They're the loving parents who were so wrapped up in their longed-for pregnancy and new parenthood that they almost forgot their own wedding!
After many years of struggling to conceive and being diagnosed with unexplained infertility, Caroline and Leo Poulter from Chandlers Ford welcomed little Neve Freya into the world via IVF last year.
Twelve weeks later, the couple were married with the ceremony taking place under the watchful eye of their young daughter, who is named after the building where they were treated, the Freya Centre at TFP Wessex Fertility in Shirley.
READ MORE: £3 million fertility clinic opens in Chandlers Ford
The Poulters decided to tell their story this National Fertility Awareness Week (October 30 to November 5) to offer hope to other couples struggling to conceive.
Nanny Caroline, aged 40, told the Daily Echo: “When she was six weeks old, we said, oh bother, the wedding is in six weeks! I had to buy another wedding dress as my pre-baby dress didn’t fit me anymore!”
Caroline and Leo, a 42-year-old customs compliance officer, met ten years ago at the wedding of mutual friends in Las Vegas.
They had been trying for a baby for a few years before seeking medical advice and discovering their fertility issues were unexplained.
The couple started their first round of IVF in January 2021, they retrieved 12 viable embryos and first tried a fresh cycle, which was unfortunately unsuccessful.
They started a second round of IVF in July 2021, this time using a frozen cycle.
Caroline was overjoyed to discover she was pregnant.
She added: " We weren’t expecting it to work quickly. Leo had gone out for his morning run when I did the test, and it came out positive. I know full well what a test result looks like, but I had to re-read the instructions to double check!”
Caroline’s pregnancy wasn’t a smooth ride as she suffered with bleeding, vomiting and heartburn throughout. She also has a complication called obstetric cholestasis, where your liver produces too much bile, and because of this the baby was induced a week early.
Neve Freya was born on March 13, 2022, weighing 7lb 13oz with the Poulters wedding taking place last June.
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