Emilia Bechrakis Serhant and her husband Ryan Serhant waited almost three years until their first child, daughter Zena, was born in February. Now, the Million Dollar Listing New York star is detailing her difficult fertility journey and her experiences with IVF in her upcoming children’s book, To the Moon and Back for You.
“Although everyone’s journey to motherhood is different, we all share the same yearning, the same hope and the same pleading prayer that, in the end, we will meet our healthy baby,” Bechrakis Serhant, 34, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement about the picture book, which will published in March 2020 by Random House Books for Young Readers.
“This book is for families in the IVF community and any woman who feels like a mother even before holding her child for the first time,” she continues. “It’s for the mothers who have longed for a baby, who have suffered loss or who have struggled in one way or another to have a child of their own. I want families to enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it and to never feel alone in telling their unique story.”
Illustrated by EG Keller, the book features families of all backgrounds who “traverse abstract landscapes to find their miracle baby,” according to the press release. Lawyer-turned-star Bechrakis Serhant wants to inspire parents and their children with To the Moon and Back for You, which, at its core, is a story of hope.
“I swam through the deepest ocean. I climbed the tallest mountain,” she writes in the book. “Finding you was a journey. And meeting you was my greatest joy.”
When Zena, now 7 months old, was first born, her parents took to Instagram to express their joy — and reveal how hard their journey had been.
“Your momma and I have waited almost 3 years to meet you,” Serhant, 35, wrote in March, next to a photo of their new family of three. “We had no idea how difficult getting pregnant with you was going to be. We tried everything. We were so nervous you might never come. When we finally decided to try IVF, we were so scared it wouldn’t work. And then you stuck. And then we heard your little heartbeat for the first time.”
Toward the end of the post, he wrote to Zena, “One day when you read this, I hope you can look back and be proud. And please go and give your Mom a BIG kiss because she’s a true warrior, a fighter with the biggest heart, and the Queen of my world. Seriously – one day we will tell you about all the shots, the pain, the sickness, and what birth was like for your Mom on Tuesday the 26th – it was insane! We love you now and forever, our new, beautiful, little puff.”
Bechrakis Serhant also wrote about her fears and love for her new baby.
“I have waited to exhale for months,” she wrote on March 3. “It took a long, painful journey to meet you. From the first time we heard your heart beating, I instantly wanted to cocoon you and protect you from the world.”
She added: “Now that you’re finally here, and I get to stare into your eyes, to smell your skin, to hold you, my heart is bursting…”
It’s this love that is captured in the picture book.
“This incredibly moving and deeply personal story will touch the hearts of readers who’ve shared similar struggles on the road to parenthood,” said senior executive editor Sara Sargent. “Emilia beautifully captures both the heartbreak and the joy of her journey to become a mother and in doing so has created a book that will be read and cherished by many.”
To the Moon and Back for You is out in March 2020.
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