Mum launches new fertility support group for families

Sarah Banks, 35, who conceived her son, Jack, in her second round of fertility treatment at the assisted conception unit at Calderdale Royal Hospital, is starting up the group.

Her daughter Millie, was a natural surprise just 14 months later.

She reckons mums and dads need all the support they can get outside hospital as well as the care from the doctors and nurses when they are going through fertility treatment.

“Couples don’t talk about what they are going through,” she said. “They just don’t. In our case, all our friends were getting pregnant at the same time as we were trying and it wasn’t happening for us.

“I think 14 babies were conceived in that time. We were desperate for a family we really, really wanted and we had no control.

“I have since met other families who have been through the same thing and we all said if we had known each other when we were going through it, we could have shared our experiences so we didn’t feel we were so isolated.”

Sarah, a former buyer for greetings cards for Marks and Spencer, and husband Andrew, Chief Operating Office at Matalan Direct, had tried for four years before they started treatment.

Theirs was complicated as Sarah had previously undiagnosed polycystic ovaries.

Baby Jack, now three, was born five days late via emergency caesarean section weighing 9lbs 7 oz. Fourteen months later they conceived naturally their daughter Millie. Millie, now one, was also born five days late, by emergency caesarean section and weighing 9lbs 7 oz.

The support group will be called the Yorkshire Fertility Support Group and will be held on the third Monday of every month at the Elsie Whiteley Centre, Hopwood Lane, Halifax 7-8.30 pm and anyone interested is welcome to attend. The first is on November 21.

There will also be a launch event on November 2 – also at the Elsie Whiteley Centre - where Yorkshire Fertility’s “babymaker” consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician Martin DeBono will be the guest speaker.