A woman who was facing only a 15 percent chance of conceiving a baby naturally was finally able to give birth to a child–after strangers donated $13,000 for her to undergo IVF.
Gem Baker had always dreamed of being a mom, but she never met the right man with which to start a family.
Furthermore, the now-38-year-old was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2017, which slashed her chances of conception dramatically. She endured eight procedures to remove the endometriosis the following year.
At her fertility clinic in England she was told she had a low egg count and just a 15 percent chance of conceiving.
“My chances were slim,” said the woman from Clacton-on-Sea. “I hit a brick wall. It’s soul destroying.”
She had started looking into in vitro fertilization (IVF)—but was shocked by the cost of it. So, Gem’s friend, Jen, urged her to set up a fundraising page to help pay for it and she agreed after first being apprehensive.
“It just went mental,” she said after donations began pouring in.
She managed to raise 13,000 in total, after being given 3k from her dad. She also invested her savings of 1.5k to reach the total amount needed for the IVF.
She also changed her lifestyle to lose 75 pounds—going from a size 16 to 8—ensuring she would give herself the best chance of conceiving. But, then COVID-19 hit.
Then COVID hit
After delays, due to the pandemic, she finally started her first round of IVF in August 2021. Sadly none of her eggs fertilized after the first round and doctors found an infection on her right fallopian tube.
They realized it was too damaged and removed it in May 2022. After recovering, Gem went for her second round in September and it produced just one egg.
But eight days later she took a pregnancy test—and it was positive. Finally, she was expecting, and months later she welcome her little girl, Clover-Iris, into the world.
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“I loved being pregnant,” said Gem, whose family was very supportive.
“I wasn’t incredibly fussy [with sperm donors], but I have a thing for redhead guys, and managed to get one. He is a baker and does charity work. He sounded grounded.”
When she first saw the 7lb-8oz baby, Gem said she was astounded: “she looked like me and my dad!”
“She was the spitting image of me as a baby.”
Today Clover-Iris is 11-months-old and her mother described her as “hilarious, inquisitive, and very clever.”
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“Being a mum is exactly what I dreamed, and more. She’s doing something new every day.”
“I feel like she’s always been here.”
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