30.08.2024
Carrie and Justin took part in the Fertility Journey campaign, which aimed to offer a free procedure to a couple in need of donor eggs.
Carrie and Justin, who live in the UK, first visited the Next Fertility Nordic clinic in August 2024 to meet the clinic staff and continue their fertility journey.
Prior to their visit, they had a video call with our donor coordinator Inna to select a suitable donor. Unlike Carrie’s previous experiences at UK clinics where women often have to wait weeks or even months for a matching egg donor but our clinic was able to find a suitable match very quickly.
Carrie was hoping to find a donor with fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, someone who looked like her sister and resembled herself. In close collaboration with our donor coordinator, we were able to offer Carrie a donor who matched her wishes.
Although Carrie and Justin live in the UK, they were able to follow the development of their embryos through our AI-powered system CHLOE™ (Cultivating Human Life Through Optimal Embryos).
“Thanks to the CHLOE program, I could log in at any time and watch the development of our embryos in real time. It helped eliminate my anxiety, and I no longer had to nervously wait for a call from the embryologist. Even though the embryos came from donor eggs, I felt a stronger emotional connection to them. These were my embryos, and I felt a deep maternal instinct to protect them.” – Carrie
17.10.2024
Carrie and Justin traveled from the UK to Estonia for a second time on October 17 for the embryo transfer. According to Carrie, the experience was unlike anything she had previously encountered.
“The embryo transfer itself was extremely comfortable—nothing like what I had experienced before, not even in the UK where I had undergone multiple transfers. At previous clinics, the procedure was always performed under general anesthesia. Since I have a tilted cervix, which makes even a routine PAP test uncomfortable, the assumption seemed to be that anesthesia was the easiest way to manage the discomfort.
But at Next Fertility Nordic, that wasn’t necessary. I was able to be fully awake for the entire procedure, which made the experience incredibly special. The team played calming music, Justin was by my side, and only Dr. Helen, a nurse, and the embryologists were present. They showed me everything on the screen. It was such a heartfelt moment, a beautiful and personal experience I will never forget.” – Carrie
On November 26, 2024, Carrie shared her early Christmas gift—two pink lines on a pregnancy test.
Pregnancy
In the early months of pregnancy, Carrie experienced significant nausea and moments of anxiety. But a 7-week ultrasound reassured the couple that everything was progressing well.
“Estonians are very calm and warm people. The clinic staff hugged us, and I truly felt that they genuinely wanted everything to succeed. Our experience in Estonia was completely different from anything we had gone through before.” – Carrie
For Carrie, Tallinn feels like a hidden gem, where IVF prices are very reasonable.
Watch Carrie and Justin’s experience before their embryo transfer:
04.02.2025
Carrie is now 19 weeks pregnant. While she remains incredibly happy about the pregnancy, ongoing nausea throughout the first and second trimesters has been challenging. Despite the symptoms, her 12-week ultrasound went well, and the non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) revealed a low risk for Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome and Patau syndrome.
After receiving the good news, Carrie and Justin shared their wonderful baby news with family and friends.
The couple has remained in close contact with the team at Next Fertility Nordic, sharing the most important moments of their journey. Their baby girl is expected to arrive in July, and the entire clinic team is joyfully looking forward to it.
03.07.2025
On July 2, Carrie and Justin welcomed their new family member into the world—a beautiful baby girl, Lydia Margaret Carfrae-Smith. Little Lydia Margaret was born via C-section, weighing approximately 4.1 kg. Both mom, dad, and baby are doing wonderfully and are currently enjoying their time in the baby bubble.
“We cannot express how thankful we are to the entire Next Fertility Nordic team and Fertility Road for helping us become parents to the most beautiful and precious little girl.
Our lives have changed for the better in every way. You are all truly remarkable people.” – Carrie
Warmest congratulations to dear Carrie and Justin from the entire Next Fertility team! 💕