A 24-year-old woman has given birth after finding a sperm donor and buying a £25 DIY kit to inseminate herself at home
Bailey Ennis, 24, fell pregnant on her first attempt and now has a son - who she is raising as a single parent - saying she has no desire to be in a relationship. The mum-of-one says she decided to have a baby via sperm donor in September 2021 and found a donor online who lived nearby.
After falling pregnant in October 2021, she welcomed a little boy, named Lorenzo, on 2nd July 2022 at 6.54pm weighing 5lbs 2oz.
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Fertility clinics are controlled by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), with donors limited to ten families and required to undergo medical and psychological checks.
But the cost of a single cycle - estimated between £800 and £1,600, plus the donor sperm (about £1,000 for each vial) - has pushed many people online.
Experts have warned that private transactions between men and women are outside the HFEA's jurisdiction - and there is no safeguarding or mandatory health checks.
Now Bailey is settling into life as a single mum and says she 'couldn’t be happier' with her decision to go it alone.
Bailey, a stay-at-home mum, from south London, said: "Having a baby by myself is the best thing I have ever done.
"Being a mum is wonderful and I am so happy I decided to go it alone. I’ve wanted to be a mum since I was a teenager and as a lesbian, I always knew it would need to be via artificial insemination.
"I didn’t have a desire to be in a relationship. I just wanted to have a baby. Lorenzo is amazing and looks just like me.”
Bailey had always wanted to be a parent since she was a teenager, and realised she would need to go through artificial insemination to be able to have a child.
"I came to the realisation that I didn’t want to be in a relationship to have a baby,” she said.
"I knew I could just do it by myself.”
Bailey used a sperm donor website to choose her donor and sifted through profiles to find someone with lots of experience and who was healthy.
"I wasn’t looking for particular features, but I just wanted someone trustworthy and as healthy as possible,” she said.
"I found someone who had a healthy medical record and had been a donor for two others before for two LGBTQ couples.
"I found my donor and we WhatsApped and met up for a coffee before both agreeing he would be my donor.
"He has agreed to be my donor for as many children as I would like I wanted to have blood-related siblings.”
Bailey then purchased an artificial insemination kit online for £25 and let her donor come over to her home when her cycle had lined up.
"It was really easy and not awkward at all,” she said.
"He brought over his donation and then helped me use the kit.
"It has sterile cups, syringes, ovulation tests and that's it."
Bailey found out she was pregnant on 31st October 2021.
"I was so insanely happy,” she said. "It was all I had ever wanted in life.”
Bailey had a smooth pregnancy and went into early labour at 38 weeks and five days.
"I was having a few contractions for a few days before I went into hospital,” she said. "Then he came very quickly.
"I did all alone and didn't have a birthing partner. I thought he was gorgeous as soon as I saw him.”
Lorenzo was born weighing 5lbs 2oz on 2nd July 2022 and the pair stayed in hospital for two days to check his growth before they were able to come home on 4th July 2022.
"He has my nose, big eyes like mine and my brown hair,” Bailey said.
"He smiles when he passes wind it’s really cute. I give the donor updates so he can hear about Lorenzo. Lorenzo will know about the donor and will be able to meet him at any point of his life.
"He is definitely going to have siblings when I’m ready. I’m so comfortable and happy being a single mum.”
