A lesbian couple have had a DIY IVF baby after their gay best friend donated his sperm in a syringe.
How lovely is that!
Jade Richards, 36, and Ann Gard, 32, were desperate to start a family but wanted to exhaust all other options before going down the expensive route of IVF.
Their friend of eight years, Jarrad Evans, 36, then stepped in to offer his services to deposit his sperm into a syringe – something that’s usually used to impregnate horses – which the couple could then use.
Every month Jarrad’s semen samples were used for the ‘DIY’ insemination and despite many failed attempts, 14 months later Jade finally fell pregnant – amazing!
The couple welcomed their daughter, Micah, into the world on September 6, and have agreed she will always call Jarrad dad.
Jarrad will now spend special occasions with the whole family and now the trio are planning to have another baby within the next two years.
Jade, a postwoman, said: “Micah is our little miracle, we are so grateful for everything Jarrad has given us.
“We knew IVF was lengthy and expensive so thought we might as well try getting pregnant ourselves first, and when Jarrad told us he was willing to help we knew we had to give it a go.
“At first Ann and I bought a turkey baster, but Jarrad told us that they don’t hold liquid so instead we bought a syringe with a long tube attached – it’s actually something that they use to impregnate horses.
“It was trial and error, but Jarrad was amazing and every time we told him it was time to try again he would be there.”
Read more: Woman claims she cannot work as she has to walk the dog
“When we finally fell pregnant we were all so excited, we knew the risks of having a friend as a donor, but we made it clear to Jarrad what we wanted from him and have all agreed Micah can call him dad.
“We know that others may think it’s a little strange but our family and friends have been so supportive, and it’s definitely worked for us.
“We want more children, Ann and I both agreed that I would carry our first baby as I am older but Ann will carry our second, and Jarrad has agreed to be our sperm donor again.”
Jade and Ann had always known they wanted a family but after looking into IVF they decided to try for a baby without the help of medical professionals as they would be faced with long waiting times and expensive costs.
Read more: Together again! Elderly couple forced into separate nursing homes finally reunited
After their first donor fell through, Jarrad, who had known Jade for eight years, stepped forward and offered to help.
She added: “We made it clear from the beginning what we wanted from Jarrad, but he was more than happy to help.
“Every month Jarrad came round and produced a sperm sample into a syringe, Ann and I would then go straight to our bedroom to start the insemination.”
“Every time I had my period I knew we would have to try again and so researched tips on how to conceive successfully, even trying to angle the syringe differently.
“We tried this 14 times until eventually it worked, I had never taken a pregnancy test before as I wanted to avoid disappointment but this time I just had a feeling.
“We messaged Jarrad, who was on holiday at the time, he couldn’t believe it, we were all so excited but didn’t want to get our hopes up until the 12 week scan.”
On September 6, Jade gave birth to baby Micah, weighing 8lbs 9oz.
Jade said: “Jarred was in the waiting room and as soon as he heard we had a little girl he cried, he rushed in to see Micah and held her straight away.
“Micah is a very chilled baby, the whole experience has been a lot easier than I thought it would be and Ann and I are completely in love with her.
“Jarrad is not Micah’s parent but we have all agreed that Micah can call him dad when she is older and he wants to be involved in her life.
“We definitely want more children and Ann will carry our next baby, Jarrad has even agreed to be our sperm donor again which is amazing.”