At Barnes & Noble in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square, a local nurse shared her mission to celebrate IVF families with an inclusive book.

Laura Austin, author of Stardust Babies: An IVF Tale of Love and Hope, at a book reading at Barnes & Noble in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square. Photo credit: Melissa Cole

By Melissa Cole

“In a world filled with colors, shapes and sizes; babies are born from stars themselves. But how do they come to be? Let me tell you the magical story of how each little star finds its way to Earth.”

That’s the opening line of a new children’s book, “Stardust Babies: An IVF Tale of Love and Hope,” written by registered nurse Laura Austin. She knows the IVF process well, having worked for more than a decade at the Center for Advanced Reproductive Services (CARS) in Farmington, where she has helped thousands of families through the journey.

Laura Austin, author of Stardust Babies: An IVF Tale of Love and Hope, at a book reading at Barnes & Noble in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square. Photo credit: Melissa Cole

“I’ve met so many families. I always gave them a pep talk because it’s a lot. You just don’t wish upon a star and all of a sudden, you know, there’s your little one. It takes some time. It’s hard, so I would sit there and encourage them.”

Austin went on to say that between the hormones and the endless appointments, some bringing good news and others bringing heartbreak, the entire process is emotionally and physically taxing.

“You have to help everybody through those things and explain that all of this is normal. But these children have no idea what families, you know, what parents went through to get to that point. So we always kind of joked that I would write this book.”

And so she did it. She wrote a book so children could understand what their parents did to bring them into the world. From first words to publication, Stardust Babies took her about two years. The pages are filled with beautiful illustrations that celebrate all the different ways that make up a family.

Illustration inside Stardust Babies. Photo credit: Melissa Cole

“You know, they didn’t really have anything out there that talks about how you come to be that is all inclusive. Whether you come from a traditional family of a mother and father, if you come from two mommies, two daddies, if you have a single dedicated parent, someone might have a surrogate. This kind of brings everything full circle.”

Starburst Babies is appropriate for the littlest ones through preteens. One line in the book reads, “IVF is a magical adventure where a very special body gets a little extra help to make lots of eggs.” With a bit of science sprinkled throughout, parents can use their discretion in deciding how much they want to share with their children.

“I think it’s a way to open up conversations with the families because every story is unique. Which is what I want them to take from this and say, you know, I’m special. And this is one of the reasons why I’m special.”

Laura Austin, author of Stardust Babies: An IVF Tale of Love and Hope, at a book reading at Barnes & Noble in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square. Photo credit: Melissa Cole

Austin’s own children are now young adults, but her journey to motherhood also helped inspire the book.

“I had a lot of problems with fertility. Back when I was trying to get pregnant they didn’t have anything like this. And if they did, it was not something I could ever even think about. I had three miscarriages before I had my first one. And it took five years for me to get pregnant with the first one, and five years to get pregnant with the second one. So I feel like, even though I didn’t go through IVF, I still had those fertility issues. I still understood what it meant to want something, and look around and see everyone pregnant or another person that’s got a beautiful baby. This is what I want, and why can’t I have that? So I can really really relate to that.”

Families who Austin helped at CARS came to support her. Photo credit: Melissa Cole

Austin read her book aloud at storytime on Saturday morning at Barnes & Noble in West JaBlue Back Square and was absolutely delighted to be welcomed by many of the families she helped over the years at CARS. She was greeted with lots of smiles and hugs.

“Because they’re the reason I wrote this book. I mean this is really dedicated to all of the families that touched me. That gave me strength to keep telling other people to keep on going. “

After years in reproductive care, this nurse has shifted gears and is now using her skills to support women in a different way.

“I’m now in gynecologic oncology helping women who are going through a tough time in their lives. I feel like it’s really important to encourage women that you’ve got this. We’re here to help you. It takes a village”

You can find Stardust Babies on Amazon, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble.

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