Dreaming of Becoming a Mother

Nerissa Hunter experienced numerous miscarriages before she turned to adoption. (Courtesy of Nerissa Hunter)

Nerissa Hunter wanted to become a mother ever since she was a young girl, and she wanted to have a big family. She held onto a red Cabbage Patch Kid, and she would travel everywhere with it as if it were her own child.

After Hunter married her husband, she became pregnant shortly thereafter in 2004. They told all of their friends and family, and Hunter was excited to become a mother. However, before her four-week appointment, she felt like something was off.

Hunter and her husband Derrick went to the appointment, and were excited to see their baby on the ultrasound. However, when they saw the technician’s face they knew something was wrong.

“The whole vibe in the room changed,” Hunter told The Epoch Times.

All they could see on the monitor was an empty sack. They were informed that Hunter had miscarried.

Coping With Loss

Hunter prayed in order to cope with such a tragic loss. She also found a support group, which helped her empathize with other women who had suffered a miscarriage.

Derrick was in the United States Air Force, and the couple moved to Belgium shortly after the miscarriage in June 2004.

A year later, Hunter became pregnant again. However, her lab tests were coming back abnormal, and the doctor discovered the fetus was growing in her fallopian tube.

Nerissa Hunter wanted to be a mother ever since she was a young child. (Courtesy of Nerissa Hunter)

Hunter’s fallopian tube ruptured, and she underwent emergency surgery to remove it. The doctors then told her that her chances of becoming pregnant again were about 25 percent.

Hunter began watching adoption stories on television, and began researching adoption. She then found an adoption agency in Minnesota that worked with military families.

One day, Hunter’s husband came home, and she told him that she wanted to adopt a baby. Initially, her husband was resistant to the idea of having a child that wasn’t biologically theirs. Ultimately, he became supportive of the idea.

A New Mother

After they began receiving paperwork from the adoption agency, they started to discuss which countries they might want to adopt from. They ended up deciding on Colombia because the country had many young babies, and their program was relatively affordable.

After the adoption agency approved their application, they sent the couple a photo of a 3-month-old baby boy who was up for adoption.

The couple travelled to Colombia in November 2006.

The Hunters adopted a young Colombian boy who they named Benicio. (Courtesy of Nerissa Hunter)

On Nov. 20, 2006 they saw the infant for the first time. He was dressed in turquoise blue sweatpants, and was wrapped in a blanket. They named the infant Benicio.

“He had the chubbiest cheeks,” Hunter recalled. “This baby was so beautiful.”

Three months after adopting Benicio, Hunter learned she was pregnant again. The doctors ran tests, and results came back normal. Considering Hunter had endured previous miscarriages, she and her husband prayed and relied on their support system at their church in order to maintain hope for this latest pregnancy.

A Big Family

Hunter gave birth to her first biological child on Oct. 1, 2007. They named the healthy newborn Christien.

“I was holding him, and cuddling him. It was a great feeling,” Hunter recalled.

The Hunter family. (Courtesy of Wurzbach Photography)

Benicio quickly took to Christien, and the two babies would sleep together. When the couple moved back to California, Hunter learned she was pregnant again. On July 4, 2010 Hunter gave birth to her second biological child who the couple named Naomi. Little did Hunter know that the kids would just keep on coming.

Hunter gave birth to her third child named Penelope on Jan. 15, 2015 and her fourth biological child named Genevie on July 11, 2017.

Hunter is now a happy mother of five, and also plans to adopt another child.

“I just feel like we’re blessed,” Hunter said.