A 41-year-old woman has given birth to her miracle baby after family and friends donated £10,000 for her to realise her dream of becoming a mother
Leigh Cooper told UK media outlets that she had always dreamed of becoming a parent, but after the breakdown of her last relationship, she did not think it would ever become true.
Leigh said: “I’ve always wanted to be a mum and I wasn’t afraid of doing it alone.
“When I was nearing 40, I realised that I needed to take it seriously and put my all into having a baby by myself.”
She first flew to Ukraine to have IUI treatment in 2018, but she was told her follicles were not the correct size and she could not continue with the treatment.
Feeling completely deflated, she realised she would need to come up with a different plan.
She decided to start a fundraising page and with the help of her mum, Jacqui, the pair began asking for donations from family and friends for IVF treatment.
Amazingly, in just a few days they managed to raise £10,000 which would cover all medication needed, sperm donation, and one round of IVF in the UK.
But again her follicles were told they were too small during the treatment and it had to be stopped.
Two years later, Leigh decided to give it another go, but this time she changed her diet and fitness regime to be in the best place possible to have a child – and it worked.
Doctors were able to retrieve 22 eggs and create 12 embryos.
Her first embryo transfer ended in a miscarriage at nine weeks.
Leigh said: “It was a difficult time to go through alone, people don’t consider things like miscarriage when you’re trying for a baby on your own.”
She waited two months before trying again, and this time she conceived her baby son, Malaki, who is now 16 months old.
She said: “It’s been incredibly challenging, and I went through a lot to get here, but it’s also been the best thing I’ve ever done.”
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