BABY Karenza is too young to realise how incredibly special she is.

Not only is she the miracle baby her parents feared they would never have, she is also the 3,000th special delivery from a Southampton fertility clinic.

Ever since Helen and Steven Foy met, they longed for a child to make their family complete.

But Steven had undergone a vasectomy in a previous relationship and when a reversal operation failed, they thought they would never become parents.

They refused to give up hope though, and after eight gruelling rounds of fertility treatment, three miscarriages and an agonising six-year wait, their dream has come true and they have welcomed baby Karenza into the world.

Helen, a teacher at Foxhills Infant School in Southampton, said: “All our cycles and our long journey was worth it – Karenza is just amazing. Now our dreams have come true.

“It was very emotional and very expensive. I haven’t worked out how much we spent but we muddled through because she is worth it. You can’t put a monetary value on a baby, if we could afford it; that is what we chose to spend our money on.

“We are over the moon to have such a beautiful baby girl and it is wonderful that Karenza is the 3,000th baby from Wessex Fertility – it makes her even more special.”

The couple met when Helen worked for Steven as a temp and they stayed in touch. They got together when they went sailing around the Atlantic together in 2004 and soon knew they wanted a baby together.

Helen, 37, explained: “I have always been very broody and wanted children for many years. We got married in 2008 when I was 29 but my husband had a vasectomy in a previous marriage because his ex wife didn’t want to have children.

“Steven regretted having the vasectomy and I think I always thought it was reversible; so we would be fine but unfortunately that didn’t work and it was a huge knock and very emotional.”

Helen and Steven, from Lymington, decided to try IVF treatment and were recommended Wessex Fertility in Shirley for privately funded treatment.

“It’s so hard not being able to get pregnant. People are constantly getting pregnant around you and of course, you are really pleased for them but at the same time, it’s really heartbreaking.

"A lot of my friends were having children and in the time we were trying, some were even onto their second and third babies.”

Helen, then aged 33, began IVF in early 2012 and, though the first cycle was unsuccessful, they kept trying.

“We were really hopeful for our first cycle,” said Helen.

“It was very disappointing when it didn’t work but Wessex Fertility helped me feel really positive about our future chances.”

The couple’s next three fresh cycles were initially successful but ended in miscarriage and they also endured several negative frozen cycles.

Helen said: “We were getting pregnant then having very early miscarriages. It was bittersweet. It was amazing to see the positive pregnancy test but very upsetting.

But the pair remained positive and refused to give up on their dream of becoming parents.

“We felt we were moving forward with each cycle and that we should carry on. We never really put an end date or maximum cycle number on our treatment – we assumed we would know when we had had enough. I had to have time to have a good cry about it and mourn about the fact we weren’t successful but Steve was my rock and kept me strong.

“We were sure that we would get there eventually.”

After numerous IVF attempts, the couple’s luck changed when they had their fourth and final frozen embryo transfer in September 2014 and the pregnancy test was positive.

The couple were overjoyed to see the baby’s heartbeat during their six-week scan at the clinic – something they had witnessed for the first time.

Helen, explained: “I was so nervous beforehand but then totally elated. There were a lot of happy tears. It was so emotional to see my little baby on the scan. We were a little concerned after our miscarriages so we had two more scans at the clinic before we went over to the NHS – then it was a case of enjoying the pregnancy."

On June 8, after a long labour, baby Karenza was born weighing 8lb 12oz.

Helen, said: “It was the most incredible moment of my life and now it feels like we have always had her.

"I can’t wait to tell her her story.

“I do think if we’d have given up, we’d never have had her. Words can’t express it. She is so incredible and I feel so lucky.

“She is so special in so many ways. Every moment is just so special. It is great that she is growing and doing new things all the time, but for us, it’s about enjoying every moment and not wishing it away.”