Case Studies
SPECIAL DELIVERY FOR POSTWOMAN
Postwoman Tracey Day made the special delivery of a lifetime when she gave birth to baby Megan in July. Tracey and her husband David Galpin are delighted to be parents, ending five years of waiting.
The couple from Sandy, Bedfordshire, joined Louise Brown, the world"s first "test-tube baby" and Dr Jenny Joy, daughter of IVF pioneer Professor Robert Edwards for a traditional English afternoon tea in the Jacobean manor and grounds at Bourn Hall clinic. Patients past and present gathered on 20 October to celebrate the wonderful news that Professor Edwards has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine 2010.
"This baby is so special, not just for us but for all our family, friends and work colleagues who have supported us and also to members of the public on my round who have been delighted by Megan"s safe arrival," says Tracey. Another reason why Megan"s birth is special is that she is the 100th baby to be born since the increase in NHS funding in May 2009, making fertility treatment more accessible to eligible couples in the region.
Tracey had been told it would be difficult for her to conceive when it was found that her levels of the hormone progesterone were very low and she wasn"t releasing any eggs. She then went on a two-year course of treatment with the fertility drug Clomid which is prescribed in blocks of 6 months with a wait in between.
"It was just endless waiting, hoping each time that this month would be successful," remembers Tracey. "Then in May 2009 I was referred to Bourn Hall, where I very soon started treatment which involved being very brave and injecting myself with the drugs."
Tracey managed to produce some eggs during her first cycle of treatment, of which three became embryos and only one of which was seen to be thriving. Then she had another wait to see if she was pregnant.
"I felt nauseous after 5 days and I couldn"t resist doing a test, it was positive. But I didn"t dare to believe it until I had an 8-week scan at Bourn Hall where it was confirmed. We were over the moon."
"I think I was probably more cautious than other pregnant women but once I had explained what this baby meant to me everyone was really understanding. They were all so pleased for us."
Tracey says that her boss and colleagues supported her all the way and that she had been put on light duties when she first started her IVF treatment and then throughout her pregnancy, adding that her service as a postwoman did help to get her in training to be a mum.
"I was very fit and healthy which is a benefit before, during and after pregnancy and also I am used to early mornings!"
"We are delighted to have been given this chance to become parents. Megan is all that we could have ever wanted."
