IVF: Rhondda couple welcome twins after Covid delay

Kate, Rhys and their twin daughters Gwenllian Awel and Eirian Alaw

A couple whose IVF was delayed due to the pandemic have had twin baby girls, seven years after they first started trying to conceive.

Kate and Rhys Ritchie Lewis, from Rhondda Cynon Taf, welcomed babies Gwenllian Awel and Eirian Alaw seven weeks early.

The couple said the care they received from the NHS was "amazing" at every stage.

"These two are the result of it all," said Rhys, gazing at his daughters.

The couple said talking openly about their experiences of IVF had helped them deal with the delays to their treatment during lockdown.

"I'll never forget that time, the years when seeing Mother's Day adverts was so painful," said Kate, 38.

Twins Gwenllian Awel and Eirian Alaw

"You don't live, you're in limbo," she added.

"We couldn't move on with things and that caused us both a lot of mental health problems."  

Kate recalled how others would make suggestions, such as encouraging her to relax.

"It must be hard for people to know what to say," she said, although she did not think the comments were made with malice.

Rhys said that "people's awareness on the whole" of the challenges and difficulties of IVF had certainly improved. 

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Rhys and Kate were invited to start their IVF treatment in 2023.

"The day after Father's Day and Rhys's birthday, the doctors went in to take the eggs," said Kate. 

Six eggs were retrieved and one egg was fertilised, leaving Kate and Rhys to wait a "long fortnight" before being able to take their first pregnancy test. 

"I was convinced something was going to go wrong," she said, remembering her first scan after the test.

'Wouldn't change a thing'

After months of injections and treatment, a whole lot of love and a little bit of science, Kate was told that she was indeed pregnant with twins - and they were due on Mother's Day. 

"I came out of the scan and told everyone," she said.

"Kate's energy was such that the receptionist behind the desk, who'd never met us before, was in tears," recalled Rhys.

"Even though it was amazing news, it did come with a risk," said Kate, although to her the pregnancy did not feel real for a long time.

She experienced a difficult birth with significant complications, but the couple said the care provided by the NHS was "amazing" at every stage.

Rhys said despite the long journey the family had been on, he "wouldn't change a thing". 

"I loved them even before they existed," he said.

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.

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