New York Post 
It was a Christmas miracle.
After six years of grueling IVF treatments, 52-year-old Luise Hoehn was thrilled to welcome her son Stellan into the world on Christmas day.
Hoehn and her husband Dean Biele, 47, had been trying for a baby for years, spending $200,000 on egg donors and IVF treatments.
Now, they say they’re going to do it all again for a second baby.
The Massachusetts couple first met in 2007 when Hoehn was 37, starting their family journey later than most couples.
Hoehn, who turns 53 in May, first tried for a baby when she was 46 and was told by many fertility clinics she was too old, but persevered until she found a clinic that would help. However, they didn’t take her insurance due to her age.
“When I was 42, my doctor asked if I wanted to talk to an IVF specialist,” Hoehn recalled to Caters, admitting she was “naïve” about how difficult it would be to fall pregnant. “It had never occurred to me to freeze my eggs and I believed it would happen naturally, so I said no.”
When she lost her period at 46, it “scared her” that she could be menopausal and no longer able to conceive naturally, so she decided to try for a child.
The couple, who married in Feb. 2017, had their first consultation with an IVF expert in 2016 when the hopeful mom-to-be was told her best option was using donor eggs. However, she insisted on using her own, undergoing her first IVF treatment in March 2017.
Sadly, it failed as did two other rounds following that, prompting the couple to try at another clinic in Manhattan, which resulted in four failed retrievals between March 2017 and June 2018.
“My husband’s insurance paid for the first round and half the second round,” Hoehn recalled. “After that, we are fortunate that Dean has a job that afforded us the opportunity to keep trying.”
In 2019, the couple decided to try an egg donor — locking in their ideal donor in 2021, with Hoehn excitedly saying they were so similar they could be siblings.
“She matches me perfectly,” she added. “She was an ideal match for what I was looking for as my stand-in for my genetic half.”
The first embryo was transplanted in May 2022 — with Hoehn having a positive pregnancy test eight days later. Despite their excitement, the couple was cautious about telling people they were expecting in case something went awry.
Thankfully, her pregnancy was smooth and Stellan was born at 35 weeks via Cesarean, weighing 4lb 15oz.
“He’s so calm and peaceful,” the new mom gushed. “We are slowly finding our feet as a family of three.”
Despite being older parents than most, the new parents believe they’ll be wiser parents than they would have been if they’d had children younger.
“Some of my friends are grandparents. We are just starting, but there’s something to be said for life experience,” Hoehn pointed out. “I am confident in what I can do and our choices in how we will raise a child.”
The happy couple hopes to add another child to their family by the end of the year and plan to donate any spare eggs. They encourage anyone who wants to be a mother not to give up.
“We paid more for IVF than we did for our house, but becoming parents is priceless,” she said. “He is the love of our lives and he is the best decision we have ever made.”
This article was originally posted by The New York Post.
