An elementary school teacher from Georgia is celebrating the arrival of her first child at 41, after a long fertility journey that tested her health and faith. Tamica Brown and her husband, Ted, welcomed their daughter, Tamia Janae, on July 23, 2026.
Speaking to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Brown said motherhood still feels unreal. “I’m really somebody’s mama,” she said.
The couple had always wanted a family, but the timeline kept shifting. They married later than expected, and just as they began making plans, the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to delay.
When they finally started trying, a natural pregnancy did not come, and they turned to IVF. Brown described the process as far more demanding than she imagined, with each round of egg retrieval involving injections, clinic appointments, ultrasounds and blood work.
“It felt like every time you cleared one hurdle, there was another one waiting for you,” she said. At times, she admitted, she wondered if it would ever happen.
Midway through treatment, Brown was hospitalised after being diagnosed with severe pernicious anaemia and a B12 deficiency. Managing her health while pursuing fertility treatment was a heavy strain, made harder by watching people around her announce pregnancies. She recalled asking God, “OK God, but what about me?”
Now two months old, Tamia has already shown her personality. Brown said the baby will let you know when she wants something, adding with a laugh that she is happy to take the tiredness that comes with it.
Brown has also entered her daughter in the 2026 Baby of the Year competition, a partnership between the organisers and the nonprofit Baby2Baby. The winner receives KSh 3.2 million and a feature in Variety magazine. She says she did not expect much, but was surprised by the support from people following her journey online.
“She was already so loved and wanted before she got here,” Brown said, “and now she has this whole little cheering section around her.”