'We haven’t been able to decide if we want to transfer a girl or a boy embryo first,' the woman explained why she took her dog's help.
Pets are always given significant importance in their families. They are a source of comfort in hard times and they are a constant companion whenever anyone needs them. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise when a couple decided to take their dog’s help for an important life decision. Serena Cukjati and her husband, Jacob, let their dog Charlie decide which embryo to choose while getting IVF treatment done: a boy or a girl.
In a video posted by @serenacukjati, she says, “So, we haven’t been able to decide if we want to transfer a girl or a boy embryo first. We had two boys and one girl for those who have been new.” She continues, “However, when we asked our doctor which is the strongest embryo trying to take a decision. She said that our boys and our girl are pretty much the same.” Then the couple let Charlie help them choose if they should go for a girl or a boy. “So, we wrote boy and girl on each of these balls. We are going to throw them at the same time whichever he brings back that’s what we are going to go with and it's going to be final,” explains Cukjati.
“Bugs, are you ready for your big day?” she asks the dog and adds,“Ready? This is your moment. OK, go!” After this, the couple throws both balls, Charlie goes back and forth while choosing the right one but, in the end, comes back with one.
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The video ends with Charlie’s picture and a text overlay, “Come back on August 7 to find out which embryo Charlie picked.” As per the updates shared by Cukjati, the couple will welcome a baby boy. Talking about her pregnancy journey, Cukjati recalls crying over many negative results and how her Goldendoodle, Charlie, curled up with her. "He would just lay with me," she told TODAY. “There were so many low points in our journey to conceive, and he would pull me out of the darkness.” After Cukjati and her husband were diagnosed with unexplained infertility, they decided to try IVF. A treatment which she calls, “emotionally and physically demanding.”
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In June, they got the good news that they have three high-quality embryos. She said, “We were ecstatic. But all of a sudden we had this decision in front of us — do we transfer the boy or the girl? We just couldn’t decide.” “It’s a really cool perk, and a First World problem for sure, but it also felt like a burden. It was just too much," she added. When they both couldn’t reach a decision, they thought Charlie could do it for them. Cukjati said, “So many times, dogs get the short end of the stick. They support us when we’re going through a hard time, but when we’re doing well, they’re not as needed. So, this was a way of celebrating Charlie, and incorporating him into this new season of life.”
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When asked if Charlie chose a boy or a girl, Cukjati shared that she would like to reveal it after her IVF transfer on July 25. However, they would like to use all three embryos eventually. “We’re not going to think about it not working,” she said.