As Western Sydney shuttered its doorways on the peak of the Delta COVID-19 outbreak in July final yr, Penrith girl Kylie Cargill was frightened concerning the pandemic, but additionally decided to press forward along with her plans for beginning a household.
Kylie, then aged 45, and her husband Rhett had been of their sixth yr of a gruelling in vitro fertilisation (IVF) journey, having endured 10 failed rounds of therapies already.
With a number of miscarriages and an ectopic being pregnant behind them, all of it got here down to 2 frozen embryos.
"COVID was getting so unhealthy," Kylie mentioned.
"I used to be considering, 'Is it going to be placed on maintain for a few years?'
"Every thing goes by way of your thoughts.
"I used to be virtually 46, was I going to be 48 earlier than we obtained one other likelihood to start out our household?
"I used to be frightened about what would occur if I obtained by way of half of my remedy after which I could not do my second half as a result of there have been lockdowns and I could not go to the clinic."
Ultimately, Kylie was ready to enter her clinic, The Fertility Centre in Liverpool, to have one of many embryos transferred.
The process was profitable and in February, Kylie and Rhett welcomed their "miracle lockdown child" - a son, Brodie, who's now 9 months outdated.
Nationwide fertility charge bounces again
Within the first yr of the pandemic, Australia's fertility charge fell to a report low of 1.59.
However 2021 noticed a turnaround, with the fertility charge rebounding to 1.70, figures launched final month by the Australian Bureau of Statistics present.
There have been 309,996 registered births throughout the nation in 2021, a rise of 15,627 - or 5.3 per cent - from 2020.
Whereas couples planning pure births might have been set again considerably by the start of the pandemic, a sustained and hovering demand for IVF providers appeared to haven't any let-up.
IVF remedy cycles continued an upward pattern in 2020, regardless of the pandemic, in response to the most recent ANZARD (Australia and New Zealand Assisted Copy Database) report - launched by the College of New South Wales final month.
Throughout the nation in 2020, there have been greater than 87,000 assisted reproductive remedy cycles carried out in 2020, a rise of seven.6 per cent, in comparison with 2019.
Dr Peter Leung, who's the medical director at Liverpool's The Fertility Centre, mentioned whereas the pandemic did add to the anxiousness of couples going by way of IVF, it usually wasn't sufficient to dissuade them from beginning a household.
"Even by way of powerful lockdowns, demand for IVF providers continued at The Fertility Centre," Leung mentioned.
"The need to turn out to be a mother or father remains to be robust, even throughout a pandemic."
To deal with the rolling lockdowns and COVID-19 rules, the clinic launched telehealth consultations for the primary time.
Leung mentioned telehealth had proved so common amongst sufferers in search of comfort that the clinic was persevering with to supply the service.
Hopes for IVF 'twin'
After a nail-biting first trimester - which noticed her make three journeys to the emergency room - the remainder of her being pregnant went easily, Kylie mentioned.
Though she was frightened about contracting COVID-19, the pandemic made her being pregnant simpler in some methods, she mentioned.
"It was sort of like a blessing for me as a result of I might work at home. I used to be within the consolation of my house. I wasn't on my toes, I wasn't travelling and so the timing actually labored in with the being pregnant," she mentioned.
The start additionally went easily, Kylie mentioned, and Brodie was born by way of a deliberate caesarean with none issues at Nepean Hospital.
"He was placed on my abdomen immediately and it was simply, 'Oh my god, oh my god'.
"I believe I used to be speechless as a result of it simply nonetheless did not appear actual.
"I used to be considering, 'Do I've to pinch myself? Am I in a dream? I've obtained my superb miracle.'"
Kylie mentioned Brodie was now a cheerful child who not often stopped smiling.
"He is simply the sweetest little boy, you may't assist falling in love with him," she mentioned.
Kylie mentioned she and her husband nonetheless had plans for his or her remaining frozen embryo and hoped so as to add to their household sooner or later.
"The remaining embryo is from the identical egg assortment as Brodie's embryo three years in the past, so he can be his IVF twin," she mentioned.
Kylie mentioned she was grateful to have had robust assist from shut household and associates, in addition to workers on the IFV clinic who had turn out to be "like household" after six lengthy years of therapies.
"My message to others going by way of this might be - hold your family members round you for assist and do not hand over, is it attainable," she mentioned.
Contact reporter Emily McPherson at emcpherson@9.com.au