Nina & Charlie

Nina & Charlie's Story:

My husband and I had been trying to have a baby since we married in 2014. So it has been almost 7 years at the time I’m writing this! Wow!

Before we found CNY, we had 6 unsuccessful IUI’s done by other doctors in Maryland. When they weren’t changing any of their protocol, we began to wonder if there was something else out there. Not to mention they denied my IVF cycle due to my BMI. This was after they pushed us to buy all the meds for the IVF cycle. Being a plus-size woman battling infertility is a very hard place to be. I’ve had doctors tell me I should just give up and adopt.

Fast forward to me joining some IVF groups on social media and finding Tanya, an angel on earth. She told me about CNY and their judgment-free zone and supportive staff. I thought it was too good to be true. But I put my faith in them and made an appointment.

We went to Albany for our very first retrieval in August of 2018. Everyone was so amazing. They never made me feel like a plus-size woman.  They didn’t label me. They just made me feel welcome. They were out of this world!

In 2018, we continued to do three more retrievals and did five FETs. We were so hopeful when a couple of them took, but sadly all ended in early miscarriages.

We decided to go to Syracuse next. We met with Dr. Corley and Dr. Kiltz. I was star-struck. You will come to find that these are the most humble, down-to-earth men there are. They are truly here to help you in any way they can. We did two more retrievals and ended up with five embryos! We thought for sure it was going to work. But again, it didn’t.

I felt like a failure. I felt like my body was failing to do what it was meant to do! I had a phone call with Dr. Kiltz where I cried my eyes out and told him I felt like this was never going to happen for us. He assured me that was not the case. Dr. Kiltz changed my protocol to basically kill my immune system (I have an autoimmune disease). He told me I should try Keto to eliminate the inflammation associated with my endometriosis. I took vitamins and the medications that he recommended. I planned to do this for three months, and then to do another FET.

But...we had a surprise coming that we couldn't believe with our own eyes! I was PREGNANT!!!!

I think I bought out the local Walgreens of pregnancy tests because there was no way this could happen. After seven years?? No way. But it was true. With Dr. Kiltz’s direction, I had a miracle growing inside me.

My pregnancy was wonderful, easy, and without complication. I gave birth to our beautiful son on December 12, 2021. He’s our everything.

Due to complications with my endometriosis, after I had my son, I knew I would need a hysterectomy. It wasn’t life-threatening, but it would dramatically improve my quality of life.

Now the thing is, we still have four sweet embryos frozen at CNY. People say, “Why does it matter? You already have a baby! You should be grateful!” And boy, are we. But we would love a sibling for our son.

So here we are! Back at it. We are starting our journey once again. We're excited, nervous, and hopeful! We plan to do a FET in the upcoming months. We must lift each other during these hard times and keep the faith that our miracles will happen! If anyone can make our dreams a reality, it’s CNY!

Favorite Team Member at CNY:

Dr. Kiltz
Dr. Corley
Ashleigh
Everyone!!!

Helpful resources Nina & Charlie found:

Journaling
Support groups

Unique Moments:

I’m not sure I could ever put that moment into words. Utter disbelief!! I cried and cried. It’s not very often that someone can say their dreams came true, but it certainly did for us!

Hope, Inspiration and Advice:

You have to try and keep the faith. Even in those stormy days, you have to know that the sun will shine again. Give yourself grace. You’re allowed to be mad! But pull yourself up and keep focusing on your dreams.