A SINGLE mum who's felt ready to have kids since 21 refused to wait for the 'right' partner and spent £8,000 on a sperm donor instead. Lydia Shaw knew very early on that she would make a good parent and was desperate for children. But it was only after the breakdown of a relationship that she committed 100% to doing it alone to make her dream come true.
And the 29-year-old insists one happy parent is better than two miserable ones. She picked a sperm donor who had similar features to her family and had her first round of intrauterine insemination (IUI) in June 2023. Following a chemical pregnancy - where the egg fertilises but doesn't take - she had a second round in August 2023 and was delighted when she fell pregnant.
She welcomed her son, now eight weeks old, in May 2024 weighing 8lbs 13oz and couldn't be happier. Lydia, a marketer living in Fife, Scotland said: "I didn't want to wait for someone who could or couldn't be right. "It could take a decade to find someone who is a good fit for me.
"It's important he grows up with one happy partner rather than two that are unhappy." Lydia says she "grew up quick" going straight into work at aged 18 and buying a house at aged 23. She said: "By 21 I thought 'I think I'd be a good parent'.
I was ready for kids. "I'm gay and the dating pool is quite small. "It was always something that was in the back of my mind.
"Society tells you're going to meet a partner and have babies nut this is my plan A. "I didn't want to have to wait to m.