S5:E24 - Kaitlynn & Sully
Nine People, One Tiny Town, and the Boy Who Brought the House Back to Life
Kaitlynn was never much of a dater. In her early 20s, her mum — who, as mums do, knew her best — floated the idea of going it alone. It took another six or seven years of on-and-off conversation before Kaitlynn, now 29 and living in a four-generation household in remote Tasmania, finally sat down and started putting the pieces together.
When we first spoke to Kaitlynn, she was weeks out from her first fertility appointment — bloods done, paperwork filed, donor shortlisted, waiting on cycle day one. Her closest clinic was a four-hour drive from home; Hobart, where her specialist was based, was seven. She'd chosen her donor through Fertility Tasmania using the Seattle Sperm Bank, picking an ID release donor with a clean health history and an artistic, musical background she hoped her future child would inherit. She funded the whole process through an early release of her superannuation.
Two and a half years later, we caught up again. Kaitlynn fell pregnant on her first IUI. She developed gestational diabetes at 30 weeks, managed it through diet, and navigated a flare-up of pre-existing mental health struggles during pregnancy with her family close by. At her 20-week scan, doctors flagged a suspected clubfoot — confirmed at birth. Sully went into his first cast at three weeks old, had a small surgery to release his Achilles tendon at around three months, and has been in boots and a bar ever since, now down to overnight wear only. Kaitlynn talks openly about handing her newborn over to a surgeon, about the four-hour round trips for treatment from a town of 35 people, and about how becoming Sully's mum reshaped who she is — pulling her whole nine-person "village" closer in the process.
In this episode:
Kaitlynn's mum first suggesting the solo mum path when Kaitlynn was in her early 20s, and what finally made her act on it
Living in a four-generation household in remote Tasmania — nine people under one roof, and why "we'll just fit another one in" was the family's reaction
The logistics of pursuing treatment four hours from the nearest clinic, seven from her specialist in Hobart
Choosing an ID release donor through Fertility Tasmania and the Seattle Sperm Bank — health history, artistic background, and "donor roulette" with her best friend
Falling pregnant on her first IUI, and the strange lack of surprise that comes with a fully planned conception
Gestational diabetes at 30 weeks and a flare-up of pre-existing mental health struggles during pregnancy
Sully's clubfoot diagnosis at the 20-week scan — weekly casts from three weeks old, a small surgery, and life in boots and a bar
What it was like handing her newborn over to a surgeon for the first time
Four-hour round trips to hospital from a town with a population of 35
How becoming Sully's mum reshaped her sense of identity — and reconnected her with nieces, nephews and her nan
Travelling internationally and to Bali with a toddler, and how she built community from hundreds of kilometres away
Going back and forth on a second child, and what's stopping her from letting go of the last vial in storage
What she wants to say to Sully when he's old enough to hear this episode
Key Takeaways
Isolation doesn't rule out solo motherhood — it just means the logistics take more planning, and a good specialist will work around your geography rather than against it
A quick, straightforward IUI is possible, even after years of thinking it all through
Gestational diabetes and antenatal mental health flare-ups are common, not a reflection of anything you did wrong
A medical diagnosis picked up on a routine scan doesn't have to define the story — Sully's clubfoot became "just part of what he's known," not a source of ongoing distress
Having a wide support "village" doesn't dilute the mother-child bond — if anything, it gave Kaitlynn's whole extended family new life
Indecision about a second child is normal, and there's no timeline you're required to resolve it on
Distance from other solo mums doesn't mean isolation — online community and events like Bali can close that gapA brief note: this episode includes the death of Jessica's mum from cancer during Teddy's first year, and a hospital stay for Teddy shortly after. It's heavy in places — but told with real warmth, and it ends somewhere good.
This episode is brought to you by City Fertility
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