The Extraordinary Story of Cora from 'Meer dan verwacht': Overcoming Hardship with Hope
After years of failed attempts, painful disappointments, and intensive medical treatments, Cora Heemskerk – Van Tilburg from the program 'Meer dan verwacht' has finally found happiness. Alongside her husband, Floris van Tilburg, she shares her remarkable story in the new season of the series, hoping to inspire many who struggle with infertility.
Recently, Cora opened up in an emotional interview with De Telegraaf about the moment their greatest wish—to have a child—came true unexpectedly. What began as a break in their fertility journey ended in an unbelievable surprise: a monochorionic (identical) triplet pregnancy, a phenomenon so rare it almost cannot be believed.
An Exceptional Pregnancy after Years of Uncertainty
Cora and Floris’s desire for a child was put on hold for a long time. After many setbacks and treatments, they decided to let their bodies rest. Yet, against all odds, Cora became pregnant—not with one baby, not with two, but with three. As Cora shares: “You always hear these kinds of stories from the cousin of a neighbor, or someone even further removed. You never expect it to happen to yourself. The first thing I thought was: how is this possible? And how long will it last? The fact that I was pregnant with identical triplets, which is extremely rare and comes with significant risks, was overwhelming. But at the same time, I was super happy, because it proved I could get pregnant at all.”
The Hardest Decisions: Keeping Hope Alive in the Face of Disappointment
When Cora found out she was pregnant, Floris was at work. She went to the ultrasound with a friend and didn’t tell her husband until she was certain it was real. “We had so many setbacks on our journey to a baby that I only wanted to call Floris with good news this time. In total, we tried for four years to get pregnant.” Years of uncertainty and sadness made the happiness of this discovery all the more intense—though that joy was soon followed by worries about the risks of such a rare pregnancy.
A Grueling Journey: Hormones, Failures, and Physical Exhaustion
Cora’s road to motherhood was tough. She looks back on an intense period where she repeatedly pushed her boundaries. “It was a very hard time, with setback after setback. After eight failed IUI treatments and two IVF attempts, we thought pregnancy just wasn’t possible for us. There were fewer and fewer fertility options left, and physically it became harder for me—with so much medication and hormone injections. When we got another bad result in September 2023, we decided to let my body rest for a few months and temporarily stop treatment. A vacation in Mexico to simply enjoy ourselves was the plan.”
A Vacation as the Turning Point in Their Long Search for Happiness
During their vacation in Mexico, Cora and Floris decided to let go of everything: away from clinics, needles, and disappointments. In retrospect, the trip turned out to be a “fertility vacation,” because once home, Cora discovered she was pregnant. “That same day, I bought three little onesies and surprised Floris at home. He couldn’t believe it! But that’s when it really started, because then you’re told this is an extremely high-risk pregnancy since all three share one placenta. So really, it’s not a question of if something will go wrong, but when. Terminating the pregnancy was out of the question for us—we wanted to go for it one hundred percent. But those are not fun things to think about when you’re finally pregnant.”
A Fragile Dream Where Everything Is at Stake
Being pregnant with a monochorionic triplet—three babies sharing one placenta—is incredibly rare and brings serious risks. Yet Cora and Floris consciously chose to continue, despite the difficult road ahead. They knew it would be risky, but their longing to become parents at last gave them the strength to push through. Cora’s story shows how deep the desire for a child can go and how much resilience people can have, even when everything works against them.
Cora and Floris’s story is one of determination, vulnerability, and unshakeable hope in the face of adversity. It reminds us that miracles do happen, sometimes the moment you let go, and that out of the toughest journeys can come the greatest joy.
Source: https://streamzine.nl/het-zeldzame-verhaal-van-cora-uit-meer-dan-verwacht-vol-tegenslag-en-hoop/