had mind most cancers till days earlier than. To make his dying much more tragic, the former Crimson Sox pitcher’s widow, Stacy (each seen above with Fichera), additionally died lower than 5 months later from pancreatic most cancers. “Heartbroken. A friendship I will cherish eternally and a household I will love eternally. Relaxation in peace Stacy. I miss you Timmy. Brianna and Trevor we love you,” Fichera captioned an Instagram put up, referring to the Wakefields’ kids.

Three months after Tim’s dying, Dreyer honored his reminiscence on social media. She had been collaborating within the Hilton Grand Holidays Event of Champions golf competitors when a particular second made her consider him.  “Just a few months in the past, we misplaced our pricey pal #timwakefield. They honored him along with his quantity on gap 18 at #hgvlpga. [Fichera] and I had tears in our eyes when my ball landed inside 10 ft from this tribute,” she shared along with her Instagram followers in January 2024. “We miss you on daily basis Wake!!”

Dreyer met Wakefield due to golf, so she continues to maintain his presence alive via the game. In July 2024, she had golf balls personalized with the quantity 49, which he had worn on his jersey. “Miss you and we’re fascinated by you guys up there!” she wrote on Instagram.