• Audrey Bolton and her husband Crawford struggled with infertility for 10 years
• Audrey always wanted to be a mother, and the couple eventually adopted two children: Camden Ivey, 6, and Emmy James, 2
• In January, Audrey found out she was pregnant and was due in November.
• Since then, she has talked about her infertility on TikTok in the hope of inspiring others

Audrey Bolton and her husband Crawford had just cleared out their attic of baby things.

After ten years of unexplained infertility, the North Carolina couple – who married in 2014 and had two adopted children – decided to “close their business” in January. But just a month after making that decision, Audrey began to feel unwell.

At first, the 34-year-old thought her symptoms were related to her Crohn’s disease, which was diagnosed nine months after her wedding. In 2019, she had about 46 centimeters of her small intestine removed. But as her condition worsened, Crawford, 33, advised her to take a pregnancy test as a precaution.

Audrey, who had taken Femara in 2017 – a drug designed to induce ovulation in infertile women – initially rejected Crawford’s suggestion because she thought pregnancy was unlikely.

“One night (in April), while he was playing with the kids in the living room, I went to the bathroom and saw the test on the counter,” Audrey tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I thought I’d do it quickly, just to calm myself down.”

When she looked at the test a few minutes later, her jaw dropped.

“I’ve done a lot of tests in the ten years I’ve been married, but none of them have come back positive so quickly. I just thought, ‘Oh my God.'”

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Shortly thereafter, the expectant mother set up her phone in the bathroom and called Crawford, pretending there was something wrong with the sink. When he entered the room, he saw Audrey holding up the positive test.

“He was as shocked as I was, especially because we had just talked about not trying anymore,” she says. “My doctor didn’t even consider it, and that’s the funny thing.”

Audrey eventually posted the video of her husband’s reaction to TikTok, where it received more than 1.3 million views. Since then, she has continued to speak openly about her fertility journey.

Although she had posted on social media before, Audrey never spoke publicly about her fertility issues; only those closest to her knew about them.

“I don’t necessarily regret not speaking out sooner, but it certainly makes me realize that we are not alone,” she says. “You come into contact with people every day who are fighting this battle, whether they are silent about it or open about it.”

“It’s heartbreaking to see how many people are suffering from infertility, but at the same time, the number of people who say, ‘You gave me hope’ or share their own stories of waiting 10, 15 or even 18 years for their miracle is incredible,” she adds. “The most important thing I want to tell people is that you just can’t give up hope.”

When Audrey and Crawford learned of their pregnancy, they shared the news with their children Camden Ivey (6) and Emmy James (2) and their extended families.

Her parents have always loved their grandchildren, but Audrey says the excitement is especially great this time because they have never been present at the birth of one of their grandchildren before.

“It’s exciting to think about whether this baby will look like me or Crawford, and it’s special that Crawford will be there for the birth since he couldn’t be in the delivery room with Emmy,” she adds. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to experience these moments together.”

When Audrey reflects on her fertility journey, she admits that her excitement when she first found out she was pregnant was accompanied by concern about whether her body would be able to handle it. She also mentions another challenge the couple faces: starting over after the baby phase is over.

They had started discussing travel plans and activities they couldn’t do when their children were younger. “And then it’s like, you start over and throw away all the baby stuff. Oh my gosh, are we really doing this?” she says.

But after her first doctor’s appointment, where she was able to discuss her medical history and its possible impact on the pregnancy, her fears subsided.

“Infertility is incredibly hard. And when you’re undergoing treatment, even simple treatment, a negative result can feel devastating. That’s why we shifted our focus to adoption,” she says.

“We originally wanted three children, but I remember talking to Crawford last year about how I didn’t think I could go through the adoption process again because of the emotional and psychological toll it would take. He agreed and said he was happy with our two children. We have a boy and a girl, and life is good.”

“When I heard the heartbeat at that appointment, I was even happier,” she adds. “Since then, I’ve been feeling really, really good. I’m amazed at what my body can do and I’m very grateful for that.”

In July, Audrey and Crawford announced on social media that they are expecting a baby girl in November. The couple has already picked out a name, which Audrey said is a mix of their names.

Her two older children have family names, so it was important that her newborn had one, too. Audrey says, “After we had our two children and agreed on family names, I thought, ‘Okay, we’re done with this.’ But then, bam, we had to start all over again.”