They're the little miracles who brought smiles to their parents’ faces.
And the babies and toddlers conceived thanks to fertility treatment were the special guests at the annual IVF babies party hosted by the fertility team at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.
Among them were nine-month-old twins Elyza and Colin who brought joy to their parents, Bolouebi and Livingstone Solomon on their fifth round of IVF.
Mrs Solomon, 34, of Holmfirth, said: “It was tough and then amazing.
“It was a relief when we found out we were expecting. We had got to the stage where we thought this would be the last time.
“When the telephone call came confirming I was pregnant it was so emotional. We didn’t really believe it until we saw them on the scan.
“Then we were anxious that it would be ok. I was extra careful and we cancelled a holiday because we didn’t want to take any risks.
“They are certainly happy babies and they keep me busy.”
The families shared their amazing stories about their emotional IVF journeys and praised the care they had received from the Trust’s expert fertility nurses and doctors along the way.
The hospital team, now called Yorkshire Fertility, was celebrating a landmark birthday of its own – 21 years of fertility care.
When it first opened it had 160 patients a year, now there are 1,500 new referrals and it is now the biggest unit of its kind in the country, supporting parents in Bradford, Wakefield, Pontefract and Dewsbury.
Consultant Martin De Bono said: “It’s been an extraordinary year for Yorkshire Fertility with more patients coming to us for help to create a family than ever before.
“We are very proud of our reputation and this party is what it is all about. It’s a pleasure for us all in the team to be able to welcome back so many families who are very much our friends too.”
Other parents attending included Liz Hill and Pete Chase from Marsh, who took along 11-month-old twins Clara and Elodie and a little extra one as Liz has conceived naturally and the baby is due later this year.
Rebecca Batley and partner Steve postponed their wedding to pay for treatment and along came little Everly, now 17 months.
The Holmfirth couple are planning to get married next month at the register office where Everly was registered.
Rebecca said of the team: “They are such a happy bunch. They keep you relaxed throughout, you don’t feel uptight. They were fantastic. It’s hard work yet the staff here were fantastic.”
To contact the team call 01422 224478 or email info.infertility@cht.nhs.uk.
