Tracey, 26, from Melbourne, Victoria, opens up about her family’s fertility struggle.
I swirled my glass of wine and cocked my head at Mum.
“Really?” I said. “You want another baby?”
I had just come back from my honeymoon.
Mum, my sister Jade and I were close.
She had raised us on her own after my dad left when I was little.
She was 44 and had me when she was 19 so she was a young mum, and more like a mate than a mother.
For years, she had devoted all her time and energy to raising Jade and me.
But a few years before, she’d met a lovely guy called Brad, 32.
They married and she was happier than we’d ever known her to be.
Still, I was shocked that she wanted to add to the family.
“Well, Brad doesn’t have kids and now that you’ve all moved out there’s room for another bub,” Mum mused.
Then her eyes misted up.
“Trouble is, we’ve been trying for ages and nothing is happening.”
My reservations dissolved seeing her upset.
Mum wanted to create a family with Brad. (Image: Getty)
She told me they’d been to a fertility clinic and had been told that IVF was their only option.
But they couldn’t afford it.
Later that night, I told my new husband, Kyle, about it.
Kyle and I were both 26 and had good jobs.
I worked as a secretary in the city and Kyle ran his own plumbing business.
“Do you think we could help them?” I asked him.
I wasn’t sure what his reaction would be, but he immediately agreed.
I kissed him gratefully.
“We’ll have to do it anonymously, though,” I told him.
“Mum would never accept the money from us. She’s way too proud.”
A few days later Mum called me up excitedly.
“You’ll never guess what’s just happened,” she cried. “Some kind soul has donated all the money we need to have IVF.”
She told me that a cheque had arrived in the post with a typed note saying they hoped her dreams for having a baby would soon come true.
“Wow, that’s incredible,” I said, winking at Kyle.
To my annoyance, Mum thought it was Jade who donated it! Jade was single, and had a good job as a supervisor at Coles.
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I couldn’t bring myself to meet her little boy. (Image: Getty)
“She denies it of course,” Mum continued. “But it’s just so wonderful.”
I silently blew a kiss at Kyle.
It was so lovely to hear Mum back to her upbeat self.
Mum had to have hormone injections to get her body ready.
Then an egg was retrieved and combined with Brad’s sperm in a lab.
On Christmas Eve, she went in for the transfer.
The next day, Mum refused to drink any bubbly with her Christmas roast, in case she was pregnant.
Two weeks later, came the news we were waiting for.
“I’m pregnant,” Mum cried happily. “Isn’t that the best Christmas present ever?”
I was so thrilled for her.
But as the months passed and her tummy grew, I felt a little jealous.
Kyle and I had been trying for our own baby for three years and nothing had happened.
Kyle and I had been trying for a baby for three years. (Image: Getty)
Now Kyle had effectively bought Mum a baby for Christmas, but we were still waiting.
I plastered on a smile every time Mum gushed about her scans or the baby kicking.
My mood got so bad that it took me a few days after her son was born to muster up the courage to meet him.
“He looks like you did as a bub,” Mum cooed.
I had to look away so she couldn’t see my tears.
Afterwards I picked a fight with Kyle.
“I fell in love with my sperm donor!”
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“She makes me feel sick,” I snapped. “Your money made her pregnant. How about doing the same for me?”
A year passed and I hardly visited Mum and the new baby.
I couldn’t bring myself to.
“What’s up with you? Mum misses you,” Jade told me.
“Tough,” I said bitterly.
I couldn’t tell her the truth because she’d tell Mum.
Christmas came and we spent the holiday with Kyle’s family that year.
Then three weeks later I started to feel ill. My boobs were sore, too.
After so long, Kyle and I were amazed when we found out. (Image: Getty)
With shaking hands, I took a pregnancy test and fell to my knees.
“Finally,” I cried, sobbing.
We went to see my GP who worked out that my date of conception had been Christmas Day.
A year to the day since Mum had done the same!
Armed with a picture of my scan, I knocked on Mum’s door.
“Tracey!” she cried, holding a gorgeous little boy.
“Hi Brandon,” I said, tears filling my eyes.
I showed Mum the scan image.
“I’ve been a terrible daughter,” I said. “I was too jealous to face you.”
We hugged and cried. Now, I’ve just given birth to my own daughter, Kaytie.
This Christmas, we will all celebrate together.
I’m so happy we are all close again.
When the time is right, I’ll tell Mum that my husband got us both pregnant on Christmas Day, but for now, I’ll just count our blessings.
