The 36-year-old's path to motherhood has been complicated, expensive and emotional, but well worth it, after the birth of her baby girl, Arabella Joy Frances Cooper, by caesarean on April 26.

"I'm in awe. The only thing I wanted was to be awake for it because I couldn't believe, after everything I'd been through, that it was going to happen.

"The moment she came out was the best feeling. Nothing could top that."

Sarah, from Tinonee, had always planned to become a mum, but had wanted to travel, have a house, be settled and be established with her career before having a baby.

Two and a half years ago, in 2017, when the time was right and she was ready, she hadn't met the right man.

"I decided to go without, I think it's become more common now."

With a family history of infertility, Sarah said she always knew she may have had to go down a different path to motherhood anyway.

"I think even with somebody I would have probably still needed IVF, but I didn't think it would be that hard."

Adoption had also been a consideration. "It was a 10-year wait and being single it would be harder. I looked overseas but they don't let singles adopt."

After going through counselling, Sarah started what would become six cycles of IVF using a sperm donor and one cycle with an egg donor and sperm donor.

Along with the emotional impact, there was also the financial strain.

"It was worth every penny, definitely," she said.

"It had its ups and downs. I lost the first pregnancy (a boy). I was in my second trimester when it happened. Without my family and friends I wouldn't think I'd get through it all."

After having no success in further rounds of IVF, Sarah's next step was to find an egg donor.

"I had to find an egg donor in Australia, which was hard. There's no egg bank for that."

A post on her Facebook page asking for help saw a friend of the family contact her a couple of weeks later offering one of her eggs.

The process was complex and included individual as well as joint counselling sessions.

The donor needed to have injections to create the eggs, which she did at home, and then Sarah went down to the IVF clinic in Newcastle to be with her when she had surgery.

"They harvest the eggs and fertilise it with the sperm donor," explained Sarah.

Sarah has consistently used the same sperm donor for each round of IVF as well as the egg donor round. She had chosen the donor based on information on his health, family history, and interests. She also has a copy of his baby photo.

"I picked someone who I thought I could relate to as a partner or a friend when looking for myself.

"He's anonymous until (Arabella) reaches 18 and then she can get his details."

Sarah said once the egg is fertilised, it grows for five days in the lab before the best quality egg is chosen and implanted.

"It's so interesting. I've got a photo of her as an embryo. To think she has come from just a little blob on a screen is just amazing."

Following the implantation there is a two-week wait for a blood test, but Sarah couldn't wait and took a home pregnancy test almost a week later.

"It was positive straight away, I think it was about 2am I took the test. I had to do it. I'd had some morning sickness so I had an idea it had worked."

The pregnancy wasn't without complication.

During the first trimester Sarah experienced a bleed and ended up in hospital, almost hemorrhaging.

After that the pregnancy was "pretty cruisy", although she said she had a lot of anxiety because she had already lost a baby.

"It was just the best feeling to see her come out. All that I'd worked for had paid off. I was very happy."

She knows too that even though the egg wasn't hers, the fact she carried Arabella herself means she is very much hers.

The science of epigenetics shows that because the baby was carried by her and her blood going through during gestation, the process does pass through some of her features.

Now that her baby is here, Sarah said she is even more anxious, but in a different way. "I'm always checking she's breathing."

She has plenty of support from her family, friends and co-workers and is looking forward to watching Arabella grow up.

"I want to travel and show her the world, I want to teach her to be independent and to never give up. I didn't give up and got her for it."

Sarah is currently on six months maternity leave from her role as a disability support worker.

As baby Arabella snuggles on her mother's chest, you can see how content she is.

"She's really good," said Sarah. "She just sleeps, eats and poops.

"I'm still in awe I did it. I have to pinch myself."

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