3 years ago, Daisy De was given a 0.1% chance of conceiving after being diagnosed with endometriosis – but she never give up her hope and is now a mother to baby Hope
Three years ago, Daisy De was given a 0.1 per cent chance of conceiving, even with IVF. But surprisingly She stares lovingly into the eyes of her new born daughter Hope, she sees a reason to never give up.
Daisy De pursued her dream of motherhood by selling her home to raise £50,000 for the gamble of IVF and she finally paid off when she gave birth to her daughter in June.
Now 27, Daisy, cradling her bundle of joy, said: “She’s a dream. It makes all of those years of pain totally worth it. “I couldn’t imagine my life without her.”
At the age of 17, Daisy was diagnosed with a painful disorder- endometriosis, in which tissue from the womb lining grows around other organs. But despite five operations, it continued to spread and doctors told her she was practically infertile.
But the single nanny refused to give up on her dream of becoming a mother and raised £50,000 to fund IVF and a sperm donor.
She said: she was always worried about her motherhood, ‘Will I ever become a mum?’ This question was always in her mind. Specially when she was told that she was prematurely infertile at the age of 23..
“I have always been maternal and knew from a young age that I wanted to be a mum. “Those words made me more determined than ever and she was ready yo pay any price for it “I was willing to do and pay whatever it took.”
Daisy was told the only way she could possibly conceive would be through IVF but the NHS would not fund it due to her relationship status and age.
However, she was able to fund private treatment by selling her three-bed home in Leicester.
In January 2016, she went to London’s Harley Street Fertility Clinic for tests and her consultant, Dr Suvir Venkataraman, had more heartbreaking news to share.
Daisy said: “I was told there was no chance I would conceive naturally and only a 0.1 per cent chance with IVF.
“The odds were against me which was soul-destroying as it felt like my dream was being shattered. But I refused to give up and remained hopeful.
“My ovarian egg reserve was so low, it was the same as a 35-year-old.” Daisy was unable to start IVF straight away as her ovaries were covered in cysts.
The endometriosis had spread across her fallopian tubes, vaginal wall and bowel.
She said: “I knew it wasn’t going to be straightforward but I worried for my body.
“It had been through so much already after being diagnosed with stage-four endometriosis in 2010.
“I had already had five laparoscopies and the worst was yet to come.”
Daisy didn’t waste time and began searching for a sperm donor from London Sperm Bank immediately.
She said: “I didn’t want to rush into a relationship for the sake of it.
“I knew I was capable of raising a baby on my own so dating was at the very bottom of my to-do list.
“However, it was quite strange choosing a donor as I never imagined my life to be like this.
“My previous relationships were with black men so the main characteristics I was looking for was black heritage and over 6ft with a great educational background.”
Despite having her first egg collection in March 2016, Daisy was unable to go ahead with the treatment until she had another operation so the embryos were frozen.
In May, she had another collection and five eggs were frozen.
In August, she had her sixth laparoscopy – keyhole surgery on the abdomen – and things took a turn for the worse when her left ovary stuck to her bowel.
In February 2017, Daisy’s left ovary was removed and she had another laparoscopy.
She added: “I was willing to do whatever it took to have a baby, even if it meant another surgery.
“It was one thing after another until October 2018. I had my final laparoscopy and was told my next surgery would be a hysterectomy.
“I was running out of both time and options. The odds were against me but I had to stay positive.”
In June 2019, Daisy went ahead with her first round of IVF, which was a failure.
Daisy said: “Weirdly, I had a feeling it wouldn’t work so I wasn’t too upset.
“I remained hopeful and used a different sperm bank in America called Xytex.
“I had a good feeling straight away as I was able to see pictures of the donors, which was much more personable. I chose someone that I would be drawn to if I had seen him in person. He had a nice smile and was smart.”
The following month Daisy had another egg collection and only one was retrieved and frozen.
She said: “I was so happy that things were finally falling into place. I couldn’t wait to become someone’s mummy.
“I had to take oestrogen tablets for a few months to thicken the lining of my uterus before the embryo was transferred in September 2019.”
Daisy was delighted when a pregnancy test later revealed two lines – a positive result.
Daisy said she still didn’t feel the need for a boyfriend as she was lucky enough to be surrounded by friends and family.
She said: “When I was diagnosed with infertility, I decided on the name Hope as I needed hope to keep on persevering.”
Daisy had an elective C-section at 38 weeks and six days and finally welcomed little Hope into the world on June 9.
Daisy, who lives in Fulham, west London, beams with pride as she looks down at her 15-week-old daughter.
“I will always remember the day she was born,” she said. “It was truly magical.”.
“My best friend Anna, 31, was my birthing partner and we both laughed and cried as we admired my little beauty. The first thing I noticed was Hope’s thick dark hair. It looked like she had a wig stuck on her head.
“I couldn’t stop running my fingers through her hair and kissing her.
“Even though I had seen a photo of the donor, I couldn’t envisage how she will look as I don’t know him or his mannerisms.”
Now she has her precious daughter, Daisy is looking forward to having a hysterectomy next year to reduce the pain she suffers.
Dr Venkataraman explained: “Daisy’s case was clinically challenging and required perseverance from all of us, especially Daisy herself.
“Owing to her endometriosis and low ovarian reserve, she had a just a 0.1 per cent chance of success.
“Without IVF, the chances of Daisy conceiving a child naturally were essentially nil. “However, we tackled all of those challenges and won. Little Hope is proof that you should never give up.”
News Resource – mirror.co.uk, September 19, 2020
