A 2020 FAMILY: Shaciba St Louis, right, and her girlfriend Lisa Melville hold their daughter Miracle, who was the fourth baby delivered for 2020 at the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital, Mt Hope, yesterday. Miracle, whose weight was five pounds, three ounces, was born at 6.03 a.m. Photo: Trinidad Express

Their daughter may be as close to a miracle as the gay couple can ever expect. Using sperm donated by a gay friend, who prefers to remain anonymous, the couple said they performed an at-home insemination on May 14.

A week later, after six pregnancy tests and a doctor’s visit, it was confirmed that St Louis was pregnant.

Baby Miracle was born at 6.03 a.m. yesterday, the fourth baby to be delivered at the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital on New Year’s Day.

An ecstatic Melville shared their story with the Express yesterday afternoon. Melville, 47, said she and St Louis, 27, have been together since February 2018.

“During that time, she kept saying she wanted a baby. I have a daughter who is 21. We have a good friend who we asked to help and he said he had no problem doing it. We came home, he gave us his sperm and I inserted it into her,” she said.

Melville said prior to the insemination, she and St Louis researched the procedure on YouTube. She said their friend/donor also got tested to ensure that he was disease-free.

“We know him for years. Before we did it, he did blood tests to make sure he was not sick. They both had no sexual contact because he is with somebody else. But it is a good friend. I told him that we will like him to be around. He will be the godfather,” she said.

The at-home procedure was done on May 14.  “By the 17th we went on the beach. She was going to drink a Stag and I told her no, don’t drink it you’re pregnant. I just knew. And I told her that it was a baby girl and her name will be Miracle. She said how you know that? And I said God just told me you’re pregnant,” she said.

Seven days after the insemination, St Louis did her first pregnancy test and the result was positive. Still in disbelief, she repeated the tests every morning for five days, with the same results.

A doctor’s visit eventually confirmed what they already knew.  “We can’t even explain the feeling. This is really a miracle because I know there are a lot of people paying thousands of dollars to have a baby,” Melville said.

“When she did the test by the doctor, (the doctor) said she was pregnant. I explained to the doctor what I did and she told me she was amazed by what I did and that I was brave,” she said. “I said I just wanted to make her happy. This was what she wanted.”

St Louis said she, too, was overjoyed, as Miracle is her first baby.