When Lisa Forster and her 49-year-old fiancé Michael Owen began trying for a child in 2010, they were informed that it was “too late to let it go.” The Newcastle pair, who have been dating since 2006, learned Lisa’s eggs were losing quality as they grew older. Lisa endured two unsuccessful rounds of private IVF in the UK due to her age excluding her from NHS financing. Though the couple was unwilling to give up, they eventually learned they were pregnant after traveling to South Africa for two additional IVF cycles.
Lisa took the test FIVE more times wanting to be sure after getting a positive result on her first try. Lisa said she has never allowed herself to worry about the hazards of having a kid later in life, but conceding that it is weird to hear other expectant moms at a much younger age in hospital waiting rooms.
Izobel Owen, a newborn girl, was joyfully welcomed by first-time parents Lisa and Michael on June 17, 2016, the day before Father’s Day. Now Lisa claims she loves being a mother, and she does. Because she feels so fortunate, she never complains about the restless nights and inspires other women of all ages to persevere with IVF.
However, when we began trying, I discovered that because of my advanced age, I had to give up trying too late. This news doesn’t truly bother me; I just recall feeling determined. Michael and I have always held to the notion that if you work hard and are persistent in pursuing your goals, you will succeed. In the UK, we attempted IVF twice, but both attempts failed. Being informed that there were no signs of life was really depressing. When we arrived for the embryo transfer, we would be informed that there wasn’t actually anything to transfer. It’s quite challenging to move past that. However, we ultimately chose to travel by plane to South Africa because they use different IVF drugs.
It sucks when everyone seems to get what they want and we can’t get pregnant – but we agreed to try one more time. When we found out we were pregnant, all the time, money, and affection was worth it. I tested much earlier than planned and Michael is actually on a business trip to China. I called him right away. He’s quite reserved, he’s too scared to get excited.
Michael remained quiet during my pregnancy. After all this time and frustration, I don’t think he can believe it actually occurred. But he had been utterly enthralled since Izobel’s birth. Both of us are on the moon. Even if I do develop a few extra wrinkles, I never moan about being weary or lacking sleep because I signed up for this. We at last found our ideal family.
Izobel was born at 39 weeks because her mother’s cervix was short and doctors worried she might still be stillborn if Lisa gave birth at full term. Despite worries about being short, the miracle was that baby Izobel was born healthy and weighed 7kg. Since bringing her little joy to the world, Lisa has started running a fitness blog for moms called No Excuse Mums. Lisa’s two more embryos are being kept in South Africa and the mother says she will definitely have them implanted before her 50th birthday.
She has grown a lot since she was born. Sometimes I catch myself looking at her – the baby we never thought we’d have. She’s here and she’s a smart girl. I can’t believe how lucky we are.
