Same-sex couple from Ilford celebrate 1,000th baby

A couple were lost for words after their extra special arrival was the 1,000th baby to be born at a clinic.

�A couple were lost for words after their extra special arrival was the 1,000th baby to be born at a clinic.

Claire and Emma Hambley, both 34 from Ilford, are the proud parents of one-month-old Harry, who marked an important milestone for the Herts and Essex Fertility Centre.

The couple, who have been together for five years, knew that they wanted to start a family together after their civil partnership ceremony in May last year.

A family friend recommended they speak to the centre, in North Middlesex Hospital, Cheshunt, and they attended an open evening. It was there they decided to try for their first baby.

Claire said: “There are not enough words to describe how happy we are.

“My dad is just over the moon, and he’s already talking about taking him down the pub when he’s older. Our families have been so supportive and Emma and I are loving being parents.”

The couple, who live in Dagenham, chose the egg share programme, in which women are offered free IVF treatment in return for donating half their eggs for women unable to produce their own. Emma gave birth to Harry.

Claire said: “We felt really strongly that we wanted to do this and it felt good to be in a position to potentially help another couple’s dreams of having a family come true as well.

“We believe two mums are just as good as a mother and father.

“When Harry was born I bawled my eyes out. It is so hard to put into words what we felt but it is incredible to be a mum.”