A NEW mum who “found mother’s day a real struggle” when she was unable to conceive naturally is looking forward to celebrating the day with her eight-month-old son.

Although Katy Ovendon, from Wickford, is now a mum to her son Charlie following successful IVF, she still vividly remembers the heartache of being unable to get pregnant.

The 31-year-old and her husband Leigh were told two-and-a-half years ago that they would need IVF after trying to conceive naturally for two years.

READ MORE >> Plans to have new ‘literacy corners’ in every library by June

Katy said: “This Mother’s Day is my first as a mum and, while I am happy for myself, I will also be thinking about all the women who might be feeling sad and finding the day particularly difficult.

“It can feel very lonely when it seems as though you are the only one who can’t conceive.

“I used to find Mother’s Day a real struggle and would get really down, as you can’t escape it, it is all over social media, in the shops, on TV, and that makes it really difficult when all you want is to be a mum.”

Following tests, it was revealed she had polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is a very common cause of infertility that can result in irregular ovulation, or failure to ovulate.

However, the couple’s IVF treatment at Bourn Hall fertitlity clinic, in Wickford, worked first time, and their son Charlie was born on July 21, 2021.

Katy added: “The news we would need IVF hit us pretty badly, it was very hard to stay positive.

“It seemed as though everyone we knew was getting pregnant, and I felt really happy for people but at the same time I felt this insane jealously.

“We went to an open evening at Bourn Hall and came away feeling really positive as all the staff were friendly and the presentation was so clear about the statistics regarding success rates, we came away feeling like we would be really well looked after.

“It felt really surreal when we left Bourn Hall after the embryo transfer and then it still makes me cry thinking about the pregnancy test when I saw it was positive, I will never forget that moment.

“When Charlie arrived, it was like a dream come true, it was just the most magical feeling.

“But even though I am so excited for myself on Mother’s Day, I will also be checking in with people who might be feeling sad as it is a really difficult day when being a mum is the one thing you want in the world.”