A mom ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ believed that she would have a child of her ᴏᴡɴ after being born ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ ᴡᴏᴍʙ. Niomi was just 16 when ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ she had ᴀ sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ called Mᴀʏᴇʀ Rᴏᴋɪᴛᴀɴsᴋʏ Kᴜ̈sᴛᴇʀ Hᴀᴜsᴇʀ (ⓂⓇⓀⒽ ) and had been born ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ ᴡᴏᴍʙ. When her mum insisted she had ᴀ ⓂⓇⒾ sᴄᴀɴ after sᴜsᴘᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ something ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ right.
Niomi explained that she ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴇᴅ ᴀs ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ but ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ started her ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅ, despite the women in her family usually sᴛᴀʀᴛɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ. She said: “From the age of 12, every time we were at the ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ’s, mum would ask why my ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅs ʜᴀᴅɴ’ᴛ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ. She explained that she, my big sister and my grandma had all started their ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅs ʏᴏᴜɴɢ. So why hadn’t I?” But after ᴀ sᴄᴀɴ, the news came as ᴀ ʜᴜɢᴇ sʜᴏᴄᴋ to them all. ⓂⓇⓀⒽ sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴀFFᴇᴄᴛs ᴏɴᴇ ɪɴ 5,000 ᴡᴏᴍᴇɴ and means that ᴀ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘs ᴏᴠᴀʀɪᴇs and ᴇɢɢs but ᴅᴏᴇsɴ’ᴛ have ᴀ ᴄᴇʀᴠɪx ᴏʀ ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs, meaning they ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ᴄᴀʀʀʏ their ᴏᴡɴ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ. At such ᴀ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ᴀɢᴇ Niomi was sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ but ᴜɴᴀʙʟᴇ to fully process what the ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsɪs would mean for her later dᴏᴡɴ the line. Niomi said: “It was all ᴀ ʙʟᴜʀ .
But one thing came through crystal clear, I ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀ be able to carry my ᴏᴡɴ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ. I ᴅᴇᴀʟᴛ with it by telling myself it would all be fine. The ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ made me have one counselling session, but I just said I wanted to get back to school and be normal. I was ᴛᴏᴏ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ to understand what it meant for my future. I simply said, ‘I ᴄᴀɴ ᴀᴅᴏᴘᴛ’. I was sᴏ ɴᴀɪᴠᴇ.” In 2015, Niomi met her boyfriend Sam and liked him enough to tell him about ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ just three weeks after meeting him. Sam’s response was so reassuring that Niomi knew he was the one for her and the pair decided to get married the following year. She said: “That’s when, seven years after my ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsɪs, the reality of ⓂⓇⓀⒽ really ʜɪᴛ. I’d found the man I loved but sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴄʏ was the only way to have our ᴏᴡɴ ʙɪᴏʟᴏɢɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ. I felt the ᴇɴᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ of it all. The rules say you can’t start Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ until you already have ᴀ sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴛᴇ in place. But we wanted to know ⒾⓋⒻ would work for us first. It seemed the better way to avoid more delay and ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋ.”
They joined online sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴄʏ groups, in person meet-ups and heavily researched the whole process. Niomi said: “It was there we met a lovely couple and their son and heard about their ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟᴇ sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴛᴇ Katie.” Katie Lochrie, already a mum-of-two, from Norfolk, decided that she wanted to help other couples after having her two sons ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ any ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs . But, just as things were going smoothly, ⓒⓞⓥⓘⓓ ʜɪᴛ and their appointments were cancelled. When the ɪᴍᴘʟᴀɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ could take place, Niomi ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ allowed to be in the room. When Katie took ᴀ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴇsᴛ four days later that turned out to be positive, Niomi and Sam were over the moon and from then on they were able to attend all the scans. The group was given an extra ʟᴀʀɢᴇ ʀᴏᴏᴍ on the ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀʏ day so they could all be in the ʀᴏᴏᴍ together. Niomi explained it was ᴛᴏᴜɢʜ to see her friend ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴFᴜʟ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs. She said: “I was in ᴛᴏᴛᴀʟ ᴀᴡᴇ. I just wished that I could take her ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. After all, she was doing this ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟᴇ thing just for us.”
Little Eliana was born on July 27 with the couple in the ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀʏ ʀᴏᴏᴍ alongside Katie’s husband Patrick. The couple are now back at home in Wishaw with their baby, enjoying the thrill of first time parents. Niomi said: “To watch her being born was the most ᴍɪʀᴀᴄᴜʟᴏᴜs thing I’d ever seen. It was like an ᴏᴜᴛ-ᴏF-ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ. To finally have my daughter in my arms was beyond words. I and Katie are more than friends now. She is like my sister.”
