10/22/2025
Steph Balboni’s journey to motherhood began in 2017 with heartbreak—a miscarriage that led to years of fertility treatments, insurance hurdles, and emotional strain. “My husband, Chris, and I were never able to find a definitive answer or explanation for why I couldn't have a healthy pregnancy,” she shares. After numerous medicated cycles, nine IUIs, and countless tests, she was finally referred to Rachel Ashby, MD, whose compassion and advocacy changed everything.
Dr. Ashby not only stepped in to help navigate insurance concerns, but also validated Steph’s experience, offering empathy and science-based care. “She sat with me, explained everything, and made me feel seen. I didn’t have to convince her of why I deserved to be a mom.”
Steph’s story is also filled with gratitude for Grace Jackson-Wedgeworth, a medical assistant at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, whose warmth and genuine kindness made early morning appointments bearable. She appreciated seeing the same staff regularly, which helped make an emotionally and physically invasive process feel more manageable.
After a successful frozen embryo transfer, Steph and Chris welcomed their first son, Danny, in 2022. Wanting their children close in age, they tried again a year later and were surprised with identical twin boys. Twins Kyler and Ashby were born prematurely in 2024 due to twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, mainly affecting Ashby, whom they named after Dr. Ashby, now lives with cerebral palsy.
“Even with all the challenges, we’re just so grateful. Ashby is defying odds, just like Dr. Ashby does for her patients.”
Now a mentor in IVF support groups, Steph shares her story to help break the silence and isolation so many feel. “We all have had different journeys that brought us to the clinic,” she says, “but together we have created this amazing community of IVF warriors. Support makes all the difference.”
