Mary Bonnet got pregnant at 16. Years later, she was told it was a miracle baby.

This article deals with pregnancy loss.

When Mary Bonnet fell pregnant at 15, she felt the eyes of everyone in her Indiana town on her.

At 16, the star of Netflix reality show Selling Sunset gave birth to Austin, now 27. At the time, it wasn't easy, recalled Bonnet in an interview with US magazine, telling the publication she was "shunned" by members of the community in which she grew up.

"Every place I went, I was a baby with a baby, and I was judged," she told the publication.

Watch: Selling Sunset Season 8 official trailer. Article continues after the video.

"It was really hurtful [but] because of that, I'm able to deal with the criticism we get on the show. I didn't know at the time that that was setting me up and thickening my skin."

But, she said, things "happen for a reason", and it turns out, that reason was even more powerful than she once thought — something she would discover almost two decades later.

The pain of miscarriage.

At 42, Bonnet felt the time was right for her and new husband, 30-year-old Romain Bonnet, to have a baby of their own. "I was finally in the right place — financially and emotionally — and with the right person to have another baby," she told Women's Health magazine. 

When she fell pregnant, she thought it was meant to be. Despite having had a miscarriage previously, she didn't allow herself to consider the possibility that something might go wrong.

The couple found out Bonnet was pregnant after their Bali honeymoon and were "so excited". But at their nine week ultrasound, they received the news that their much-wanted pregnancy wasn't viable.

Bonnet recognised the look on the sonographer's face immediately, she said — she'd seen it before. But her heart broke for Romain, as this was his first experience of pregnancy.

There hadn't been any growth since the last appointment, the technician explained, and there was no heartbeat. She went to get the doctor, who confirmed their worst fears. 

"A miscarriage feels like all your hopes and dreams for the future have been stripped away," Bonnet told Women's Health. 

"You know there are possibilities of trying again, but in that moment, everything just feels horrible. Of course, Romain was so supportive, and that made a huge difference."

A prior miscarriage had been the beginning of the end for Bonnet's previous marriage; but, she said, this time was different, and the tragic experience brought the couple closer.

Mary and Romain Bonnet. Image: Getty.

'I couldn't stop shaking.'

Although Bonnet was scheduled for dilation and curettage (D&C), a surgery to remove tissue from the uterus, she miscarried naturally before the procedure could take place. 

The following week, the star became violently ill. She had chills and couldn't stop shaking, and by the end of the day, her eyes were rolling into the back of her head, she said. She was also experiencing extreme fever symptoms. 

She eventually discovered her body hadn't expelled all of the foetal tissue from her uterus, and was experiencing a uterine infection know as a septic pregnancy.

This miscarriage was just one of several devastating fertility blows for Bonnet, who has gone through IVF and embryo freezing, in an attempt to have a second child.

Discovering the truth. 

When Bonnet was offered a free Prevuno full-body scan — a comprehensive scan the assesses your entire body for potential medical issues — she thought "Why not?"

"I just thought it was a really cool idea, but I didn't expect anything," she told Women's Health. She certainly didn't expect to find out exactly what had been preventing her from having another child.

The scan revealed the presence of a septum in Bonnet's uterus — an extremely rare condition making pregnancy almost impossible. 

Essentially, a septum is a barrier that divides two things, like the one found in between the nostrils. Having a septum in your uterus is problematic for two reasons: if the embryo attaches to it, it won't be able to grow. And if it attaches to the wall of the uterus, it is unlikely to have enough room to grow, due to the presence of the septum.

Incredibly, the septum in Bonnet's uterus had been present since she was born, making the birth of her first baby, Austin, a near-miracle. 

"I was 16 when I had him, and not only was my body all pliable and perfect at 16, but the doctors said he must have grown in the widest part of my uterus — where my body was able to expand more," she said.

"All the stars must have aligned. My son was a miracle."

To have another baby in the future, Bonnet explained that she will need to have uterine surgery. But she'll need to determine whether or not she has any healthy embryos left first.

Had she known about the septum 20 years earlier, Bonnet could have had the surgery at a time when falling pregnant was more likely. "When I first did IVF, the outcome could have been completely different," she said.  "My eggs are much older now. I'm frustrated with how much money and time we've spent."

Since finding out about her condition, Bonnet, 44, has become vocal about women getting to know their bodies, and a proponent of full body scans.

"It's become a passion of mine to raise awareness for women's issues," she told Us Weekly, adding, "The reason why I'm speaking out now… is because I do realise how common this is and how many people go through this."

"You have to be an advocate for your own health, because no one else is going to do it for you," she told Women's Health. "You have to be an advocate for yourself and keep getting the answers."

Feature image: Instagram/@themarybonnet.