Chelmsford mum had IVF baby – and then ‘a little extra’

Vicki from Chelmsford had always wanted to be a mum. “I grew up with two brothers who were much younger than me and I helped to bring them up,” she says.  “I have always been maternal.”

“Struggling to become a mum myself was heart-breaking. I remember when my best friend got pregnant; I was really pleased for her but then I went home and cried. It was really difficult as it seemed as though everyone around was getting pregnant but not me.”

The vast majority of couples trying to start a family will conceive within two years – after three years of trying without getting pregnant Vicki and partner Mark sought medical advice.  Fertility tests concluded that the couple had ‘unexplained infertility’ and they were referred for IVF treatment at Bourn Hall Clinic in Colchester.

Vicki and Mark were delighted when Vicki got pregnant after her second treatment and nine months later their son William was born.

“William is our precious Bourn Hall IVF baby and we will be forever thankful to the amazing staff there who ‘made’ him,” says Vicki. “The whole experience at Bourn Hall was fantastic, we were so fortunate that we got to have our treatment there.”

A few months after William was born Vicki and Mark flew out to Cyprus to get married – and on their return got the shock of their lives when Vicki discovered she had got pregnant again – but this time naturally.

“I had no reason to think I was pregnant and so when it turned out that I was we just couldn’t believe it,” says Vicki. “Something must have happened to my body after I had IVF, we weren’t trying to have another baby it just happened and it was a very happy accident!”

Daughter Evelyn was born the following June. “Both of our children are miracles,” smiles Vicki.

The story doesn’t end there – by a strange coincidence two of Vicki’s colleagues at the Halifax Bank, Carly and Nikki, were also having treatment at Bourn Hall Clinic and the three women were able to provide an invaluable support network for each other during their journeys through IVF.

Carly and Nikki also had successful treatment at Bourn Hall and now each have a son. The three Essex friends still meet up regularly.

“It was fantastic for us to have other people close who understood exactly what we were going through, it brought us closer together,” says Vicki.