Meet Matilda – the first newborn from Wessex Fertility’s new Portsmouth satellite clinic

But her arrival marked a ‘huge’ milestone for Wessex Fertility too – as she was the first baby to be born through treatment at its new Portsmouth satellite clinic in Waterlooville. 

The London Road service was established recently in a bid to minimise travel for Portsmouth patients by offering consultations, scans and blood tests. 

And after three years of disappointment, an unsuccessful bout of IVF at another clinic spurred Mark and Emily from Hayling Island to seek help with the firm. 

‘We had a review with our doctor and weren’t satisfied we had the answers we needed, so decided to stop treatment and move on from the clinic,' Mark said. 

The road to welcoming Matilda had already been marred by disappointment after Emily had her right fallopian tube removed on the advice of her previous clinic, to no avail.

But after attending an initial consultation in Waterlooville – which saved them a drive down the M27 – they ‘instantly felt at ease’ and pressed on with a new IVF plan.

The history of the Emily and Mark’s past endeavours weighed heavy on their shoulders but Dr Camilla Nuttall, who supported them with the schedule, was hopeful.

And it emerged at the couple’s next egg collection she was right to be.

‘When I woke up at the clinic following the procedure, they told me straight away that 11 eggs had been collected. I couldn’t believe it!’ Emily said. 

After they were fertilised with Mark’s sperm and put in an incubator, three of the eggs successfully formed embryos and one was transferred to Emily’s womb. 

A two-week wait to discover if she and Mark had been successful followed – and at last there was a light at the end of the tunnel. 

‘I’d had a few stomach pains which felt a bit like period pain so was expecting to see a negative test,’ Emily said. 

‘I did the test in the bedroom and couldn’t believe it when I saw the test said I was pregnant.’ 

Mark added: ‘I heard Emily let out the biggest yelp – it was a lovely moment.’ 

Nature took its course and Matilda was recently born three weeks early after a healthy pregnancy. 

Emily said: ‘Holding Matilda in our arms for the first time was amazing. Looking back now at what we went through, we just knew it was all so worth it.’ 

The pair have now hailed Wessex Fertility for their success as they embark on life as a new family. 

They said: ‘We haven’t got a bad word to say from start to finish, we would give Wessex a 10/10.

‘They took all the information we gave them, digested it and made a proper plan for us.

‘They were our good luck charm, but even if we hadn’t been successful, we have no doubt that we would have been looked after – the care is outstanding.’ 

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