I’d been trying for a baby for 7 years but at Fota a miracle happened...
Star says connection with animals helped her and husband conceive
To be told we weren’t a successful candidate for IVF was just devastating
ANDREA HAYES ON STRUGGLE TO HAVE A SECOND CHILD
TV star Andrea Hayes has told how being surrounded by nature helped her and husband David conceive after seven desperate years of trying.
The couple were staying at Fota Island Wildlife Park in Co Cork and welcomed daughter Skylar Grace nine months later in May 2018.
The presenter and best-selling author lives each day in chronic pain because of numerous health conditions and had almost lost hope.
But the 42-year-old Dubliner maintains it was the “energetic exchange” between herself and the animals that manifested a miracle.
Andrea told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “We started shooting Fota Into The Wild and I wasn’t pregnant and then surrounded by the animals I conceived.
“We had gone for fertility treatment at Holles Street and unfortunately I was told I wasn’t the right candidate for IVF as I didn’t have the right egg supply or quality.
“It was a huge personal low for myself and my husband David. But I trust implicitly in my prayers and always hand things over to God and believe what will be will be.
“It was the will of God that we were lucky enough to get pregnant but it all unfolded at Fota. I always feel that when people are really happy in a sacred space and they have this energy, it’s an energetic exchange.
“I was trying for seven years, we had never stopped trying, our last port of call was to go for IVF and then to be told we weren’t a successful candidate was devastating.
“To be working on conservation and to see all the animals being born, there was a synchronicity.
“It’s been proven when you look into the eyes of a dog serotonin is released, the cuddle chemical that you get when you give birth.
“They know there’s a connection with animals and humans and I absolutely love animals, the landscape is so beautiful, you’re surrounded by woodlands and trees.
“The last time I was pregnant was down in Fota with my little girl Brooke, 10, surrounded by nature. Almost a decade later the same thing happens.”
Fota Into The Wild airs tonight on Virgin Media One and Andrea told how there was a surge in babies being born during filming.
She said: “While we were there, a baby monkey was born, red pandas, the bison was born, it was beautiful.
“When I gave birth and I was brought back to Fota, it was just magical. We’ve been working on the four-part series for almost three years, it’s about Fota Wildlife Park, it’s all about conservation, education, research and the biodiversity of our natural world.
“The park is over 100 acres, they have 18 rangers, over 350 free-roaming animals. While we were filming the wallabies, lemars, peacocks, red squirrels would walk into shot.
“I’d filmed many years ago in Fota when I was doing Animal A&E for TV3.
“It was incredible to witness the babies being born, when the baby bison was born they would have been brought back over to Romania where they’re from.
“The baby bison were near extinct a century ago but with the help of Fota, the baby bison were brought back into the snow-capped mountains.
“We went to Madagascar to see the plains where all of the animals are critically endangered, we followed one of the conservation programmes there.
“It’s great the Irish audience will be able to see how Ireland is playing a huge part in changing that. I released toads back into the wild in Kerry, even indigenous Irish animals are endangered and you can still see the red squirrels in Fota.
“Kids love sloths, Fota got their first sloths while we were there and we introduced them into their enclosure in the Tropical House.”
Andrea also told how personal tragedy struck just before Christmas.
She added: “My dog Dash died, he was a really big Labrador Retriever, he would have always been in the credits, even when I was writing all the books, he was there beside me, he was our first baby so it’s been very emotional.
“He really helped me when I was challenged with my chronic pain, I really miss him around the house.
“My auntie died too and then my uncle, everything comes in threes, it was three bereavements in a short space of time before Christmas.
“We got through it and luckily the show had been pushed out until the New Year.”
Andrea is still in and out of St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin with regular check-ups with her pain