Lesbian couple give birth four days apart after unexpectedly both becoming pregnant using DIY insemination
Taryn Cumming gave birth to her son Ryan on 20 November, before her fiancée Kat Buchanan gave birth via C-section on 24 November (Instagram)
A lesbian couple have given birth just four days apart, after both becoming pregnant from the same sperm donor.
Taryn Cumming gave birth to her son Ryan on 20 November, before her fiancée Kat Buchanan gave birth via C-section on 24 November to Ryan’s biological half-sister Piper.
The couple, who live in Auckland, New Zealand, had opted to try DIY insemination after discovering they would have to shell out thousands for private treatment, sourcing a sperm donor from a Facebook group.
Taryn and Kat, 33 and 31, had been told by doctors they “had a better chance of winning the lotto than getting pregnant at the same time” because they both had lower egg reserves, but were shocked when they managed to conceive within weeks of each other in March.
Lesbian couple have had a rollercoaster few weeks.
The births were not without issues, with Ryan requiring specialist care after arriving three weeks premature with an irregular heartbeat. Buchanan underwent a C-section to deliver Piper, who was born happy and healthy.
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The family spent a total of ten days in hospital before Taryn, Kat and Piper were discharged, with Ryan also discharged on 6 December after overcoming the odds and making a recovery.
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Ahead of Ryan’s discharge, Kat wrote: “Doctors have said that Ryan is a true miracle as babies like him either don’t make it or have severe brain damage. I believe that all the thoughts and prayers worked. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts… we are so proud of our boy and just can’t wait to have him home.”
She later added: “After 16 days Ryan has been discharged and we are home! It’s so amazing to be home as a family and finally we can move forward from this nightmare. Ryan has fought so so hard and gone from strength to strength. We still have a long road ahead of doctor appointments and specialist reviews up until he is tw years old but we can finally be a family. Now the tough work begins.”
Parenting two newborns is ‘full on’ experience
Speaking to Stuff, Taryn said of Ryan: “He’s our little miracle baby.”
The lesbian couple said so far it’s been a “full on” experience parenting two newborns, adding: “From two to four in a couple of days, it’s quite overwhelming.”
The family are also looking forward to taking Piper and Ryan on their first Santa visit for a photo, with New Zealand having returned to normality after eliminating coronavirus.
Taryn and Kat added: “It’s good to be home as a family.”
