Single woman, 41, with Lyme Disease welcomes healthy baby into the world after going through IVF alone
- Julie Seal, 41, from south east London, gave birth to Betsy who is in good health
- Medics warned child could get Lyme disease, which can cause paralysis, at birth
- Creative strategist decided to go through IVF with an anonymous sperm donor
- She has frozen five more of her eggs with view of giving Betsy a brother or sister
A single woman with Lyme disease has welcomed a healthy baby into the world after going through IVF alone.
Julie Seal, 41, from Brockley, south east London, gave birth to Betsy who is in good health despite doctors warning her the child could be severely unwell.
The creative strategist had longed for a baby for around 10 years but was unable to find a suitable partner. She was undeterred when medics said her child could contract Lyme disease, a debilitating condition that can cause paralysis, at birth.
She said: ‘My goal was not only to get well from Lyme disease but also be well enough to be able to conceive and become a mum.’
Julie Seal, 41, from Brockley, south east London, gave birth to Betsy (both pictured above) who is in good health despite doctors warning her the child could be severely unwell
Ms Seal added: ‘Doctors had told me that I risked passing Lyme onto a baby if it was an active infection, and I had previously had two miscarriages which I suspected were due to my condition.
‘I got bitten by a tick which was when I was diagnosed with Lyme disease – I had to use a wheelchair, my brain swelled and I had bad memory loss where I couldn’t even recognise people’s faces.’
The mother needed treatment for the crippling condition in the US after she was bitten by a tick during a walk in 2015.
But following the treatment, the woman’s perspective on life altered and she was eager to have a baby.
Ms Seal took up the option of going through IVF with an anonymous sperm donor.
She said: ‘I had to get treatment in America for it so I had to put the idea of having a baby on the shelf for a while.
‘I was really worried that I’d never be able to have a child because I was 36 at the time and doctors advised me to get into remission or I would risk passing the active Lyme onto my baby too.
Ms Seal, pictured with her baby Betsy, said: ‘My goal was not only to get well from Lyme disease but also be well enough to be able to conceive and become a mum’
‘After I started to get a bit better, at 39 I decided to do a bit of dating but my heart wasn’t really in it and nothing really worked out.
‘At this point, one of my sisters who has a son told me that she didn’t want me to miss out on having a baby because it’s so brilliant.
‘I went to a sperm bank and began the process of IVF, and became pregnant with Betsy.
‘It’s the best thing I’ve ever done and I’m glad I’ve done it solo for so many reasons.’
She split up with her long-term boyfriend weeks after turning 30 and met another man who she married him two years later, but their relationship didn’t work out and they separated.
Ms Seal’s baby scan, pictured above. The creative strategist took up the option of going through IVF with an anonymous sperm donor
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria that is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected black-legged ticks.
The most common symptoms of the disease are fever, headache, fatigue and a skin rash called erythema migrans.
The disease can typically be treated by several weeks of oral antibiotics.
But if left untreated, the infection can spread to the joints, heart and nervous symptoms and be deadly.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE INFECTED?
During the first three to 30 days of infection, these symptoms may occur:
- Fever
- Chills
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Muscle and joint aches
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Erythema migrans (EM) rash
The rash occurs in approximately 80 per cent of infected people.
It can expand to up to 12 inches (30 cm), eventually clearing and giving off the appearance of a target or a ‘bull’s-eye’.
Later symptoms of Lyme disease include:
- Severe headaches and neck stiffness
- Additional rashes
- Arthritis with joint pain and swelling
- Facial or Bell’s palsy
- Heart palpitations
- Problems with short-term memory
- Nerve pain
Source: CDC
Ms Seal, originally from Burbage, Leicestershire, was then set on finding her future baby’s father, and was set back another time by her Lyme disease diagnosis.
Complications of the disease commonly affect the sufferer’s fertility, particularly in women.
Julie added: ‘After asking around a few of my close friends if they wanted to donate their sperm, I decided to go to a sperm bank and choose an anonymous donor.
‘I’m really lucky because my company has insurance for fertility treatment so I paid extra into my health insurance to get the IVF through that.
‘I looked at the basic information and made a unanimous decision with my family and friends, before going for my egg retrieval and transfer in November last year.
‘The IVF worked the first time for me which was amazing and I was pregnant.
‘A lot of my Lyme disease symptoms at that point were autoimmune so I actually felt amazing for the first time in years because all of the bad symptoms had been repressed in my first trimester.’
Ms Seal gave birth to baby Betsy, with her mother Jean, 74, as her birthing partner.
And despite some backlash on her option to go it alone, Ms Seal believes it’s much more simple being a single mother by choice.
She said: ‘I’ve had a few people be a little bit cagey about me doing this on my own because they thought it would be hard, but it’s not turned out remotely as tough as everybody said.
‘I don’t have the pressure, opinions and complexity that might come with having a partner and in-laws.
‘Some people online have said that it’s selfish and that I’m depriving her of a father but I tend to ignore that because it’s born out of ignorance and past experiences.
‘I’d encourage other people to go for it because it’s way better to have a baby on your own and have it grow up in a loving household of one parent, than it is to grow up in a tense household of two parents.’
Ms Seal has frozen five more of her eggs with a view of giving Betsy a brother or sister through IVF in the near future.
She added: ‘I think it’s easier to do it alone because it makes life simple and straight-forward.
‘I’ve been underestimated a lot as a disabled woman – at the moment my legs are working but at the end of the day, you don’t need that to be a brilliant mother.
‘I’ve been through a lot of difficult things in my life but this is by far the greatest thing I’ve ever done.’
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