"I love her so much. Every time I look at her, sometimes I find myself just staring at her. It's amazing," the father said.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on November 22, 2021. It has since been updated.
Susie and Tony Troxler got married a little later in life, in 2008, but they always knew they wanted to start a family of their own one day. They had "just assumed we would get pregnant like most people," the 50-year-old woman told WFMY News.
But then "one year turned into two, then three, and we were doing so many things that we honestly didn't notice it at first," said Susie. "But when it got to be nine, 10, 11 years, we were like, something is up, and we're not sure what it is," she continued.
So, in a bid to find out what was wrong, the Troxlers started visiting fertility specialists, given how they had a few health complications. "I had a boatload of uterine fibroids," Susie said. "I was too old, and Tony had some medical issues.
That's when they realized that most doctors wouldn't even try to help a 50-year-old woman conceive, particularly with the couple's preexisting health conditions. "between the two of us, there was not going to be a baby," she added.
Susie and Tony Troxler shared their decades-long fertility journey and the miracle birth of their baby girl.https://t.co/CUQy5r3Tdl
— WTHR.com (@WTHRcom) November 18, 2021
Most of the doctors she came across were nice to the couple, but the answer was always the same. "They always said it nicely, but bottom line, when you take away all of the official medical jargon, it was a no! They said, 'it's not happening, so you're going to need a whole lot of help,'" she added.
But the couple —both of whom worked in the medical field— were just not willing to give it all up, and so they kept looking until they finally found an OB-GYN, Dr. Carolyn Harraway-Smith, who was willing to help. "And that was the beginning of everything," Susie said.
Under Harraway-Smith's guidance, Susie first underwent surgery in 2019 to have her fibroids removed. They got the egg retrieval done in 2020 and planned to start their IVF the same year, but the pandemic put a dent in their plans. However, once they started implanting the fertilized eggs, the first few times turned out to be disappointing. There was the last embryo left, which they held on to in the hope that it would work.
"None of that worked, and we were down to our last embryo," Susie said. But in February, she learned she was pregnant. "They bring me into the ultrasound, and the first thing they said was, 'Oh, she's moving!' And she was a teeny little thing in there! But I was like, 'Yes!' " Susie said.
Finally, after waiting for what seemed like forever to become parents, the Troxlers welcomed their daughter, Lily Antonia Troxler, weighing 5 lb. 12 oz, on September 29, 2021. "Before she was even born, she had me wrapped around her pinky," Tony said. "I love her so much. Every time I look at her, sometimes I find myself just staring at her. It's amazing!"
The first-time parents are beyond thrilled to have their beautiful daughter, even though parenting comes with its challenges. "We are thrilled. Sleep-deprived, but totally beyond worth it," Susie said. "She really is the miracle baby."
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Cover Image Source (Representative): Getty Images | fotostorm
