Fertility fight of weathergirl Clare Nasir
Celebrity mum on life as a parent after eight-year conception struggle
Her family life sounds idyllic but the journey to motherhood wasn't easy for Clare Nasir, 41. For many years she suffered with acute fibroids in her womb that swelled to the size of a rugby ball. By the time she met her husband, BBC Radio 6 Music DJ Chris Hawkins, 35, her chances of conceiving seemed slim. Shortly after they married six years ago, Clare had surgery to remove the fibroids.
'We thought that having children would be straightforward after that,; Clare explains. 'But we tried for two years, and nothing happened.' The couple turned to IVF. 'We were desperate for a family, and I wanted to explore every option,' says Clare. 'Fertility treatment is incredibly tough though, because of all the drugs. Emotionally it takes its toll, too.'
Clare then tried acupuncture, which she believes helped rebalance her body. The second IVF cycle worked and she was thrilled to discover she was pregnant. 'I'll never know if it was because I had acupuncture,' says Clare, 'but I'm absolutely sure the two were connected.'
However her troubles didn't end there. 'It was an awful pregnancy,' she ways. My waters broke at six months. I was in hospital for two weeks, followed by five weeks lying in bed trying not to lose our baby.'
Daughter Sienna was finally born at 31 weeks, weighing a tiny 31/2lb. She stayed in intensive care for six weeks before Clare could take her home.
More like this
Having waited years to have her daughter, Clare is enjoying being an older mum, and never doubts it's all worth it. 'Sienna is a brilliant addition to our family. Even when she's naughty, I just laugh inwardly at how spirited she is. We'd love to have a bigger family, but we're wary after all that diappointment. We do have some embryos frozen from when we were trying for Sienna, so never say never!'
Clare is supporting the British Acupuncture Council
Authors
How NatPat's wellness patches may help your family
NatPat's range of wellness patches and stickers aim to tackle everything from allergies to lack of focus. We take a closer look at the range.