Warning: The following article includes references to miscarriage.
A woman is preparing to welcome her first child at the age of 47 after conceiving naturally following three miscarriages and a failed round of IVF.
Nicola Barrand-Haig spent years dreaming of becoming a mother, and after meeting her husband, Nick, also 47, seven years ago, she hoped her dream would finally come true.
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However, the asset management assistant had a difficult fertility journey.
With three miscarriages and a failed round of NHS IVF treatments, as well as private IVF treatments costing £8,500, the couple were worried they would never become parents.
Nick and Nicola met on Tinder in February 2015, and they started trying for a baby seven months later.
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"We both knew we were getting older and really wanted kids before we reached an age where we couldn’t anymore," Nicola, from Wistow, Leicestershire, said.
“There was always a worry about menopause too, so the race to be able to get pregnant before that happened was on!
“We went to the doctors a year later as we realised nothing was happening, and it was upsetting for us.
“As we were both below 42 at the time, we were allowed to go ahead with a course of IVF through the NHS - which we did whilst wedding planning - as I wouldn’t have minded being pregnant during our wedding ceremony!
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“It was a full-on IVF fail and it was really heartbreaking."
The couple kept trying to conceive naturally but decided to have IVF again privately, which ended in a miscarriage at around seven weeks.
"We then conceived naturally on two separate occasions but suffered two miscarriages, both at seven weeks," she continued.
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“Each miscarriage hit me differently, and I had a whole range of emotions, from feeling empty to overwhelming sadness.”
Nicola said that they also looked into adoption. but part of the process meant they’d have had to stop trying to conceive naturally, which was not something they wanted to do.
She said: "In 2021 our private consultant advised us our only chance at our age would be to use donor eggs and do IVF at an additional cost of £15,000.
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"We registered on the list, paid our non-refundable deposit and got to the stage of choosing our donor but just after Christmas we had a heart-to-heart and neither of us really wanted to use a donor, so we decided to keep trying naturally.
"I felt like they’d given up on us due to our age, but I was determined."
Nicola admitted that she had never tracked her cycle before and had 'wrongly assumed' the dates she was most fertile. With this new information - and some added confidence after visiting a clairvoyant - they tried to conceive naturally again.
She then discovered her period was late in January. She took a pregnancy test and was left in shock when a faint line appeared.
The couple are now expecting a baby boy due in October.
Nicola spent weeks nervously hoping her pregnancy would be healthy and successful but, despite her worries, was eager to tell family and friends early on.
“I can’t believe I’m going to have a baby boy; it’s certainly been a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows, but hope is what has ultimately kept us going through this journey," Nicola said.
“At first, we didn’t dare to get our hopes up about our pregnancy, as we both assumed/expected it to end like the other three.
“But when we announced the news to family and friends, everyone was so happy for us - and my mum is super excited to have another grandchild around."
To learn more about miscarriage and for help and support, visit www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk
Gregory Robinson