THEN & NOW
#BEADSFORBABY 2.0 Written by Elizabeth Muster • Photo by Jamie Alexander
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hen I interviewed Jackie and Zach Smith in the spring of 2016, they were raising money for egg donation and IVF (in vitro fertilization) in order to have a baby. Jackie’s jewelry-making hobby had become a side business, selling items in local boutiques, on Etsy, and through social media to raise money for the high costs. Five years later they are parents to two precious girls, and Jackie’s #beadsforbaby campaign has become her career. The Smiths’ infertility journey began when Jackie was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure at age 29. With only a 5% chance of ovulating and a strong desire to carry a child, Jackie searched for an egg donor. While reconnecting with a sorority sister on Facebook, Jackie found someone willing and able. “I thought choosing an egg donor was choosing my replacement,” she explains. “Turns out, I was choosing a soul sister and a friend. I was choosing family.” After two unsuccessful egg transfers in 2016, Jackie became pregnant in January 2017. She recalls, “In the grand scheme of things, our process went pretty quickly. When you're in the middle of it, though, it seems like a lifetime.” Every time, Jackie agonized over the two-week wait between the procedure and
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the bloodwork. For the first two transfers, a line would appear on a home pregnancy kit, and then it and the Smiths’ hopes would fade away as the appointment drew nearer. The third time, the line grew darker each day, the bloodwork confirmed a viable pregnancy, and Channing Michelle Smith was born on September 30, 2017. Jackie’s mother, Shelley Schmitt, says what a blessing it has been to see her daughter become a mother. “Watching her plow forward with all the obstacles makes our love and appreciation for these babies even stronger. But even more so I saw a side of my daughter I somehow missed, and I’m just in awe of her!” After Channing was born, the Smiths moved into Shelley’s neighborhood. The proud grandmother only has to travel six doors down! In 2020, Zach and Jackie decided they wanted Channing to have a sibling, someone who could share her story and her genetics. Jackie explains, “Our longing was just as strong, but the cost was less, our lives were busier with a toddler, and we felt more confident in what needed to be done to prepare my body.” This meant three shots a day for the first ten weeks of pregnancy, and then two shots a day until Sylvia Richey Smith was born on May 3, 2021. As the Smiths’ family grew, so did Jackie’s jewelry business. Three more women joined Jackie’s team to help with marketing and creating. In January 2020, they launched their website jackiebluehandmade. com. This streamlined the process of taking orders, so Jackie had more time to focus on the creative aspects.
