Nicola and Chris Laytons story

Nicola and Chris finally have the baby they had been dreaming of for so long and are enjoying every precious moment with their four week old little boy Oliver. They would like to share their story as a message of hope and positivity for others going through a difficult time concieving – you are not alone.

The couple met online in May 2014 and very soon after getting married in July 2016 decided they were ready to try for a family. They were filled with excitement about the future and began all the usual things couples embarking on trying to concieve do; came off the contraceptive pill, ensured they were living a healthy and active lifestyle and bought ovulation and pregnancy testing kits in bulk. Each milestone of that first year such as birthdays and Christmas they said to each other they’d better make the most of it as it will be their last as just a couple. However that year plus several more came and went and there was still no baby.

Nicola said, “Up until that point we  had avoided any formal testing as each month we thought this will be it and it was just a case of being a little more patient. I had discovered through my GP that I had an underactive thyroid and that untreated this could easily be contributing to our lack of conception. I was put on medication which corrected my hormone levels, monitored regularly through blood tests and carried on trying.”

By December 2019 Nicola and Chris’s positivity and patience had reached an all time low.

“We had not experienced one positive pregnancy test let alone given birth to a baby. Over ten of our family and friends had announced pregnancys and births with some on their second and we felt as if our whole life was on hold.”

Would they ever have the family they had always dreamed of?

They seriously discussed their options which included adoption and the use of donors if the need arose agreeing they were prepared to do anything to have their family. At this point they made the decision to begin the process of getting help. After a recommendation from close friends and attending an open evening, they decided Simply Fertility was the clinic for them. They underwent a comprehensive fertility assessment and were advised by Mr Gangooly that IVF with ICSI was the treatment that would most likely be successful due to a  diagnoses of PCOS and issues with sperm. They were given a 40% chance of success. Despite being terrified of the daily injections and the huge cost of the process which had no guarantee of ending with a baby, it was a massive relief to them both to begin the IVF process and they felt like they were finally taking a positive step forward again.

“All the staff at Simply Fertility were absolutely incredible from the moment we met them for the first time to the completion of our treatment and beyond. We have always felt like part of a loving family who all wanted the best outcome for us as much as we did. Everyone was there with us through each step of the process including guiding us through IVF during the Covid-19 pandemic. The family feel of the clinic was even more predominant during this difficult time.”

Nicola and Chris used Access Fertility to pay for a package of three rounds and the use of all embryos created during these to give them the best chance of success and Nicola attended weekly fertility accupunture sessions with Mark at his Rochford clinic.

She explained, “His sessions really helped me to remain calm, relaxed and focused throughout treatment which we strongly believe was a huge contributing factor towards our first transfer implanting successfully.”

Nicola and Chris didn’t  need to use more than one cycle as the transfer of their first frozen embryo worked.

“We will never forget the moment we saw our first ever positive test or the moment Annette did our seven week scan and we saw our baby growing inside me on the screen– magical and incredibly emotional.”

Baby Oliver arrived safely via cesarian section on March 28th 2021 weighing 7lb 4 after deciding to make the couple wait another two weeks beyond their due date!

“It was only when we heard Ollie’s first cry that we truly believed we were having a baby. We cannot thank Simply Fertility enough for everything they have done for us. They and the rest of The Fertility Partnership pride themselves on quality of care and they certainly lived up to this and more. Simply Fertility you have changed our lives forever and made our biggest dream come true. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”