A MUM who tried for years to get pregnant has given birth to the first baby born following treatment from the new Bourn Hall Wickford fertility centre.

Leonie McCaughren, mother of newborn Bear, was so overjoyed when she had a positive pregnancy result that she drove to Tesco in her pyjamas to buy more tests.

Leonie knew pregnancy wouldn’t come easy after having an operation on her ovaries aged 15 to remove dermoid cysts.

The 30-year-old, from South Ockendon, explained: “I met my husband Chris when I was 19 and having children was always on the radar for us. We got married four years ago and started trying for a baby straightaway but I had always had a feeling that I might struggle to conceive.

“After we’d been trying to get pregnant for two years our GP referred us for hospital tests but they couldn’t identify the cause.”

The couple were told they were eligible for NHS-funded IVF and chose to go to Bourn Hall, the only fertility clinic based in Essex offering NHS funded IVF.

Here, Leonie’s eggs were fertilised to form embryos. One was transferred to Leonie, which created Bear and the remaining five were frozen, meaning if they later want siblings for their baby they will be able to without the need to have another full cycle of IVF.

She continued: “Chris is an only child and we always wanted more than one child, so it’s really reassuring to know that we have those embryos in the bank for the future.

“Bourn Hall have been absolutely brilliant, our treatment worked first time.

Dr Arpita Ray, lead clinician for Bourn Hall’s Essex clinics, said: “We are absolutely delighted for Leonie and Chris. We have a double celebration, our first baby and the first anniversary of the clinic. Leonie and her husband were also the first NHS patients to have their consultation at the new clinic in it’s first week of opening and their heart-warming story demonstrates the life-changing impact of NHS funding.”