A mum-of-two is sharing her experience of parenthood after conceiving twin girls with sperm from a complete stranger she met on Facebook.
Sarah Mangat, 34, had been happily single and child-free for nearly eight years when she suddenly had the desire to have a baby in July 2020.
She looked into sperm banks but found the process "too impersonal", so instead tracked down a social media group for sperm donors.
After hitting it off with a man, Sarah underwent numerous health checks and fertility treatments before conceiving in November 2021.
Sarah, from Toronto, Canada, said: "If you're thinking about doing it alone, I say do it. It's the best decision I ever made."
Sarah had "tried every dating app under the sun" and didn't want to wait any longer for the right person to come into her life.
So she started researching her options to have a baby alone - but was put off sperm banks as they wouldn't allow her to meet the donor before the child turned 18.
"I wanted to know the person before that. I was already becoming a mum unconventionally - why not find the donor myself?" she explained.
Sarah discovered a Facebook group called 'Canadian Sperm Donors' and spoke with a few people before finding one she "clicked" with.
In February 2021, she met him in person and he agreed to undergo STI checks and genetic tests, and ultimately be her sperm donor.
"Of course, I was a bit wary of meeting someone from online. I had a few weird messages," she explained.
"But made sure we I met-up in a public place and we got on really well. I knew he was the one to be my donor.
"We actually became quite good friends because he stuck with me through all my fertility issues."
Sarah joined Victory Reproductive Health Fertility Clinic, in Ontario, Canada, where routine tests revealed she wasn't ovulating correctly.
She underwent 14 months of tests and treatment and spent around £5,000 on hormonal injections to increase her fertility.
In October 2021, she had her first full medicated cycle and was delighted to conceive a month later using the stranger's sperm.
Sarah experienced severe cramping and was scheduled for an early ultrasound - where she was told that she was expecting twins.
"I was so delighted, but first trimester was terrible. I was so nauseous and barely able to keep any food down. I survived on French fries for weeks," she said.
At 20-weeks pregnant, Sarah went for a routine check-up and doctors discovered her cervix had shortened to 1cm and was at risk of opening too early.
She had a cervical stitch to prevent the babies arriving too soon, but it only worked for two weeks.
"The doctor asked me if I'd want them to try and save the babies lives or just provide 'comfort care' which was support if the babies didn't make it," she said.
"I asked them to do anything they could to save them. Every day I was talking to my bump begging them to stay in longer."
At 26-weeks and six days, Sarah went to the bathroom and saw a toilet "full of blood" - she had gone into labour.
Sarah was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital and the following day where she laboured for 36 hours.
Her premature daughters Elora and Addison arrived within minutes of each other on April 30, 2022, weighing 2lb 2oz and 1lb 9oz.
"They were so tiny. Literally all skin and bone - they looked like aliens," she said.
"Both of them were wrapped in plastic to stay warm. I later found out that Addison had to be resuscitated which was terrifying."
Both girls suffered from grade 1 bleeds on the brain, had heart defects and needed a blood transfusion.
The twins also had underdeveloped lungs and were on breathing machines for the first few months of their lives.
"Every day I left the hospital at 5pm and go home to an empty house. That was a difficult part about doing it by myself," Sarah said.
"I couldn't comfort them when they cried. Being there became my nine to five, and for the first few weeks my mum, Jane, 63, went every day too.
"I couldn't have done it without her. I was allowed to hold one at a time for a few hours a day."
After a long health battle, the twins defied the odds and were able to go home.
"They needed to wear a helmet because their heads are flatten but otherwise doing great," Sarah said.
"It's really important to share my NICU journey - it was very traumatic. I know a lot of parents have been through this. I still have hard moments as one person with two babies.
"But I also have very wonderful moments. So true what people say - the days are long, and the year are short. They're a year old now and I can't believe they're mine."
Did you conceive via sperm donation? Get in touch. Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
