Keira's IVF story
"Being a solo parent definitely has its rough moments, but you get twice the cuddles and twice the love. The unconditional love you hear people talk about is real."
I can remember when I was younger, I would always go round telling people that I wanted to be a ‘mummy’ and I always knew I wanted to be a ‘younger mum’, ideally having all my children before the age of 30. It was just after my 25th birthday in 2020 when I really started considering becoming a solo mother by choice.
Another factor in my decision, was the fact my dad was terminally ill. He was an amazing human being, and great with kids and the thought of him not being around to see me have children was heart-breaking. I so desperately wanted to give him the gift of becoming a granddad.
Once I’d made my decision to do it alone, I remember quite literally typing into google ‘how to have a baby on your own’. I was overwhelmed with how much information there was out there and how little I actually knew about the process and all the different terminology!
Every clinic I looked into was quoting around £6000, so when I came across abc ivf I was almost in disbelief! They were advertising an all-inclusive IVF package for £2750! I just thought it must be too good to be true. Straight away I started researching abc ivf and how the whole process worked. One of the main things that I liked was that pretty much everything you needed was that there were no hidden cost. Everything was included in the package such as medication, scans and all procedures. IVF would’ve always been my first choice due to the fact I’d like more than one child and there’s a chance of freezing embryos, unlike IUI. I just never imagined I’d be able to afford it!
In my opinion, picking a sperm donor was the hardest part of my journey. You are picking half of your child’s genetics and, of course, you want them to be perfect! I researched sperm banks all over the world and settled on a sperm bank based on its good reviews. This company was called Xytex and they offer UK compliant donors and ship internationally to your chosen clinic. One of the questions in his profile was ‘who is your role model’ and he answered with ‘my dad’. That was so important to me as my dad was my biggest role model too. The whole process was surprisingly easy and quick. Xytex liaised with abc ivf and the sperm was shipped over. I have to admit, it is definitely the most unusual purchase I had ever made!
At first, I decided to not tell anybody I was going through treatment and kept it a secret from all my friends and family. Over the space of two weeks, I had to travel to the clinic regularly to have scans to make sure my follicles were growing nicely. I really enjoyed these scans because everybody was so incredibly friendly and invested in my journey. Once I had finished my course of injections, it was egg collection time. Now, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly nervous about this procedure. However, the staff at abc were amazing and really helped me relax. I was wheeled into theatre and the next thing I remember was waking up on one of the beds. It seemed to all happen so fast!
After the procedure, they told me the good news that they had managed to collect 6 eggs. 5 days later I had a fresh embryo transfer, and I wasn’t nervous at all, I was actually really excited. If you have ever had a smear test, that’s how I can best describe what an embryo transfer feels like. And just like that, I was PUPO (pregnant until proven otherwise).
Fast forward to April 2022 and I now have a 11-month-old! I can’t believe how fast time goes. Life as a solo mum is very busy but extremely rewarding. Being a solo parent definitely has its rough moments, but you get twice the cuddles and twice the love. The unconditional love you hear people talk about is real. It is overwhelming and I honestly have never felt love like it. Before I had Noah, I was so desperate to be in a relationship so I could be loved and love somebody. But now I have Noah I really know the true meaning of love and I am finally content in my life. I have absolutely no regrets and I am already thinking about when I want to try for baby no.2!
The past 11 months have been life-changing. I became a mum but tragically lost my dad. But throughout this, I can honestly say Noah has saved me. He has carried me through one of the worst times in my life and has brought me and the rest of my family so much joy despite the loss of my father. To anybody considering going down the route of becoming a solo mum I promise you, you will not regret it. You will never regret having your child, but you may regret never having one. Noah is honestly the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I owe abc ivf everything.