Couple who spent £100,000 and 15 years on IVF finally have twins ‘worth every penny’

When their twin babies both cry throughout the night, it’s music to Vanessa and Jamie Cronk’s ears. Every moment since they were delivered by planned C-section at 37 weeks and two days on April 16 – Arley first, weighing 7lb 3oz, and Cruz two minutes later, at 7lb 7oz – has been joyful. For while the last 14 weeks have brought sleep deprivation and exhaustion, they have also filled the couple’s life with love. “We can’t believe Arley and Cruz are here, we can’t believe they are ours, and we are totally and utterly in love,” says Vanessa, 45, who runs a dance school. Vanessa and Jamie, 46, a model design director, have spent £100,000 over 15 years trying to start a family. Four miscarriages, an ectopic pregnancy and five rounds of failed IVF later, a sixth successful round brought them the babies they adore. They met in a nightclub and fell in love in 1999. Vanessa says: “I saw Jamie on the dancefloor and said to my best friend, ‘I’m going to marry him one day.’” And in 2009, their thoughts turned to having babies. “I was 30 when we started trying and I thought it would happen straight away,” says Vanessa. “I tracked when I was ovulating so we could try at the right time. It was supposed to be the fun part, but each month passed without success. “While all our friends were having babies, nothing was happening for us. Jamie and I were both fit and healthy, didn’t smoke and rarely drank alcohol. We couldn’t understand it.” In September 2013, after four years of trying for a baby, they tied the knot. Vanessa says: “At the end of my dad’s speech on our wedding day, he said, ‘I hope your dreams get answered’, which made us very emotional. Trying for a baby was already taking such a toll.” Allowed a single round of IVF on the NHS, after their honeymoon in 2013, the couple went for it. Vanessa says: “I had 21 eggs collected and tests showed no fertility issues with either of us. So, when it didn’t work, it really threw us.” In 2014, they tried again privately – paid for by a loan and help from their family. “When I fell pregnant after our first round of private IVF, we were overjoyed,” says Vanessa. But their world came crashing down at seven weeks, when an early scan could not detect a heartbeat. “We’d gone from feeling euphoric to being told I was going to miscarry,” says Vanessa. “It broke my heart.” But they were at least positive that IVF had worked, so in 2015 the couple had another round privately, again helped financially. But it failed, with “unexplained infertility” being given as the reason. When, that summer, Vanessa fell pregnant naturally she was stunned – but it wasn’t meant to be. She miscarried at seven weeks, before falling pregnant again and miscarrying a few months later. “After that, we changed tack and saw a miscarriage specialist,” says Vanessa, who also tried two cycles of the fertility drug Clomid, alongside treatment to prevent miscarriages, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, reflexology and Chinese medicine. “Still nothing happened,” she says. “Seeing pregnant women and scan photo announcements on social media became such a trigger for me.” In 2016, a fourth round of IVF at a different clinic failed. “After our fourth go we had some frozen embryos remaining, so we paid for them to be tested,” she continues. “All three came back not viable. At that point, we had to switch ourselves off from the whole process and try to accept it just wasn’t going to happen.” Someone suggested she had treatment abroad, so she began researching. “We felt so lucky to be happily married and to have such wonderful family and friends, but our lives didn’t feel complete. “At Christmas there was no magic to create for little ones, and on the first day of school we watched friends prepare for their kids to start.” In December 2021, Vanessa’s period was late again. “I was sure it was the menopause, but I did a test I had in the cupboard anyway. It was positive.” But in 2022, an early scan revealed the pregnancy was ectopic, putting her life in danger. The couple were forced to terminate. “I remember wondering what the shrieking noise was when we were told,” she says. “The noise was me. We were finally pregnant but had to get rid of our baby. It was unbearable.” A further round of IVF in 2023, this time in Barcelona and funded by Jamie’s parents, followed. “Tests showed I had endometritis and a uterine polyp,” Vanessa says. “I returned to the