AUSTIN (KXAN) — The sound of children’s laughter filled the air at Pecan Springs Ranch as families came together for the Texas Fertility Center’s 38th annual baby reunion. This event brings together hundreds of families who have faced the challenges of infertility. Among the attendees were Kara and Nathan Gaskey, who were holding their newborn daughter, Penelope, a child they once feared might never come into their lives.
“We decided a few years ago that we wanted to start trying to have kids,” Kara shared. “But it didn’t come very easily.”
A Long Road to Parenthood
After trying to conceive on their own, the couple was referred by their OBGYN to Texas Fertility Center, where they became patients in 2024. Diagnostic testing did not provide clear answers, leading to a diagnosis of unexplained infertility, a term that can be particularly frustrating for hopeful parents.
Infertility rates are rising, and experts suggest that early fertility education could help. “You know, just like anxiety, like is it going to work this time?” Nathan said about the early treatments. “You have to wait like a month to even find out if anything’s happening.”
The couple started with intrauterine insemination, undergoing multiple rounds without success. Each cycle brought renewed hope and heartbreak. “There was a lot of sadness leading up to our final decision to do IVF,” Kara said.
Trying, Waiting and Trying Again
IVF felt like a leap of faith, both emotionally and financially, but one they ultimately felt prepared to take with the support of their care team. “They definitely helped us feel less anxious, just answering questions about what was going to happen and how it would go,” Nathan said.
The results exceeded expectations. Doctors retrieved more eggs than anticipated, several of which were successfully fertilized, and Penelope was among the embryos created during that cycle. Her transfer took place in December 2024. She was born in September 2025.
“We were really, really lucky to have success on our first go around all the way around,” Kara said. “We felt really lucky at the end of it all.”
Now, standing among hundreds of families with similar stories, the magnitude of the journey is impossible to ignore. “It’s amazing how many people experience that,” Kara said. “So many times when I tell the story, people either know somebody or people are like, ‘Oh, me too.’”
Nathan reflected most on the timing of it all. “We’re just lucky, I guess, to be alive when this is possible, you know,” he said. “Because 100 years ago, we probably shouldn’t have a kid.”
Surrounded by Families Who Understand
The annual reunion, part celebration and part reflection, marked the 38th year Texas Fertility Center has hosted the event. Medical Director Dr. Kaylen Silverberg said it’s one of the most meaningful days of the year for his staff.
“This is like Christmas and Hanukkah and Kwanza all rolled into one day,” Silverberg said. “Everybody here is a superstar for what they’ve had to go through and what they’ve preserved.”
More than 1,000 people RSVP each year, with families traveling from across the country to attend. For Silverberg and his team, seeing patients return as parents is a reminder of why the work matters.
“We knew these parents when they came in before they were families,” he said. “And we know how badly they wanted to be a family.”
Beyond the bounce houses, petting zoo and snow cones, the reunion also works to normalize conversations around infertility, a topic still often kept quiet.
“I love that it kind of makes it more normal, because it can be seen as such a taboo topic,” Kara said. “Just seeing all these happy families and cute little kids and just knowing how wanted each of them was… is pretty amazing.”
Worth the Wait
As infertility awareness month continues, the Gaskeys said their message to others is to just start the process. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Kara said. “That’s a big part of it.”
Nathan echoed that advice. “If you’re struggling, don’t struggle alone,” he said.
Now, with Penelope in their arms and a community around them, the couple says the journey, with all its uncertainty, was worth it. “It was worth the wait,” Kara said.
