Michelle Wie West welcomed her second baby, Jagger, on October 19. After the announcement post, the LPGA icon shared snippets from a year-long journey to motherhood. West posted a picture of taking a shot on October 23, the clip net shows her baby bump. Finally, the last picture is of West holding her baby. 

Reflecting on her difficult journey, West wrote, “Wish I could go back in time and tell myself that everything will be ok. It took a whole team for Jagger to be here and I couldn’t be more grateful. Thinking about everyone going through loss and infertility struggles right now and wishing for everyone’s happy endings to their journeys.”

The 35-year-old former golfer underwent IVF to have her second baby, Jagger Jerry YooJun West. His middle name pays tribute to the late NBA legend and West’s father-in-law, Jerry West. The process of IVF is itself difficult and uncertain. The chances of holding a baby in your hand after IVF decrease with age. West’s comments hint there was some worry after starting the procedure. 

According to a report on CCRM Fertility, going through infertility and IVF crops up new mental health problems as well. Depression and anxiety are common among persons undergoing IVF. So, after West recounted her experience, support poured in from all corners of the world.

Michelle Wie West becomes an inspiration to fans

According to a report on the IVF Center, the success rate of IVF among 35-37-year-olds is 40.5%. However, IVF is still the only hope for approximately 9% of married women aged 15 to 49 who experience some form of infertility. Naturally, for countless couples, Michelle Wie West will serve as an inspiration. “About to start this journey, love to see the success stories. Congrats!” wrote one user. 

For others who have already undergone IVF, it’s a struggle they can relate to. “My wife and I have two IVF daughters. Such a difficult journey but an amazing reward,” one of them commented. 

Kira K. Dixon, an NBC host, commented, “Love you my girl.” West and Dixon regularly interact on social media on each other’s posts. They also appeared in the same podcast ‘Girls N Golf’ in December 2020. The former US Women’s Open champion replied to Dixon’s comment, “Thanks for being the best support group.”

Interestingly, some already started speculating on the kid’s future. West’s firstborn, Makenna, takes some interest in golf. Fans believe Jagger would either take on his mother or grandfather, Jerry West. West, a 14-time NBA All-Star, is widely regarded as one of the best to ever play the game. “Basketball or golf in this kids (sic!) future,” one user wrote.

West retired from professional golf after the 2023 US Women’s Open. Actually, she never had plans to continue after becoming a mother. “I never saw myself playing either pregnant or after I had a kid,” the five-time LPGA Tour winner told CNN a few years ago. 

West burst into the scene at the age of 10, and like Lexi Thompson and Lydia Ko, spent her formative years in front of the cameras as a rising star. That threw her into plenty of criticism for not meeting the expectations in the later stage of her career. In her fans’ eyes, however, West is still the no.1 golfer. One of them commented, “So happy for the best female golfer ever.”

Speaking about motherhood, West once said, “Literally in a second, nothing is about you anymore.” Although she talked about motherhood, that comment does apply to parenthood in general as well. Two persons in the PGA Tour can somewhat relate to it. 

Aside from the fans, PGA Tour pros, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler also liked the post. Thomas is going to be a father likely in November. Whereas, Fowler welcomed his second daughter in August. Her former colleagues in the LPGA Tour, Lilia Vu, and Nelly Korda also liked the post.