Scott Morrison’s wife Jenny opens up on her 14-year struggle to have children before first giving birth aged 39 – and the future PM’s sweet advice when a series of IVF treatments failed
- Scott Morrison’s wife has opened up about the trouble she had conceiving
- Jenny Morrison was diagnosed with endometriosis after 10 failed IVF attempts
- She fell pregnant naturally with her first daughter after having surgery
- She was joined by Peter Overton and comedian Mary Coustas during her speech
Scott Morrison’s wife has opened up on her desperate struggle to conceive and the ‘isolation’ she felt after a series of failed IVF treatments.
Jenny Morrison spoke at an event hosted by the Australian Jewish Fertility Network in Paddington, Sydney, on Wednesday night where she revealed she spent 14 years trying for a baby.
The couple endured 10 rounds of IVF, and while it was clear to her that her childhood sweetheart was desperate to become a dad, she told the crowd Mr Morrison always remained positive.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison pictured alongside his wife, Jenny, and two daughters Abbey and Lily and his mother as he was sworn in at Government House
Jenny Morrison recently spoke about her difficulty conceiving. She was diagnosed with endometriosis after failed IVF rounds and fell pregnant naturally after an operation
‘I did feel at some points it was way more important to me than it was to him and he was so gorgeous, he said to me, ”You are plenty enough, we don’t need the children” but of course he wanted children,’ Mrs Morrison said, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Mrs Morrison said it was far harder for her to accept the prospect that she wouldn’t ever be a mother.
The entire situation, she said, was ‘isolating’.
‘Scott could cope with it far easier because he’s just a really hard worker and he’s obsessive about work – he could throw himself into that, still sad inside, but he could occupy himself far better,’ she said.
‘But for me, it was the holy grail. Everything for me revolved around wanting to have a baby and when you can’t have that… it’s like a natural thing that everybody else can do but you are unable to.’
When the couple were desperately trying for a baby, Mr Morrison would tell his wife: ‘You are enough… I don’t need you to have children.’
Mr and Mrs Morrison now have two daughters, 12-year-old Abbey Rose and 10-year-old Lily.
After the 10 failed rounds of IVF, Mrs Morrison was diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition which leads to a higher risk of infertility.
Jenny said she and her husband are ‘extremely close’. They shared a hug (pictured) after he cast his vote during the federal election
Mr and Mrs Morrison are pictured alongside their two ‘miracle daughters’ supporting an Australian sporting event
As a result of the diagnosis, Mrs Morrison opted to undergo surgery to remove scar tissue from her fallopian tubes, liver and bowel.
After recovering from surgery, the couple moved to Cronulla, which they have since nicknamed ‘God’s country.’
Three weeks later, aged 39, Mrs Morrison found out she had naturally fallen pregnant with Abbey Rose.
Lily was born two years later, also naturally.
Mrs Morrison was joined on stage by Peter Overton, who spoke of he and wife Jessica Rowe’s own battle to start a family, and Greek-Australian comedian Mary Coustas, who spoke of her own 23 failed IVF attempts.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison hugs daughters Abbey and Lily as wife Jenny looks on during the Liberal Party campaign launch