According to a national CDC survey, 1 in 8 couples in the U.S. has trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy. Raquel Horn was one of them. That is why Damon Dash’s fiancée is on a mission to raise awareness regarding infertility.
The Poppington creative director sat down with Forbes magazine to talk about her own personal journey to become a mother.
The new mom commented on Instagram regarding the interview: “Thank you @forbes & @jennjaypal for the thoughtful write up on #nationalinfertilityawarenessweek, @healthiswealthnetwork season 3 and @damedashstudios. Such an honor and I feel so proud to use my platform to speak on topics like these, and have the conversations we need to make more mainstream.”
Horn’s journey to become Dusko’s mother was not an easy one. She went from IVF to late-term pregnancy loss, struggling with her infertility journey for many years before giving birth to her little boy.
“When I first started trying to have a baby, I didn’t think it would be an issue, you know; Puerto Rican family, Grandma’s got nine siblings, my mom had no issues,” Horn told Forbes. “Plus, I was focused on my career, so that made having a kid placed on the back burner.”
She goes on to say in the interview that, “After some treatment with my OB/GYN, we opted to see a fertility clinic.”
Unfortunately, after a cycle of insemination treatments that weren’t successful, the couple pursued in-vitro fertilization (IVF). One of the two viable embryos resulted in a pregnancy. However, Horn lost the baby at seven and a half months.
“It was the most traumatic experience I have ever had to go through,” she told the magazine. “I am fortunate to have such a dedicated partner. He had taken away my phone, deleted all my baby apps, removed every baby item from the house, and eliminated as many triggers as possible. I’m eternally grateful.”
After some time had passed, Horn and Dash decided to try again with the one last frozen embryo. Miraculously, they now have their 6-month son.
As a result of her experience, Horn realized that she could use her platform to help and inspire other women who are in the same situation. She wanted to make sure that they knew that they are not alone.
“Knowing what to share and what not to share – just being around Damon, who is an open book and is about everything. I was so open about my pregnancy that I had to share the whole experience. You get so much back when you do. Many people reached out, and you quickly realize that you’re not the only one going through this.”
According to the CDC, eight percent of Black women between 25-44 have to seek medical help to become pregnant. This week, April 18th-April 24th, is National Infertility Week. To learn more about infertility and to get involved in the conversation, click here.
Congratulations, Raquel and Damon. Dusko is beautiful!
