S5:E16 - Ashleigh & Z
Eight Months from Egg Freezing to Pregnant
Ashleigh's story is one of those ones that will genuinely reassure anyone who is at the very beginning of this journey and quietly terrified about how long it might take.
She was 33 when a friend planted the seed about egg freezing. She went to an initial clinic consultation — more curious than committed — and on the same day, a colleague at work mentioned she'd just had a baby via IVF with a sperm donor. Two seeds in one day. Eight months later, Ashleigh was pregnant.
There were no complications. No failed transfers. No long waitlists. She found a donor quickly, did a fresh IVF cycle alongside her frozen eggs, got six embryos, and fell pregnant on the very first transfer. She still has five embryos in storage.
She's a Queensland primary school teacher who now works three days a week at a school ten minutes from home and daycare. She took Z to Europe for a month at nine months old with her mum. She has connected with donor-conceived siblings — one of whom lives ten minutes away. And when asked what she'd tell someone sitting on the fence, she was in tears before she could even answer.
This is a lovely, warm, uncomplicated episode. Not every story on this podcast is a long or hard one — and that matters. This is proof that sometimes it really does just work.
In this episode:
Spending her 20s and early 30s as a dedicated primary school teacher — and how burnout shifted her thinking about what she actually wanted
A friend's egg freezing journey planting the seed — and a colleague's announcement on the same day as her first clinic appointment
Freezing her eggs at 33 and being pregnant by 34 — eight months from first appointment to positive transfer
Choosing an international donor in Queensland: blue eyes, healthy profile, and deliberately not overthinking it
A fresh IVF cycle alongside her frozen eggs — 15 eggs, 6 embryos, and a positive first transfer
Why she chose IVF over IUI — and the donor consent consideration that drove that decision
A straightforward pregnancy clouded only by constant nausea — teaching primary school while vomiting several times a day
An emergency caesarean and a surprisingly smooth recovery
The newborn phase that was easier than expected — and the 48 hours without sleep in Europe that was not
A month in Europe at nine months — what works, what doesn't, and why nine months is probably the cut-off
Returning to work three days a week at a school ten minutes from home and daycare
Connecting with donor-conceived siblings through the sperm bank's Facebook community — including one family ten minutes away
Five embryos still in storage, the question of a second child, and three flights of stairs
What she'd do differently: building the support network before baby arrives
Key Takeaways
The journey isn't always long — sometimes it really does move quickly, and it's worth starting sooner than you think
You don't need to overthink donor selection — knowing your non-negotiables and keeping a clear head serves you better than analysis paralysis
Choosing IVF over IUI when you want more than one child has practical advantages — embryos offer more protection than stored sperm alone in some circumstances
Build your support network before baby arrives — not after you're in it and everyone around you already has children
Returning to work part-time in a flexible, local role changes everything about the solo mum juggle
Connecting with donor-conceived siblings is better to do on your own terms before they potentially cross paths organically
Frozen embryos give you the luxury of time when it comes to the second child decision — you don't have to rush
This episode is brought to you by City Fertility
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TTC or in your first trimester?
The Expecting Solo course helps you navigate early pregnancy on your own terms — from managing symptoms and setting boundaries to finding the joy in your story. Live or on demand, from anywhere in the world. Find out more here.
