A single woman in her 50s, who ‘always wanted to be a mother’, celebrated the birth of her baby girl with IVF. Kelly Clarke had always known she wanted a family but had never met the right person to have children, so decided to go through the process alone – despite objections from her family. As her 50th birthday approached, Kelly decided to fly to Athens for an IVF consultation in March 2020 – where she was told she would need to use a sᴘᴇʀᴍ donor to become a parent.

Just four months later, Kelly flew back to Greece to implant the ꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴢᴇᴅ ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏ – and a checkup 12 days later revealed she was pregnant. In total, Kelly spent around £4,000 on IVF onboard – including treatment, ꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴅʀᴜɢs, flights and accommodation. This is said to be significantly cheaper than treatment in the UK – which Kelly is said can cost up to £15,000. Single mom Kelly welcomed baby girl Lyla Rae Clarke by ᴄᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ on March 31, 2021, weighing 7lbs 8oz.

The 51-year-old said her parents were ‘desperate to prevent’ her from continuing with IVF at first because they thought she could lose her job, face financial difficulties and the process could affect her health and well-being. But now that their granddaughter is here, they are incredibly supportive. The mother of one child said: “I faced huge resistance from my family when I decided to become a single mother at the age of 50. They were worried about me and the implications of using a donor.

They objected to me doing it, which was hard – I felt like I was being rejected. But I can see what it’s like because they love me so much. “They worry about how I’ll cope if it doesn’t work out because they know how much I want to be a mom – but I never thought it wouldn’t work, I just have a feeling . Now that Lyla is here, they are incredibly supportive and could not be better grandparents. I don’t know what I would do without them. Kelly admits that life as a single mother can be tough at times.

She wouldn’t do it any other way. She added: ‘I’m not going to lie and say being a single parent is easy, I know it won’t be. “But Lyla is an absolute angel and a dream come true, I’m so lucky. She was the perfect child – I couldn’t ask for more. Anyone who knows me will tell you what kind of mom I’ve always wanted to be. I still can’t believe it and am constantly filled with the joy of finally being a mother at 51’.