After trying to become pregnant and failing, my husband and I consulted our local GP.

We were were informed that my husband could not produce a baby. So we opted for DI in 1988. Our GP told us that there was no need to tell anyone about using donor sperm.

However, we decided to tell both our parents, they were very supportive.

We lived in the country and travelled to IVF Clinic Richmond for the treatment.

The first insemination failed, however we were successful the second time. I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. My husband and I treated our son as his own biological child and love him very much.

However, when our son was five years old, our mnarriage failed and we went our separate ways. My ex husband still sees our son every second weekend. Our Son is now ten years old and we BOTH decide how he was conceived.

Because I had not talked to anyone for ten years about the insemination, I found it very difficult to try and tell our son.

We had no counselling what so ever prior to or after the insemination. I decided to contact the IVF Clinic Richmond where I made an appointment to see a counselor. This was the FIRST time I had spoken to anyone about donors. The counseling session went for one and a half hours, the counselor was very supportive and helpful. She was totally surprised to know about how we had no counseling support. I bought a book called “How I Began” which would be a helpful way to approach the subject with our son. I was also given the Donor Conception Support Group brochure, which I had never heard of before then.

I did not want any interruptions telling our son, so I took my son on a picnic to the beach one weekend. Firstly we read the book together, the day went very well and he was very understanding. Then I expressed how very much he was wanted by us both. And how we went out of our way to bring him into the world.

The next visit to his dad’s, my ex-husband had a talk to our son. He said that nothing had changed or will change the relationship between him and our son.

I feel so much better within myself after telling our son.

I have since been told that parents with DI children tell their children at the age of two. I think that this is the ideal way to tell a child so they grow up with the knowledge.

It was so much harder for me to tell our son having no counseling or support for ten years.

Our son is now curious to know how many half brothers and sisters he may have. He would also like to write to and meet the donor. I will do everything I can to help him to obtain the information for him.