There was a time when I was more interested in the person producing the sperm, than the junk he produced. Then life happened and now, as they say, that’s history. Since deciding to go down this path, undoubtedly the biggest decision I’ve had to make is choosing a sperm donor. Once I had decided I…
I Want To Be A Mum: Raising A Boy As A Solo Mum
“You be the baby, I be the mummy”, my son tells me for the seventeenth time today. It’s his favourite game. “You could be daddy”, I suggest. “No, I want to be mummy”. “Daddies look after babies too you know”, “no, mummies look after babies”. As a self-proclaimed feminist I feel I’m somewhat failing at…
Implications Counselling For Fertility Treatment
I woke up this morning with my heart in my mouth. I’m probably over thinking it (as usual) but today I’ll be seeing the counsellor. Today they will be saying yay or neigh to my decision to change my live irreversibly in one of the most excruciating, demanding and wonderful ways possible. Today I go for…
Another Reading of the Single Mum Research
You might have seen in the news recently that a study has just been released about the long term effects of growing up with a single parent (read mum). It’s the usual kind of gumpf – single parents are useless, blah, blah, blah. Only this one claimed to have long term data to prove it,…
Becoming A Single Mum By Choice: The Process
Today it started. The process – my process – of becoming a single mum by choice. I’ve no idea how long it will take but I know it’s started. I cycled to the clinic through rush hour in central London… not a good idea as it turns out. At one point a cab driver rolled down…
Moving House – Memories: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
I slump; slowly, into the sofa. It’s not the physical exhaustion of packing that’s getting to me. I can handle placing crap into a box. It’s the crap which is escaping that I’m struggling to deal with. They say moving home is stressful, but I hadn’t bargained for the emotions to come out faster than I could tape…
Single Mum By Choice: Choosing a Fertility Clinic
It’s an intimidating decision, choosing a fertility clinic, especially on your own. I’ve been researching various clinics for a few weeks. Last night I visited the first one on my short-list. No one knew I was going there. As I got nearer the excitement started to turn to nerves. As I walked inside I steeled myself…
Deciding To Be A Single Mum By Choice
The idea of becoming a single mum by choice has been circling around in my brain for some time. It’s felt near on impossible to reach a final decision though. After all, deciding to have a(nother) child can’t be answered with a pros and cons list. Such a list would collapse under the weight of all the cons (screaming, lack of…
The Grenfell Tower Fire and Politics
It’s been almost a week since the tragic Grenfell Tower fire, in which over 79 people are believed to have died. There is something about the terror of 127 homes becoming an inferno in a matter of minutes that rips to the core of you. I’ve read the stories, watched the footage and viewed the…
How The Election Campaign Made Me Smile Again
I was child free this weekend, the world was my oyster. It was my first truly free weekend since I’ve had my son. My parents have taken him when I’ve been on work-trips and they had him while I was at a friends hen-do and wedding, but never just so I could mooch around. I felt…