Jaki and Laura’s story

Jaki and Laura have been a couple since university and in the intervening 11 years have built careers, bought a house, married and travelled extensively. They felt the time was right to start a family, but needed donor sperm to make their dream a reality.

“We agreed between us that I would be the first to try fertility treatment,” says Jaki, who is 32. "One of our best friends had a successful IVF birth, so we visited their fertility clinic but didn’t feel it was right for us. Coincidentally, other friends had a baby via Simply Fertility and as soon as we walked in we knew it was everything we wanted. Their opening line was ‘We specialise in same sex couples’.

In preparation for treatment, Jaki had already stopped drinking alcohol and caffeinated drinks, was taking vitamins and physically fit. They chose their donor from Simply Fertility’s sperm bank, stipulating dark hair and eyes so that the baby would carry a similar physical appearance to Laura. “The other clinic had pictures and family histories of donors, while Simply Fertility gave us snippets of information about him, which we preferred. We are really pleased with our decision and will use the same donor when we try for our second baby.”

“It was always our pregnancy, rather than just mine,” says Jaki. “It was quite intense, but you have to look to the end and be in a good frame of mind. If it doesn’t work you need to try again and you have to be prepared for that.”

Jaki’s injections to stimulate her eggs were given by Laura, and at the appointed time she returned to the clinic for IUI. “Within five weeks of our first visit I was lucky enough to be pregnant,” she says. Their baby daughter was born in August 2016 at Broomfield Hospital, weighing 8lb 14oz and has brought both women ‘a whole new perspective on life’.

During the pregnancy, the couple were given a large number of books to read aloud to the baby so it would become used to both their voices. Not finding a book that truly represented their family unit that was also colourful and current, Jaki decided to write one herself titles My Mummies and Me. For more information visit www.familylifebyjax.co.uk