S5:E3 - Rhiannon & Bunny

Solo Motherhood at 29, IVF in the USA & Raising a Donor-Conceived Child

Rhiannon didn’t spend years planning to become a solo mum. In fact, for most of her twenties she wasn’t even sure she wanted children at all.

Then one night she had a vivid dream about a baby girl named Beatrix — and the feeling never left. At 29, she decided to pursue motherhood on her own terms, travelling to the United States for IVF and gender selection. She became pregnant on her first embryo transfer and later welcomed her daughter Bunny during the COVID lockdowns.

In this episode, Rhiannon shares the surprising twists of her journey — from choosing treatment overseas, to navigating pregnancy during a global pandemic, to connecting with donor siblings across the world. She also reflects on the unexpected personal growth that came with becoming a parent, including receiving a later-in-life diagnosis of ADHD and autism.

Rhiannon’s story is funny, honest, and refreshingly real. It’s a reminder that motherhood doesn’t always arrive through the path we imagined — but sometimes the unexpected road leads exactly where we were meant to go.

Key Takeaways

• A moment of clarity — how a dream about a baby girl led Rhiannon to pursue solo motherhood at 29.

• IVF overseas and gender selection — why she chose to travel to the United States for treatment.

• Pregnancy during COVID — the unexpected calm of experiencing pregnancy and newborn life during lockdown.

• Donor sibling connections — how meeting families who used the same donor created a global extended family.

• Parenting and self-discovery — how raising Bunny led to a late ADHD and autism diagnosis and a deeper understanding of herself.

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