A mum who had a baby using 'free sperm from Facebook' has explained why she would never do it again.
More and more women are moving away from the traditional route when it comes to having children, but things such as IVF and artificial insemination can often be expensive.
Laura Coldman was desperate to give her son a sibling, but she became single in August 2018. After exploring different routes, she stumbled across a Facebook group where men offered to donate their sperm for free.
While her particular sperm donor came 'highly recommended', she thought things were off when she visited him at his Sheffield home and stayed in a 'waiting room', before he delivered the goods around 20 minutes later.
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Over seven months, she received three more samples from the donor and eventually fell pregnant in July 2021, before giving birth to a healthy boy, Calum, on April 21, 2022.
However, she's now issued a warning to other women who are considering going down the same route, after it became apparent to her that the donor 'could be anyone', including a criminal or someone who has mental health issues.
Laura, a liaison officer from Leicester, East Midlands, said: "At first I thought the Facebook group was a joke, but the more I studied the page, the more I warmed up to it.
"The donor messaged me pretty much right away - offering his services. I asked around in a different private group to make sure he was legitimate - he came highly recommended. Six months later, I went to his home to collect the first donation.
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"He barely said two words to me, I thought it was weird at the time. But I was desperate to be a mum again."
Laura revealed that she's essentially had no contact from her donor since Calum's birth, and she is questioning his medical history after Calum began to display neurodivergent traits, including being non-verbal and having a lack of awareness of danger.
The 33-year-old mum-of-two added: "I wouldn't recommend Facebook sperm donation to anyone. You don't know enough about the person. They might not disclose things about their past or their medical history.
"He could have been a convicted criminal or have serious mental health issues - I'd just never have known. I told him when Calum was born - sent him a handful of updates since but I haven't spoken to him in the last year.
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"It was risky and I don't regret it because I have my beautiful son - but I absolutely wouldn't do it again and wouldn't recommend it to others either.
"You never truly know what you're getting into."
She has now launched a GoFundMe to help find an appropriate bed for Calum, as he is endangering himself by climbing things that he shouldn't.
The page reads: "Calum has complex additional needs, and one of the hardest parts is that he has no understanding of danger or how to keep himself safe, especially at night.
"He climbs, bangs, throws himself around, and doesn’t recognise risks like windows, furniture, or any other dangers around him. Every night I have to watch over him constantly because without me he could seriously hurt himself."
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LADbible has contacted Meta for comment.
Topics: Facebook, Parenting, Social Media, Health
James Moorhouse