A single mother has opened up about her experiences of becoming a mother to five children through a sperm donor she found on Facebook.
Brooke Withington, 28, from Australia knew from a young age that one of her main goals in life was to be a mother.
Four of her children - eight-year-old Edward, six-year-old Gilbert, four-year-old Odette, and four-month-old Mabel - were all conceived in relationships that have since ended.
But one-year-old Nora was conceived with the help of a sperm donor who Brooke found on the social media site, Facebook.
"I always wanted at least five children. Of course, I thought I would be married before I started having kids," Brooke told News.com.au.
She continued: "It didn’t work out like that, but I feel like it all happened exactly how it was meant to. After I had my third baby Odette, I didn’t want to date anymore. I was so happy and content on my own, but I still wanted more children. That is when I decided I would go down the sperm donor route instead."
Brooke admitted that she did consider going to a sperm bank, but she preferred to meet the man donating the sperm in person so opted to search on Facebook.
"I had heard about a Facebook group called Sperm Donation Australia after I had my first child," Brooke went on. "But I didn’t consider it at all back then. After I had Odette, I remembered the information I had heard all those years ago.
"It sounded perfect for my situation. I loved that you could learn about the donor, and actually meet with them and know what their personality is like. The whole experience is a lot more personable than a donation clinic."
After posting on the page, Brooke received a few responses and after vetting them, she met up with the possible donor to ask him further questions.
Brooke carried out background checks that included medical history and just generally got to know her potential donor. She also made it clear that she didn't want to co-parent.
She then explained that the process was done through artificial insemination, which included booking a hotel room where the donor left his sample and the 28-year-old then used a syringe.
"I asked a lot of questions and explained what I felt most comfortable with, especially the method of choice," Brooke said. "I had chosen to do artificial insemination because I felt too nervous about doing natural insemination with a donor. This is when you have sexual intercourse with them.
"I made sure I picked a donor who I found easy to chat to. It made the whole experience that much easier and that way there wasn’t any awkwardness."
The process worked and nine months later, Brooke gave birth to Nora in May 2021.
The single mother explained that she has been hit with backlash online for her decisions, especially as people tend to attack her with the words "taxpayer's dollars".
Brooke confirmed that she works a "good job" and that she feels like she gives back to the community, and she instills in her children the importance of work.
We wish Brooke and her children all the best!
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