Diary of a Birth, mamamia podcast

I was thrilled to chat to Mamamia recently about my IVF and surrogacy journey and the birth of our son Spencer.

You can listen to the full episode here.

Reposted from Mamamia:

After years of heartache, disappointment, and countless tears, Kirsten McLennan discovered her endometrial lining was too thin to nurture a pregnancy—a devastating revelation after multiple failed IVF attempts. When specialists suggested surrogacy might be her path to parenthood, Kirsten and her husband Ryan embarked on an emotional international journey filled with both crushing setbacks and beautiful moments of hope.

In today's touching episode, Kirsten vulnerably shares her difficult path to becoming a mother—from the moment when transported embryos went missing in Canada to when they finally connected with their surrogate Leigha in Utah, they found not just a carrier for their precious baby, but a compassionate friend who opened her heart and home to help create their miracle.

Kirsten reflects on the beautiful complexity of surrogacy—the profound joy of those first skin-to-skin moments with Spencer, the deep bond formed while living with Leigha's family, and the overwhelming emotions they all shared in the delivery room. 

Meet Jennifer Edmonds: Founder of Element Pilates & Yoga

*Originally published on Wish for a Baby Australia

You're a Mum through IVF, can you tell us briefly about your fertility journey? 

I started trying for a family when I was 33. After coming off birth control, my cycle never returned. I was told I'd gone through early menopause and if I wanted to have a family I'd need to do it ASAP and it was likely IVF would be my only option. Our first round of IVF was unsuccessful. Our second round resulted in 1 untested embryo, and amazingly this little miracle made it all the way. I gave birth to my daughter at the age of 36. We always planned on having 2 children, so when my daughter was a year old, we decided to go back to IVF. But before we had begun, something completely unexpected happened - my cycle returned!

We thought our second TTC journey would be so much easier, but unfortunately that wasn't the way it worked out.  After trying at home for 6 months, we went back to a fertility doctor who diagnosed me with a thyroid condition, we found my fallopian tubes were partially blocked & my AMH levels were close to zero.

We were referred back to IVF but sadly, again, it wasn't successful. This was early 2020 and soon after, we went into lockdown over Covid. Every fertility clinic closed down & we had no option to continue treatment.

A couple of months later, a friend of mine sent me a link to something called "fertility yoga." I was intrigued but didn't think it would make much difference. However, we were in lockdown, I had nothing else to do & I'd already tried everything, so I gave it a go. In July that year, I fell pregnant naturally. Sadly, we lost that baby at 8 weeks, but I was so blown away by what my yoga practice had allowed my body to do, so I decided to retrain as a yoga teacher. At the end of 2020, I fell pregnant again naturally and had my son at the age of 39. 

Can you tell us about Element Pilates & Yoga? And why did you start it? 

I started teaching Pilates in 2009 and then became a yoga teacher in 2020. I started this business as a way to support women struggling through fertility challenges, IVF and pregnancy loss. There is very little available for women in terms of exercise options when you're TTC so I love being able to support my students through safe & guided programs at each stage. I've now worked with hundreds of women from all around the world!

What are the top things you wish you had known before starting IVF? 

 I wish I'd known that it wasn't a guarantee of a baby - it felt like such a light at the end of a very dark tunnel, but it was much harder than I ever thought it would be. I thought the injections would scare me the most, but the emotional toll it took, the anxiety it created and a lot of the trauma of loss was far more difficult that any of the medications.

How can people get in touch with you? 

You can visit my website, chat with me over on Instagram, or download a copy of my Free Fertility Yoga Guide if you'd like to try some of the practices for yourself. 

Wish for a Baby Australia - Melbourne

Another wonderful event at Wish for a Baby Australia, this time in Melbourne!

It was fantastic to meet so many wonderful people at the IVF babble booth and to also share my surrogacy and IVF story.

For anyone in Europe, the next event is 21-22 June in Brussels. Get your free tickets here!