Anthoula Giannakopoulos – becoming a mum at 54

When George was born, helium brought joyousness adjacent to strangers.

From the infinitesimal helium came into the world connected Christmas Day two years ago, radical seemed drawn to him.

The nurses would stop by, each morning, to cheque connected him successful the neonatal ward, earlier opening their day.

It is not each time you witness something adjacent to a miracle.

George was calved astatine 29 weeks and three days successful Melbourne to Anthoula Giannakopoulos, a 56-year-old parent who began the travel to motherhood connected her own. He was conceived done ovum and sperm donation aft Anthoula underwent treatment successful Greece earlier returning to Australia for his birth.

George, present a toddler, is successful the plot playing with his grandma while Anthoula tells us what becoming a parent has meant to her, and the aggravated happiness she has felt astatine each stage.

“Being a mother, I’ve experienced aggravated unconditional love, a contentment I ne'er felt before. Although this is simply a demanding role, involving changeless care, nurturing and extortion and placing George’s needs supra my own, helium has taught maine to prioritise what is important successful life.”

With George astatine playgroup.

Starting motherhood aboriginal successful life

Anthoula says everything successful her beingness happened successful reverse.

“I had my vocation when I was young. Now I’m done and dusted. I don’t request to work anymore and I person each the clip successful the world for George.”

If she had her beingness again, she says she astir apt would bash it the different way around, “but I wouldn’t alteration thing astir George. I emotion everything astir him. He’s my life.”

Having a household was ever successful the backmost of her mind. In her mid-30s she realised however overmuch she truly wanted to go a mother. “But it ne'er eventuated with gathering the close spouse and going down the way the accepted way.”

She astir apt could person frozen her eggs when she was younger, but she says she ne'er thought of it. “What I thought of, was gathering the close person.”

Anthoula began exploring the thought of becoming a parent connected her ain astatine 46 when she saw an IVF specialist.

“But I was 1 year implicit the bounds successful terms of utilizing your ain eggs. I was 46 and you had to beryllium 45 to use your ain eggs successful Australia.

Due to my property I didn’t want to venture trying with my ain eggs anyway. I wanted to person a steadfast baby.”

George with his grandmother, Jenny. She tells him stories and sings to him.

One past try

In 2023, betwixt the Centre for Infertility Solutions successful Melbourne and the Genesis Athens Clinic successful Greece, Anthoula prepared for what she describes arsenic “one past try” to transportation a baby.

In Melbourne, Dr Nick Lolatgis and his nursing team assisted her with the close medications so she would beryllium acceptable for the embryo transfer by Dr Konstantinos Pantos when she arrived successful Athens.

Anthoula says she will ne'er hide however anxious she felt while sitting successful the clinic, waiting to perceive whether her endometrium was bully capable to person an embryo.

“I had each these fears and thoughts moving done my head… and wondering whether I was doing the close thing…”

And then something bonzer happened. Her father, who had passed distant a fewer months earlier, appeared successful the doorway, wearing the garment helium ever wore, with a large smile connected his face, and spoke to her.

To this day, she cannot afloat explicate what she saw. A vision, a dream? It felt wholly real.

“He told maine ‘Don’t beryllium sad. Everything will work out.'”

“That gave maine so overmuch strength astatine a infinitesimal I needed it most. He was ever supportive, ever encouraging maine to pursuit my dreams and whatever I wanted successful life.”

Fourteen days later, she was large with George.

“I was implicit the moon. I started crying. I was surprised astatine the sheer happiness I was feeling. I had ne'er experienced that before. To person a babe and beryllium capable to transportation it astatine 54 was a occurrence successful itself.”

Since bringing George into the world, everything has shifted.

From the infinitesimal helium wakes up, the time revolves astir him; taking him for walks, drawing, doing puzzles, going to playgroups, playing and discovering the world together.

Anthoula says 1 of the positives of becoming a parent astatine this stage successful beingness is having the clip to absorption wholly connected George. Without the request to work oregon worry astir money, she is capable to bask each infinitesimal with patience and presence.

Anthoula says that everything successful her beingness has shifted, since George came into the world.

On Mother’s Day

With Mother’s Day approaching, Anthoula recalls however hard the juncture erstwhile felt earlier George came into her life.

“It was hard. I would often think however the years person flown by and however I hadn’t achieved what I truly wanted successful life. I thought that I near it too late, and it wounded maine that I didn’t person a child… that I wasn’t a mum.”

She is alert there are galore women who want children and person not been capable to person them. If there is simply a connection she would nonstop them, it is not to springiness up and to find a way to marque it happen.

“There are options retired there. Whether the enactment is to transportation the babe yourself, oregon to adopt, oregon to execute it done surrogacy. These options are possibly easier overseas. Adoption oregon foster attraction is 1 of the astir beauteous things you tin do. There are so galore kids successful orphanages, oregon successful families that cannot spend to rise them. And each they request is emotion and protection. If my past try wasn’t successful, I would person adopted a child. You tin go a parent careless of whether the kid is your humor oregon not.”

This Mother’s Day, Anthoula plans to spend it with George, eating plentifulness of cake, laughing and enjoying each other’s company.

“Love is everything,” she says.

One of the astir beauteous things a parent tin experience, she says, is proceeding the word “Mama” for the archetypal time.

“And helium says it each the time,” she laughs, adding however she adores the way helium ever runs up to her to fell betwixt her legs.

George has brought caller airy into the family.

“He’s a blessed child,” she says.

With his mother, grandma and aunty doting connected him and showering him with each their love, helium is increasing up wrapped successful warmth, and feeling adored.

“My parent has caller beingness successful her. He gives her so overmuch energy. She present lives for George.”

Looking back, Anthoula reflects connected the agelong journey. “There were a batch of sacrifices, but successful the end, it paid off. We unrecorded galore lives, and having George, is by acold my favourite.”

One day, she hopes her son will understand however profoundly helium is loved and however overmuch she went done to person him.

“George was my ultimate dream, he’s my baby. A acquisition from life. He’s taught maine love. Love and tenderness.”