‘We’ll make themost of not working’‘It ’s a timeto reflecton myjourney’I think about my fertility journey
every day of the year, but
Mother’s Day willbe
a chance for meto
really reflecton
how far I’ve
come. Anyone
who’s been
through
secondary
infertility will
understand how
isolating it canbe.
Nothing canprepareyou
for the physicalandemotional
exhaustion offertilitytreatment- or that unbearablelongingfor
a child, whether you’re a mum
already or not.
“Can’t you be happy with the
one you have?” was just one of
the well-meaning but hurtful
commentsI received.Atthat
pointI hadunexplainedinfertility,
hadbeendiagnosedwithlow egg
reserves,andwasgoingthrough
rounduponroundof unsuccessful
IVFtreatment.To makematters
worse, I’d got pregnant after my
first month on Clomid
medication, but it
had ended in a
miscarriage. It
was devastating,
but I stayed
positive. I was
close to moving
from Stockport
to London to be
near a top Harley
Street clinic. My
husband Jeff and I even
considered egg donation.
WhenI finally got that positive
pregnancy test, I could hardly
believe it. I cried at each and
every scan, barely believing it
might actually happen for us.And
when my son Harry was born,
I couldn’t have felt more joy or
relief. ThisMother’s Day we’llbe
celebratingwitha specialfamily
meal,andI’llbetakingstockof
howfarwe’vecome. I’mproof
thathope, positivityand
determinationcanpay off.Kate Pearson,
39, a secondary
school teacher, lives
in Stockport with
husband Jeff and
children Harry, two,
and Holly,
eightKate with Holly
and longed-for
baby HarryFaye
Marques,38,
founderof
justcoopsandlu.com,
lives in Manchester
withhusbandRafand
childrenandLuca,
two, andCooper,
sixFaye with
Cooper and Luca92 | April 2020 | motherandbaby.co.uk
A few months
ago, I switched
careers, taking
redundancy so
I could enjoy
weekends with
Cooper and
Luca. For the last
couple of years my
Mother’s Days have
been spent in the studio,
where I presented a Sunday radio show.
I can’t wait not to have the stress of that
commute this year, and to be able to enjoy
every second with the boys. We’ll have
a leisurely breakfast and lazy pyjama
morning, then we’ll venture out for a
celebration lunch, and a glass of fizz for
me and Raf. And all four of us will be
wearing my branded hoodies from my
new clothing business, Just Coops and Lu.
I named it after the boys because it was
thanks to them – and the importance of
flexible working at times like Mother’s Day- that I launched it.