"I had my baby girl in Summer 2019 as a single parent by choice. She is now a happy, energetic toddler who currently loves gardening, dancing and counting.
I decided to become a single parent by choice following surgeries to save my fertility and struggles with endometriosis. When my doctors told me that if I wanted a family I should plan it sooner rather than later; I instantly knew I wanted to be a solo parent. I was single and I knew I didn’t want to rush into a relationship just to have a baby. It felt like a now or never moment and I began the process of choosing a donor, tracking my cycles and planning a pregnancy. I am now hoping to have a second baby to complete my family.
At the time I had never met any solo families and therefore never seen them represented in the community. I know they’re out there as I’m in the Facebook groups but I’m yet to meet them. Solo families really are unseen and the LGBT+ solo families are even more unseen. I’m a very reserved person so participating involved stepping out of my comfort zone. I’m proud to be a solo parent and there is no reason for solo parents to be unseen. Bringing my baby into this world has been my greatest achievement and my greatest struggle has been raising my daughter through the Covid lockdowns. I have been isolated as a solo parent and I worry how this may have impacted on my daughter through some crucial stages in her early years. However I try not to let this get me down. My photo captures a pivotal moment in my life where difficulties with infertility and the struggles of trying to conceive a baby had become a thing of the past and my new family is about to become a reality. This was a point in my life when my biggest anxieties, of being unable to have a baby, no longer could play on my mind. I hope it gives others hope and inspires others who maybe, like myself, once believed a family must happen with a partner."
