Woman reveals she spent her life savings of £35,000 to become a single mother aged 39 with a sperm donor after fearing she would hit 40 without finding love
- Lisa Green look into using a sperm donor after reaching 38 without finding love
- Spent £12k on IVF and another £22.5k on supporting herself on maternity leave
- Recruitment manager from Solihull had saved the money for a dream house
A single woman has revealed she spent her life savings on becoming a mum ahead of her 40th birthday.
Lisa Green, from Solihull in the West Midlands, had always dreamed of becoming a mum – but as she got closer to 40, she feared she’d never meet the one.
When she was 38 she decided to spend the £35,000 she’d put aside to buy her dream home to instead become a mum by using a sperm donor to give her the child she desperately wanted.
Lisa Green, from Solihull in the West Midlands, spent £35000 on her dream of becoming a mum by using a sperm donor as she hadn’t met the right person to have a child with by the time she was 38. She is pictured with her daughter Francesca
When Lisa was 38 she decided to spend the £35,000 she’d put aside to buy her dream home to instead become a mum by using a sperm donor to give her the child she desperately wanted. She is pictured with daughter Francesca
She gave birth to her daughter Francesca last October aged 39 – and says she has no regrets about deciding to go it alone.
Now 40, Lisa, a recruitment manager, said: ‘I set myself a deadline of having a baby by 40 because that’s always a number that I was working towards but I realised it was approaching quickly.
‘I’d always known I wanted to be a mum but when my sister had her son, my nephew, Charlie, he was the first baby of the family and he melted everyone’s hearts.
‘I hadn’t met “the one” yet, but the reason I went to the fertility clinic initially was because I wanted to speak to them about the possibility of freezing my eggs.
‘A lot of the tests during that process were the same as the IVF ones and it was obvious from the results that my fertility was declining – it was kind of like now or never and I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to have children.
‘I had disposable income that I was putting aside for a house deposit but I felt that the time was ticking more on my fertility than it was to buy a house.
‘I was excited when I became pregnant but I couldn’t get my head around that it was actually happening.
‘I was putting together the nursery and buying her clothes and it felt like I was playing dolls or something.
‘My mum and sister were with me during labour and my other sister joined shortly after I gave birth – everyone has been so supportive.
Lisa gave birth to her daughter Francesca last October aged 39 – and says she has no regrets about deciding to go it alone. They are pictured together
In 2017, Lisa looked into the option of freezing her eggs after realising her fertility was declining. But after several tests, doctors said this was no longer an option as her eggs were mixed quality and would decrease more when thawing. Her baby Francesca is pictured
Lisa (pictured) looked into having a baby on her own through IVF and worked her way towards her first round which cost £7000 and involved her selecting her sperm donor online
‘Finally getting my wish of becoming a mother before 40 was unbelievable. I was proud of myself because I did it all on my own.’
In 2017, Lisa looked into the option of freezing her eggs after realising her fertility was declining.
But after several tests, doctors said this was no longer an option as her eggs were mixed quality and would decrease more when thawing.
Lisa miscarried her first baby at nine weeks and she became unsure of whether she wanted to go through IVF again. But after a further chat with her consultant, she was determined to have her dream child and after spending another £5500, baby Francesca was born in October 2019 (pictured)
Lisa shared her journey on Instagram and has been asked for advice from strangers interested in becoming a single mum through IVF. She admits that some people ask about Francesca’s dad but always promises to be open with everyone, especially her daughter as she grows up. The pair are pictured together
Lisa was inspired to become a mum after becoming an aunt to nephew Charlie, she is pictured with Charlie and her sister Jodie
Lisa looked into having a baby on her own through IVF and worked her way towards her first round which cost £7000 and involved her selecting her sperm donor online.
She said: ‘If I didn’t have such a supportive family, it might have been a different story but I’ve got a really close-knit family so I just thought I’m going to go for it.
‘I didn’t want to rush into meeting someone because you’re tied to them for the rest of your life and I’d rather my child have no father than a bad one.
Lisa says she’s always wanted to be a mum, and used the funds for her dream house on IVF and a sperm donor
Lisa also revealed that her sperm donor wrote a letter for her daughter Francesca (pictured) so she can learn about his family history. She hopes that when she’s older she can learn about why he donated
‘The hospital had a sperm coordinator who put me into three sperm banks across the country – it was a bit like internet dating but without a picture.
‘It’s a bit of a surreal experience because you have to get your head out of the fact that you’re not looking to marry this person.
‘After I picked a donor, they wrote me a letter so I’ve got something to show Francesca when she’s older and he’s told her about his family history and why he donated.’
Lisa said finding a sperm donor was ‘like internet dating but without a picture’. She is pictured with her daughter now
Lisa said she was really nervous to tell her family about the process but they now proudly tell everyone about it. She is pictured with her sister Jodie and Stacey
Lisa miscarried her first baby at nine weeks and she became unsure of whether she wanted to go through IVF again.
But after a further chat with her consultant, she was determined to have her dream child and after spending another £5500, baby Francesca was born in October 2019.
Lisa said: ‘It never seemed real and it’s probably taken me a few months to actually realise she’s mine.
‘Everyone just says it’s amazing and it’s a real relief because I did worry about what others would say.
Lisa is open with everyone about Francesca’s (pictured) conception, adding that she will tell her as soon as she is old enough to understand
‘I was really nervous to tell my dad about the IVF – he was a bit taken aback at first but now he will tell anyone that will listen and he’s so proud.
‘It was just the right time for me and I’m 40 next month so I knew my clock was ticking and I needed to get on with it.’
Lisa shared her journey on Instagram and has been asked for advice from strangers interested in becoming a single mum through IVF.
She admits that some people ask about Francesca’s dad but always promises to be open with everyone, especially her daughter as she grows up.
Charlie, Lisa’s nephew, is pictured with the scan of Lisa’s baby after she fell pregnant with Francesca
Lisa’s nephew Charlie (pictured with his, Lisa’s sister Jodie) was the first baby of the family and ‘melted’ everyone’s heart which made Lisa want a baby even more
Lisa is pictured with her nephew Charlie, who she said made her want to become a mother herself even more
‘I have older people look in the pram and say she’s beautiful and ask if she looks like me or her dad and I just say I don’t know who the dad is.
‘I do it for the comedy value because I just like to see the reaction on people’s faces but I just like to be really open with people and tell them.
‘My plan is just to be honest with Francesca as soon as she can understand and explain that she’s very wanted but that I hadn’t met the right person yet.
‘People might say that it’s selfish because they have no father or that you’re buying children but my opinion is, no father is better than having a bad father.
‘She has got positive male role models in her life such as my dad and her two uncles – and it doesn’t stop me from meeting anyone in the future.’
Baby Francesca is pictured: Lisa isn’t bothered by people calling her selfish for raising a baby without a father, as she says no father is better than a bad one
Lisa added her baby, pictured as a newborn, has a lot of positive male figures in her life, including her grandfather and uncles
Baby joy! Lisa is pictured at home with her baby Francesca, who she decided to have after reaching 38 without finding love
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