Izzy Judd talks IVF on Lorraine
Izzy Judd – wife of McFly drummer Harry – has spoken on Lorraine about her experience with IVF.
Izzy married Harry in 2014 and starting a family was always on the couple’s agenda. After two years of trying they turned to IVF. In January last year everything changed with the arrival of baby Lola. They are now expecting their second child. Izzy joined Lorraine this morning to talk about her IVF experience which she has also shared in a new book – ‘Dare to Dream’.
“I always wanted to be a mum, ever since I was a little girl it was absolutely what I just thought would happen. We thought we would get pregnant after we got married and it didn’t work out that way, and what followed were very, very lonely months. And I think what inspired me to write the book was to give an emotional point of view of what it actually really feels like to go through those struggles. And it’s a very long journey and a monthly cycle that I’m sure a lot of women will relate to. And so in the end we did turn to IVF and I’m so grateful that we did.” – Izzy Judd
The first attempt wasn’t successful and Izzy suffered a miscarriage. She said:
“I think when you suffer a miscarriage, I think it takes away elements of the joy you should experience, because you’re so nervous, and I think for me I felt, ‘Oh goodness, not only have I got problems conceiving, can I hold onto a baby?’ And that terrified me. And I had to give myself time before I went back for the next round, to truly grieve over what I’d actually just lost.”
She added: “I felt that it was important that Harry wrote a chapter in the book because it’s very much teamwork. I think people see IVF as three letters that are incredibly frightening, and full of injections, and actually there is something truly magical about IVF if you can switch your mind to think of it slightly differently.”
“I know it’s really tough but there are moments when we got to see Lola as an embryo on the screen, and it was a moment between Harry and I, and it wasn’t the way we thought, but there she was. And I remember Harry turning and going, ‘It’s a girl,’ and we were both in floods of tears. It’s a miracle…I was very, very lucky, for me it did work both times, tragically the first one did end in miscarriage, which was utterly devastating, but then we were lucky enough to go on with Lola, and then to have fallen pregnant naturally…I wasn’t expecting it. All I want from the book is to make people feel less alone.”
On Lola being born, Izzy said: “I remember just looking at her and just thinking, I would have waited forever to meet her.” Asked by Lorraine what advice she would give to anyone going through IVF, Izzy replied:
“I think when I was going through it, I found it very, very difficult to talk to anybody, and I think it’s really important to find somebody outside of your – not necessarily just your partner – but somebody you can talk to.
“I think when you carry it all yourself it’s a very, very lonely, tough time, and however hard it is to speak out about it, I do think when you carry it on your shoulders all by yourself it’s even harder.”
My husband and I are about to undergo IVF and found this interview inspiring. Thank you Izzy!
They seem like a lovely couple. Glad it all worked out for them.