It took a little bit of science, a whole lot of love and a trio of sisters to bring Emersyn Fieberg into the world this spring.
Elementary school teacher Jaclyn Fieberg, 38, of Katonah, New York, went through years of heartbreak and trials to start her family, undergoing multiple fertility treatments and miscarriages, ahead of becoming a mother.
“Every single roadblock that I felt like we could hit, we were hitting,” reflects Fieberg on her and her husband’s Greg’s journey to becoming parents. “Things I couldn’t even imagine or never heard of before. It just became so heavy, dark, and isolating,”
Although the initial genetic testing she and her husband Greg Fieberg, 45, underwent didn’t reveal any issues, throughout their journey, she received an endometriosis diagnosis, as well as Turner syndrome, a chromosomal condition that affected her fertility and ability to carry a child.
Jaclyn’s sisters Meredith and Stephanie saw the emotional toll five years of loss took on their sister. It was with their support – and the guidance and expertise of RMA of New York – Westchester’s Dr. Matthew Lederman, that led to a breakthrough in her family-building journey.
Dr. Lederman suggested Jaclyn’s best chance of getting pregnant was to use donor eggs. He had previously worked with Jaclyn’s sister, Stephanie Corritori, 40, and helped her build her family with the help of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Now, it was his turn to use his expertise on Jaclyn.
The donor egg source came from someone Jaclyn knew dearly: her younger sister, Meredith.
Meredith shares: “I just knew it was something I had to do for her. Stephanie and I always said, ‘whatever you need, we’ll be there.’”
While Jaclyn hoped to carry the baby, the first embryo transfer with Meredith’s donor egg was unsuccessful. Dr. Matthew Lederman noted that a different course of action was needed. It was time to get the assistance of a gestational carrier.
This wasn’t an easy decision for Jaclyn to make. This was never how she envisioned building her family. But she was committed to becoming a mom, and had the incredible support of her spouse, family, and RMA of New York.
After conversations with loved ones, and the assistance of RMA of New York’s Dr. Georgia Witkin, a clinical psychologist and expert on infertility, Jaclyn understood that – and came at peace with – moving forward with a surrogate was critical to her family building journey.
When Jaclyn asked Stephanie to carry, she responded with a resounding yes! Looking back, Stephanie shares: “Once the transfer took, I remember I fell to my knees. We found out on our mom’s birthday. It was the most incredible thing.”
Having Stephanie serve as the gestational carrier, this marked the first surrogacy out of RMA of New York – Westchester’s Mount Kisco clinic, which opened in 2021. Dr. Matthew Lederman serves as the practice’s Director and came up north from RMANY’s Manhattan practice to open the practice, a year after the pandemic.
Jaclyn reflects: “Dr. Lederman is the best doctor in the world. He is kind, knowledgeable, and patient. He never gave up hope and thought of creative ways to move forward and gain information throughout this process. I could not be more grateful.”
This spring, Stephanie gave birth and Jaclyn’s family grew. They welcomed Emeryson Claire at 7 pounds, giving a whole new meaning to a labor of love.
RMA of New York is widely recognized as a global leader in state-of-the-art reproductive medicine and serves as the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, RMA of New York has fertility clinic locations throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, Long Island and recently joined US Fertility and its network of premier reproductive medicine practices. For more information, please visit www.rmany.com or find RMA of New York on Instagram at @rmaofny
