diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/BuildHIR.ts b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/BuildHIR.ts
index 4873441441..253817287d 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/BuildHIR.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/BuildHIR.ts
@@ -1796,39 +1796,67 @@ function lowerMemberExpression(
 ): { object: Place; property: Place | string; value: InstructionValue } {
   const exprNode = expr.node;
   const exprLoc = exprNode.loc ?? GeneratedSource;
-  const object = lowerExpressionToTemporary(builder, expr.get("object"));
-  const property = expr.get("property");
+  const objectNode = expr.get("object");
+  const propertyNode = expr.get("property");
+  const object = lowerExpressionToTemporary(builder, objectNode);
+
+  if (
+    objectNode.isOptionalMemberExpression() &&
+    !expr.isOptionalMemberExpression()
+  ) {
+    // Babel's `isOptionalMemberExpression` indicates whether this property load itself
+    // is conditional (i.e. within an "optional chain"). This is different from the
+    // `optional` property, which is only true for property loads at the start of an
+    // optional chain. e.g. `a.b?.c.d` decomposes into
+    //   [0] MemberExpr          a.b;   // not in an optional chain
+    //   [1] OptionalMemberExpr [0]?.c
+    //   [2] OptionalMemberExpr [1].c
+    //   [3] OptionalMemberExpr [2].d
+    // We currently do not handle non-conditional loads from an optional memberexpr
+    // e.g. `(a?.b).c`
+    // See error.nonoptional-load-from-optional-memberexpr test fixture for details
+    builder.errors.push({
+      reason: `(BuildHIR::lowerMemberExpression) Handle optional chaining for non-optional member expr.`,
+      severity: ErrorSeverity.Todo,
+      nodePath: propertyNode,
+    });
+    return {
+      object,
+      property: propertyNode.toString(),
+      value: { kind: "UnsupportedNode", node: exprNode, loc: exprLoc },
+    };
+  }
   if (!expr.node.computed) {
-    if (!property.isIdentifier()) {
+    if (!propertyNode.isIdentifier()) {
       builder.errors.push({
-        reason: `(BuildHIR::lowerMemberExpression) Handle ${property.type} property`,
+        reason: `(BuildHIR::lowerMemberExpression) Handle ${propertyNode.type} property`,
         severity: ErrorSeverity.Todo,
-        nodePath: property,
+        nodePath: propertyNode,
       });
       return {
         object,
-        property: property.toString(),
+        property: propertyNode.toString(),
         value: { kind: "UnsupportedNode", node: exprNode, loc: exprLoc },
       };
     }
     const value: InstructionValue = {
       kind: "PropertyLoad",
       object: { ...object },
-      property: property.node.name,
+      property: propertyNode.node.name,
       loc: exprLoc,
       optional: expr.node.optional ?? false,
     };
-    return { object, property: property.node.name, value };
+    return { object, property: propertyNode.node.name, value };
   } else {
-    if (!property.isExpression()) {
+    if (!propertyNode.isExpression()) {
       builder.errors.push({
-        reason: `(BuildHIR::lowerMemberExpression) Expected Expression, got ${property.type} property`,
+        reason: `(BuildHIR::lowerMemberExpression) Expected Expression, got ${propertyNode.type} property`,
         severity: ErrorSeverity.InvalidInput,
-        nodePath: property,
+        nodePath: propertyNode,
       });
       return {
         object,
-        property: property.toString(),
+        property: propertyNode.toString(),
         value: {
           kind: "UnsupportedNode",
           node: exprNode,
@@ -1843,7 +1871,7 @@ function lowerMemberExpression(
         nodePath: expr,
       });
     }
-    const propertyPlace = lowerExpressionToTemporary(builder, property);
+    const propertyPlace = lowerExpressionToTemporary(builder, propertyNode);
     const value: InstructionValue = {
       kind: "ComputedLoad",
       object: { ...object },
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/CodegenReactiveFunction.ts b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/CodegenReactiveFunction.ts
index 05697c3a1b..0a8681a95f 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/CodegenReactiveFunction.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/CodegenReactiveFunction.ts
@@ -752,17 +752,22 @@ function codegenInstructionValue(
       break;
     }
     case "PropertyLoad": {
-      if (instrValue.optional) {
+      const object = codegenPlace(cx, instrValue.object);
+      // We currently only lower single chains of optional memberexpr.
+      // (See BuildHIR.ts for more detail.)
+      if (t.isOptionalMemberExpression(object) || instrValue.optional) {
         value = t.optionalMemberExpression(
-          codegenPlace(cx, instrValue.object),
+          object,
           t.identifier(instrValue.property),
           undefined,
-          true
+          instrValue.optional
         );
       } else {
         value = t.memberExpression(
-          codegenPlace(cx, instrValue.object),
-          t.identifier(instrValue.property)
+          object,
+          t.identifier(instrValue.property),
+          undefined,
+          instrValue.optional
         );
       }
       break;
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/error.nonoptional-load-from-optional-memberexpr.expect.md b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/error.nonoptional-load-from-optional-memberexpr.expect.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..42ff978268
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/error.nonoptional-load-from-optional-memberexpr.expect.md
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+
+## Input
+
+```javascript
+// Note that `a?.b.c` is semantically different from `(a?.b).c`
+// Here, 'props?.a` is an optional chain, and `.b` is an unconditional load
+// (nullthrows if a is nullish)
+
+function Component(props) {
+  let x = (props?.a).b;
+  return x;
+}
+
+```
+
+
+## Error
+
+```
+[ReactForget] TodoError: (BuildHIR::lowerMemberExpression) Handle optional chaining for non-optional member expr.
+  4 |
+  5 | function Component(props) {
+> 6 |   let x = (props?.a).b;
+    |                      ^
+  7 |   return x;
+  8 | }
+  9 |
+```
+          
+      
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/error.nonoptional-load-from-optional-memberexpr.js b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/error.nonoptional-load-from-optional-memberexpr.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..87579ff2b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/error.nonoptional-load-from-optional-memberexpr.js
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+// Note that `a?.b.c` is semantically different from `(a?.b).c`
+// Here, 'props?.a` is an optional chain, and `.b` is an unconditional load
+// (nullthrows if a is nullish)
+
+function Component(props) {
+  let x = (props?.a).b;
+  return x;
+}
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/nested-optional-member-expr.expect.md b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/nested-optional-member-expr.expect.md
index d2bb09a4f8..f7405a2052 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/nested-optional-member-expr.expect.md
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/nested-optional-member-expr.expect.md
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ function Component(props) {
   const c_0 = $[0] !== props.a;
   let t0;
   if (c_0) {
-    t0 = foo((props.a?.b).c.d);
+    t0 = foo(props.a?.b.c.d);
     $[0] = props.a;
     $[1] = t0;
   } else {
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/_bug.optional-chaining-memberexpr.expect.md b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/optional-member-expression-chain.expect.md
similarity index 86%
rename from compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/_bug.optional-chaining-memberexpr.expect.md
rename to compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/optional-member-expression-chain.expect.md
index b07e0c1380..5d0661286c 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/_bug.optional-chaining-memberexpr.expect.md
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/optional-member-expression-chain.expect.md
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 // We should codegen the correct member expressions
 function Component(props) {
   let x = props?.b.c;
-  let y = (props?.x).y;
+  let y = props?.b.c.d?.e.f.g?.h;
   return { x, y };
 }
 
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ function Component(props) {
 // We should codegen the correct member expressions
 function Component(props) {
   const $ = React.unstable_useMemoCache(3);
-  const x = (props?.b).c;
-  const y = (props?.x).y;
+  const x = props?.b.c;
+  const y = props?.b.c.d?.e.f.g?.h;
   const c_0 = $[0] !== x;
   const c_1 = $[1] !== y;
   let t0;
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/_bug.optional-chaining-memberexpr.js b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/optional-member-expression-chain.js
similarity index 84%
rename from compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/_bug.optional-chaining-memberexpr.js
rename to compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/optional-member-expression-chain.js
index b3e9a1c49b..568d059be8 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/_bug.optional-chaining-memberexpr.js
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/__tests__/fixtures/compiler/optional-member-expression-chain.js
@@ -2,6 +2,6 @@
 // We should codegen the correct member expressions
 function Component(props) {
   let x = props?.b.c;
-  let y = (props?.x).y;
+  let y = props?.b.c.d?.e.f.g?.h;
   return { x, y };
 }