A woman who had a baby by herself said she encountered “quite a lot of negativity” in her quest to become a mother for the second time. 

Orla originally began IVF when she was dating her former partner; the treatment was unsuccessful and the couple decided to split up. 

Despite the breakup, Orla did not stop wanting to have another child and decided to become a single parent. 

“I decided to do it on my own,” she told Lunchtime Live. 

“I tried three times on my own and, thankfully, in January 2016, I had my lovely boy. 

“He’s eight now.” 

Society and single parents

Although Orla had no doubts about her desire to be a parent again, she found some people tried to subtly dissuade her when she told them her plan. 

“People were trying to put me off saying, ‘Would you not think you’re a bit too old?’” she said. 

“But I just kept positive all the way and I just kept going. 

“I was going to go as far as I had to go in order for it to happen and, thankfully, it did.” 

Others suggested she should consider adoption - or just give up on having another child altogether. 

“They were saying, ‘Would you not adopt?’” she said. 

“I have another boy, he’s 21, and they were saying, ‘You have another child, do you not think that’s [enough]?’ 

“There was a lot of negativity; I didn’t listen to it and I think you shouldn’t listen to it because it’s your body and I think if you want to go down that route, I would definitely encourage anybody to do it.

“I know so many people who have done it on their own and I think it’s a great thing to do because we all have a biological clock to listen to and I don’t think you should be dictated to by anybody else.” 

“That’s the reason why I split up with my partner at the time - because I wanted to do this for me and for my boy who is now 21.

“So, I have two boys.” 

IVF process

Had Orla been younger, she said she would have “loved to have done it again” but, ultimately, decided two children were enough. 

“I had a donor sperm and a donor egg,” she said. 

“Because I was 46, I didn’t want to risk anything by using my own eggs because the quality deteriorates after the age of 25, so they say. 

“So, I used a donor egg and I’m glad I did because both my donors were in their early 20s. 

“The younger the person donating the egg, the better chance you have of actually conceiving, so they say.” 

In Budget 2025, the Government announced an expansion in the number of people who are entitled to free IVF treatment.

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Main image shows a newborn baby. Picture by: Alamy.com