Camilla, 42, mother of Oscar

“You are pregnant”
Many years of despair, worry and frustration were resolved when Camilla received the happy news at the Danfert & Stork fertility clinic. However, she just needed an answer to the question “How many are there?”, before she could let go of the last worry and just enjoy the feeling and joy of finally having to be a mother.

Need for care and presence
Prior to the pregnancy, a professional process had taken place in safe hands with Ursula, Kirsten and the other welcoming and skilled employees at Danfert & Stork fertility clinic. “Actually, I had first chosen another clinic in Copenhagen, but when I called to book an appointment, I was met by an admonition ‘you must have a referral before we can talk to you’. So I wasn’t going there”. Instead, she chose the Danfert & Stork fertility clinic, where she was met by a welcoming and helpful Trine, who quietly explained to her what she had to do, and booked an appointment for her. “I was extremely fragile, and had spent a long time getting myself together to call, so I needed care to that extent”.

A tough period
Camilla thought she just needed to be inseminated, and in fact she was so convinced that she didn’t really listen when Ursula told her about the possibilities of in vitro fertilization (IVF). And the first examination also showed that her hormone levels were very good considering her age, so the treatment was started immediately with a view to insemination. “It was a rather stressful period with a lot of honking”, says Camilla. “Besides the hope every month, and the disappointment when I didn’t get pregnant, it was regular work to take the hormone injections according to a minutely fixed timetable; I had to sneak out of meetings at my work to go to the toilet and shoot myself at certain times”. After 6 attempts at insemination, it was agreed to try a test tube treatment instead, and Camilla became pregnant on the first attempt. Shortly before she turned 41, Oscar was born.

The best decision of my life
Camilla’s story starts with the decision to become a single parent, having given up hope of finding the one and only before the biological clock stopped ticking. It was a big decision, of course, but nonetheless the best decision she ever made. And as Camilla herself puts it, “Had I been 35 (years) I would have had another”.

It is of course hard work to be alone with the practical tasks, and it can be stressful to cook when you also have a child who requires attention. And it’s also tough mentally to be alone with all the decisions, for example when the fever rises and you are in doubt whether to call the doctor on call or not – it would be nice to have someone to spar with. The hardest part, however, is when you are sick yourself and there is no one around to help.

Camilla is lucky to have a large family and circle of friends, who all adore little Oscar, especially the older cousins. “At least he won’t lack love,” says Camilla with a big smile.