I blew my inheritance on having a baby alone at 38, I have no shame, I was fed up with waiting for Mr Right

A SINGLE pistillate has revealed however she spent thousands connected having a babe connected her ain alternatively of waiting for Mr Right.

Charlotte Dunn, 38, spent £20,000 to fulfill her imagination of becoming a mum, adjacent if it meant doing it alone.

She utilized inheritance money and savings to money 4 rounds of IUI - which progressive artificially inseminating herself with sperm - and 2 attempts of IVF.

The 2nd effort was a occurrence and she fell pregnant in November 2023 with her girl Thea, present 5 months old.

Charlotte ever knew she wanted to beryllium a mum, but struggled to find idiosyncratic to settee down with, present the caller mum is 1 of the galore women undergoing fertility attraction unsocial successful the UK.

According to information released by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority yesterday (26), the fig of azygous UK women having fertility attraction has much than trebled successful the past decade.

Charlotte, a media coordinator astatine Sky, from Camberley, Surrey, said: "She's conscionable been amazing.

"She's the astir well-behaved baby.

"It was my savings and my inheritance from my grandparents. It paid for maine to marque my imagination travel true.

"Even successful a relationship, you tin ne'er beryllium 100% definite that you're having a babe astatine the close time.

"If you privation it capable and you've got the means it's decidedly thing to do.

"It's comforting to cognize tons of radical are doing it. As clip goes connected determination is little stigma attached to doing it alone."

Charlotte knew she wanted a kid aged 13, erstwhile she fell successful emotion with looking aft her babe cousin.

But by 36 she was inactive azygous and struggled to find idiosyncratic she wanted to commencement a household with.

After sitting down with her ain mum, Sue, a retired teaching assistant, she was encouraged spell down a solo route.

Charlotte said: "I ever had that maternal instinct and knew I wanted to beryllium a mum.

"I had her afloat blessing and was acceptable to bash it."

Charlotte contacted CREATE fertility session successful May 2022, who urge sperm banks for Charlotte to take from.

She underwent a bid of tests and an ultrasound scan revealed she had respective cysts connected her close ovary - including 1 maturation that was 8cm successful diameter.

Charlotte underwent an cognition to region them successful September 2022, but doctors had to permission a fewer for hazard of damaging her ovary.

Afterwards, she began IUI which progressive artificially inseminating herself with the sperm.

But aft 4 failed attempts, doctors noticed the remaining cysts had grown and she request much surgery.

She said: "After that operation, I was near with 10 percent of my close ovary.

"It was truthful upsetting - I ne'er thought I had an issues.

"It was going to marque it hard to conceive naturally.

"But it conscionable meant I would request IVF alternatively and I didn't suffer anticipation of becoming a mum."

Charlotte had 7 eggs retrieved, and doctors fertilised them utilizing the remaining sperm donor sample.

Three of the eggs were viable embryos, meaning they could implanted successful her womb.

The archetypal embryo was unsuccessful, but the 2nd 1 worked and Charlotte recovered retired she was large successful November 2023.

She said: "I was implicit the satellite and the archetypal idiosyncratic I told was my mum.

"I ne'er had a negativity astir doing it unsocial - everyone was truthful blessed for me.

"My mum came to each assignment with me.

"She was close by my broadside passim and my rock."

Charlotte planned to person an elective c-section astatine 35 weeks and 4 days but went into earthy labour successful July 2024.

She rushed to Frimley Park Hospital and had an exigency c-section aft 48 hours erstwhile the baby's bosom complaint dropped.

With grandma Sue successful the room, Charlotte welcomed her girl Thea astatine 3.51pm weighing 5lb 8oz.

Charlotte said: "The past 5 months person flown by.

"She's a precise smiley small girl."

A study by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority person said 4,800 azygous women utilized sperm donors and IVF successful 2022 - up by 1,400 successful 2012.

The HFEA said women are connected mean 36-years-old erstwhile they usage clinics.

Charlotte feels comforted that Thea won't beryllium the lone kid with conscionable 1 parent.

She said: "When she goes to schoolhouse and isn't capable to speech astir a dada she isn't going to unsocial successful that."

Charlotte shares her travel connected Instagram @solo_bump and hopes her communicative tin animate others.

She said: "There are routes to marque a household imaginable alternatively of rushing into a narration that's incorrect conscionable for the involvement of having a child."