Waking up one morning in July 2020, I felt incredibly lonely, a painful feeling in my chest that had been building up for months. I was single, and during the COVID-19 lockdown I’d been self-isolating but was starting to wonder if life would always feel so empty. I worked in HR and had wonderful friends but wanted more – truth was, I was desperate to become a mum. ‘I want to have a baby,’ I blurted, calling my mum Jane, then 60, on the phone. ‘I’m thrilled for you,’ Mum replied, before silence filled the air. ‘Who is going to be the father though?’ I sighed, this was my biggest hurdle.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t tried to
