On a summer morning, 41-year-old Hannah Kroll-Haeick woke from a vivid dream about her baby. This isn’t the first time, nor the last time, that she would wake from these dreams. The thing is, Hannah doesn’t have any children. 

“It's so real that I wake up and I miss the baby even though the baby doesn't even exist, it's a dream,” said Hannah.

Hannah had always wanted children, until she was around the age of 25. She’d been working in childcare, including overnight nannying, and she was getting burned out. While she loved caring for other people’s babies, she felt she wasn’t ready to have her own.

“I think it's super important for people to not just have babies because society tells them it's the right time,” shared Hannah. 

It wasn’t until about a year ago that Hannah’s desire to have her own children returned. 41 years old at the time, Hannah gave herself one year to be absolutely sure that she wanted to pursue this path. Between continuous, vivid dreams of her own baby, to the strong feeling of readiness she had, Hannah began her journey to motherhood.

“I just feel ready now, and it kind of stinks because my mind and brain and soul are ready, but I'm worried that my body's not,” explained Hannah. “They say fertility declines with age, especially in your 40s”

Hannah knows that even though her age may be against her, her dream is not impossible. However, because of the potential risks involved, Hannah wanted to consult with an OB-GYN. Through an online search she came across Neighborhood Health Center Blasdell and made an appointment to see Dr. Camille Gutierrez. When Hannah came in for her first appointment, her pelvic ultrasound showed that she had an endometrial polyp, which can negatively affect implantation required for pregnancy, and a cyst on her left ovary. 

Instead of discouraging her plans for pregnancy, Dr. Gutierrez has been cheering Hannah on. Dr. Gutierrez was honest with her in saying that, if Hannah wanted to try to get pregnant, it would be best they do surgery to remove the polyp and cyst. Weeks later, Dr. Gutierrez performed this surgery for Hannah.

“I appreciate her bedside manner, her kindness and optimism, and self-confidence,” said Hannah, about Dr. Gutierrez.

In addition to the optimism that Dr. Gutierrez provided Hannah in her journey, she also uniquely has been able to provide Hannah with care in the language she loves, Spanish. 

“I messaged her on the patient portal saying, ‘I've been meaning to ask you, do you by chance speak Spanish?’ And she wrote back and said yes,” said . 

Following this exchange, when Dr. Gutierrez came in to talk to Hannah for her surgery, she automatically just started speaking in Spanish. Hannah notes the positive feelings that came from this interaction, that Dr. Gutierrez remembered their conversation and followed through with the care that Hannah was looking for. 

Now recovered from surgery, Hannah continues to partner with Dr. Gutierrez on her journey to pregnancy. She still loves caring for other people’s babies and continues to work with children today as a Spanish and Russian language teacher in Hamburg.

[pictured is Hannah with her nieces and nephews.]