BELOIT, Wis. — A Wisconsin woman, told she would likely never be able to have children of her own, refused to let that stop her from living her dream.

Vanessa Fitz said she’s full of gratitude every time she looks at her daughter, Lyla Rose. She gave birth to Lyla eight months ago.

“I sometimes can’t believe that she’s my daughter,” Fitz said. “Like, did I really go through all of that for her?”

Her journey to motherhood was difficult. Fitz has lupus, a condition when the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. 

She was first diagnosed at just 14 years old.

“Everything changed, like my body,” Fitz said. “I was a teenager. I didn’t like the way I looked, but I was able to get over it throughout the years.”

Within 10 years, lupus caused a serious heart and lung condition that makes it hard for her to breathe. At that time, doctors told her getting pregnant could cause major complications for her, or even death.

“It was kind of hard hearing that, them telling me that you’re better off not becoming a mom because you might not make it,” Fitz said.

She worked hard to get in the best health possible and happened to meet the love of her life. Eventually, she and her husband decided to ask her doctor if they could try to start a family.

“My doctor was like, ‘If you still want to try for a family, this is a good time for you to try for a family,’” Fitz said. “So, when he told me that, I couldn’t believe it. I was so happy.”

In 2023, she found out she was pregnant. But five months into the pregnancy, Fitz started having a hard time breathing.

“It was scary,” she said. “I had thoughts that I was not going to make it.”

Fitz spent more than two months—which was the rest of her pregnancy—in the hospital. She refused to give up hope.

Dr. Jacquelyn Adams, a maternal fetal medicine doctor at UW Health, was on the multi-disciplinary team of doctors who monitored Fitz and her baby around the clock.

“The goal from day number one was for us to try to work together and keep her as healthy as possible so that we could keep baby healthy, while also making sure that we sort of didn’t push too hard,” Dr. Adams said.

It was a true team effort. Dozens of experts from UW Health University Hospital, American Family Children’s Hospital and the UnityPoint Health - Meriter Hospital Center for Perinatal Care worked for weeks to keep Vanessa and her unborn baby girl alive.

It worked. Lyla Rose was born healthy, nearly two months early. Fitz also remained healthy through labor and a c-section.

After a few weeks in the NICU, Fitz got to bring Lyla home.

“Thank God she’s here,” she said. “That she made it, and I made it safe and we’re happy and blessed to be here enjoying her, being able to see her grow.”