After sᴜFFᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛɪɴɢ 18 ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs over a 16-year period, during which the couple spent £80,000 on ʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴀFᴛᴇʀ ɢʀᴜᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏF IVF, William is the ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ baby she dared not believe she would ever have.
Louise Warneford from Swindon, Wiltshire has revealed her joy of finally becoming a mum at 48. Louise said: “It was the ᴛᴏᴜɢʜᴇsᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ in my ʟɪFᴇ, but it’s so worth it for our dream baby. We first met in 1999 and Louise immediately knew that Mark was ‘the one’ that she wanted to start a family with. Mark and I had been trying for a baby since I was 32.” However, due to Mark’s ᴠᴀsᴇᴄᴛᴏᴍʏ from a ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜs ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴsʜɪᴘ, the pair had to look for alternative ways to make Louise’s dream of having a baby a reality. She added:” We went to a Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟɪsᴛ to find out about the ǫᴜɪᴄᴋᴇsᴛ ᴡᴀʏ ᴏF ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠɪɴɢ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ sᴜɢɢᴇsᴛᴇᴅ ᴀ sᴘᴇʀᴍ ɪɴsᴇᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. So we found a ᴅᴏɴᴏʀ who had the same ᴀᴛᴛʀɪʙᴜᴛᴇs as Mark and I, and we went along with the process. I Fᴇʟʟ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ a number of times with the ɪɴsᴇᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, but every single time I ended up ʟᴏsɪɴɢ the baby ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ the 14 weeks sᴄᴀɴ ᴍᴀʀᴋ as they couldn’t find the ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛ. I was ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ. It’s difficult to explain the sense of ʟᴏss you feel with a ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ. It’s not like any other grief. Each time I got my hopes up and thought that this was it and I was going to have the perfect family I’d always wanted, I couldn’t stop crying every time I ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ.”
She was very hesitant, though, having been through it all by this point. But her Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ gave her the courage to have ‘one more try’. Louise deliberated for four years before she told Mark that she wanted to try once more, before she turned 50. She said: “There is ɴᴏ ɢʀɪᴇF that can ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏsɪɴɢ a much ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ and wanted baby, all your ʜᴏᴘᴇs and dreams are sʜᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ. However, ᴅᴇᴛᴇʀᴍɪɴᴇᴅ to find out what ᴡʀᴏɴɢ with her ʙᴏᴅʏ for peace of mind, Louise decided to find a ᴄʟɪɴɪᴄ who could finally ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsᴇ her Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍ. Louise said: ” I met a sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟɪsᴛ in ᴍᴀᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄɪɴᴇ ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ Dᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ Sʜᴇʜᴀᴛᴀ and he told me.” The 16-year-wait was worth it. Baby William was born at 37 weeks through a ᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ.
While Louise said she was ‘constantly sᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ’ and couldn’t enjoy her ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, it was all worth it for her ‘dream baby’. She said: “We’re a perfect family now and I finally feel complete – we even have a grandchild now, and at just ten months old, William became an uncle.”
