Yes, They're All Ours!

Jamie Scott was desperate to add a little girl to her family, but was in for a big surprise

- Kara O’Neill And Julia Sidwell

Most new mums know how hectic life can be with a newborn. Piles of washing, sleepless nights and not a second to yourself to even attempt to apply some lipstick. But, as a mum-of-two already, when I fell pregnant for the third time, I thought I was more than prepared for what was to come. Until I learnt that all the chaos that a newborn brings was about to be multiplied by five.

After getting married to my husband Skyler in July 2004, I’d quickly fallen pregnant. Shayden was born in July 2005, followed by Landon five years later. And, as much as I was in love with my little boys, I always had a feeling that something – or rather, someone – was missing. I was so sure that if I got pregnant again, it would be with a girl. The only problem was, after being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) after having Landon, I knew that having another baby wouldn’t be easy. But Shayden and Landon were desperate for a little sister, too, and I knew we had to try.

We waited a while, not consciously trying but not using contraception either. Only, after five years there was no baby. After talking one evening, Skyler, then 35, and I decided to try intrauterine insemination.

Not giving up

At £3,000 it was cheaper than IVF, and was less invasive, but, as with any fertility treatment, the chances of conceiving remained low. But years of disappointment and tears had brought us to this point, and we weren’t about to give up hope yet. We used our savings to pay for the procedure, and when a couple of weeks later my blood tests came back positive for the pregnancy hormone, we were delighted.

At seven weeks, in October 2017, I went back to the clinic with Skyler and my mum, Kathleen, for an early scan, but as the sonographer moved the Doppler across my stomach, I saw confusion on her face.