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A divorcee who decided to ‘go it alone’ and have a baby via sperm donor met the love of her life just weeks after falling pregnant and now they’re raising her tot together.
Georgie King, 31, started the process of fertility treatment alone in January 2021 thinking she was ‘never going to find the right person’ – after her divorce left her heartbroken.
Whilst trying to conceive, Georgie met Maddi Gillow, 29, a hotel manager, on a dating app and the pair started dating.
Georgie told Maddi about her plans to have a baby via sperm donor and her new flame was ‘completely supportive’.
Georgie discovered she was expecting her first child after three months in April 2021 – only three weeks into dating Maddi, who was delighted by the news.
Georgie King, 31, started the process of fertility treatment alone in January 2021 thinking she was ‘never going to find the right person’ – after her divorce left her heartbroken
Maddi was ‘fully on board’ throughout Georgie’s pregnancy and doted on her – fetching her her ‘craving’ of frozen coke and driving her around when the mum-to-be experienced morning sickness.
Maddi also vowed to raise the baby with Georgie once he or she was born.
On December 12, 2021, Georgie gave birth to a baby boy, Bowie, via an emergency c-section at Mater Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, weighing seven pounds.
Now the pair are happily living together and raising baby Bowie, now seven months, as a family.
Georgie, a digital marketer from Brisbane, Australia, said: ‘I was so desperate to become a mum – and was perfectly happy going it alone to have my beautiful boy.
‘But Maddi came along at just the right moment and hasn’t missed any part of my journey into motherhood.
‘She’s the perfect co-parent and I love raising Bowie together. The moment I saw Maddi holding my baby, my heart just exploded.
‘I realised I didn’t want to separate my dating life and new role as a mother, so at that moment I decided I wanted Maddi to be part of the family, and now we fully intend on being together forever.’
Maddi was ‘fully on board’ throughout Georgie’s pregnancy and doted on her – fetching her her ‘craving’ of frozen coke and driving her around when the mum-to-be experienced morning sickness
The pair are currently discussing Maddi adopting Bowie when he is old enough to decide for himself, and the couple are also planning on having more children together.
Georgie revealed she had long dreamed of being a parent having been ‘motherly’ to her two younger sisters growing up.
But she was left devastated when her marriage ended, and her dreams of motherhood seemed far off.
She said: ‘I’d wanted to be a mum my whole life. I had been a big sister and had worked as a nanny for 10 years, so I had gained plenty of experience looking after children.
‘I always knew that was something I wanted to do but I was just waiting for the right person. I really thought the only path to motherhood was getting engaged, getting married and then having babies.
‘So, when I got divorced, I felt like a huge failure and like I was back at square one.’
Georgie revealed she had long dreamed of being a parent having been ‘motherly’ to her two younger sisters growing up
But it wasn’t long before Georgie considered an alternative when talking with a close friend.
She said: ‘I was speaking with my friend one day and I just said: “Why don’t I do it myself?” I’ve got the experience and the knowledge of what it takes to raise a baby and I’ve got the greatest support network in my family.
‘Being gay, I knew I would go through sperm donor and fertility treatment anyway, so it didn’t seem so ridiculous to go through the process on my own – I’m a very independent woman so I knew I could do it.
‘Once I had that first thought, it really became something I started pursuing so I started the process pretty much straight away.’
Georgie then arranged an appointment with her doctor and six weeks later, she started her first round of treatments at the Queensland Fertility Group in North Brisbane.
Georgie was presented with a list of 20 donors to choose from, and selected a candidate who had the most similar features to her.
She said: ‘It was a huge mix of emotions – I was just so desperate to get the show underway.
Georgie then arranged an appointment with her doctor and six weeks later, she started her first round of treatments at the Queensland Fertility Group in North Brisbane
‘By that point, I’d done the grieving of doing it by myself, so I felt really at peace and was just really excited.’
Around the same time, Georgie started dating Maddi who she had matched on a dating app the year prior in January 2020.
She said: ‘When we met before, I told her I was going through a difficult situation with my divorce, so we stopped dating at that point.’
But a year later the pair met for coffee when Georgie was in a ‘very different place’ and was preparing to be inseminated for the first time later that week.
She recalled: ‘We were sitting having our coffees when Maddi said: “what’s new with you?” and I replied: “Oh, I’m getting pregnant this week”.’
‘It was hilarious – Maddi was so shocked that she knocked her whole drink over my white dress and shoes.
‘She was stunned but super supportive and excited for me.’
The first attempt at pregnancy was unsuccessful which prompted Georgie to take a month off trying for a baby.
The first attempt at pregnancy was unsuccessful which prompted Georgie to take a month off trying for a baby
She said: ‘I was just very sad and having been so convinced that it was going to work on the first go, I needed some time off.’
During her break, Georgie and Maddi saw more of each other and realised their relationship was developing into something more.
Georgie said: ‘I thought to myself: ‘Oh bugger, I think I’ve got feelings for this girl but I’m about to have a baby – this is so inconvenient.’
‘Maddi is so laidback and she was a beautiful calming presence to be around while also bringing so much peace to my life when I was very chaotic and had a lot of things to work on myself.
‘She was outgoing and fun, and we just laughed all the time.
‘Neither of us knew if it was going to be serious or long term but we just knew we loved being around each other and we both had a gut instinct to just go for it.’
After being inseminated on her second attempt, Georgie discovered she was pregnant just 10 days later.
During her break, Georgie and Maddi saw more of each other and realised their relationship was developing into something more
She said: ‘All the stars aligned. ‘I woke up in the night and just knew I was pregnant because I had been sweating and was feeling quite tender.
‘Maddi went to work the next morning, but I immediately jumped in the car and went to the nearest pharmacy to get a test.
‘When I got home, I hadn’t even put the cap on the pregnancy test when I knew it was a positive result.
‘It was excruciating waiting for Maddi to get home from work to tell her. When she arrived back, I was sitting on the bed and said: “I know it’s really far in advance, but do you think you’d be able to buy two Christmas presents this year, one for me and one for the baby.”‘
‘She cried and I cried, and we stood looking at each in shock for 10 minutes.’
Maddi said: ‘I couldn’t believe it – I thought it would take a while for her to get pregnant, so I was preparing to be the comfort and support Georgie needed throughout the process.
‘But the news just brought pure joy and happiness.’
The pregnancy went smoothly until the final few weeks when Georgie was taken into hospital with severely low iron levels, almost needing an iron transfusion.
Maddi said: ‘I couldn’t believe it – I thought it would take a while for her to get pregnant, so I was preparing to be the comfort and support Georgie needed throughout the process’
Though Maddi had been keen to attend the scans throughout the pregnancy and be there for Bowie’s birth, she respected Georgie’s decision that she wanted to go it alone, having started the process by herself.
Georgie was joined by her mum, Bernadette Huxley, 53 and sister, Anna Huxley, 22, as her birthing partners, while Maddi ‘patiently waited’ at home by the phone before racing up to the hospital the moment Bowie was born.
Georgie said: ‘It was hands down the happiest moment of my life. My very first thought was that he looked like me, which I was so happy about.
‘Maddi was so supportive and incredible with Bowie. It was the final reinforcement that our gut feeling was right and we were meant to be together.
‘Some people have been with their partners for years and struggle with parenthood but honestly hand on heart, we only got stronger through that whole experience.’
Maddi added: ‘Bowie’s my little buddy. There’s no way I could love him more whether he came from me or Georgie – I just love him so much.’
The family are settled in their home in Brisbane and enjoying life as a family of three.
Georgie revealed they love spending time outside on walks and listening to music when they’re relaxing at home.
Maddi added: ‘Bowie’s my little buddy. There’s no way I could love him more whether he came from me or Georgie – I just love him so much’
Georgie laughed: ‘Bowie particularly loves anything by Harry Styles – he’s got great taste already.’
Georgie hopes to encourage other women to pursue methods of motherhood which are less conventional.
She said: ‘There is a misconception that women having children by themselves is a last resort, but it was my first preference.
‘I would have liked to have seen more examples of women doing things differently when I was going through it myself.
‘It’s good for women to know that it doesn’t matter what path you take – it’s about what is best for you and your child.
‘When I was first considering the process, I called my mum in tears saying: “What if no one will love me if I’ve now got a child?”
‘But she reassured me that the right person wouldn’t even think twice and that was Maddi – she didn’t even blink.
‘It was the ultimate act of unconditional love and now we’ve created this beautiful little family. ‘We can’t wait for all the happy times to come.’