# Becoming a Solo Mum by Choice: What No One Tells You Before You Start- with Anna Riches Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/now-what-podcast-6669541/becoming-a-solo-mum-by-choice-what-no-one-tells-you-before-you-start-with-anna-riches Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/now-what-podcast-6669541/becoming-a-solo-mum-by-choice-what-no-one-tells-you-before-you-start-with-anna-riches.md Podcast: [Now What? Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/now-what-podcast-6669541) Published: 2026-02-18T11:12:52+00:00 Episode link: https://www.jotform.com/assign/260467361728059/260471128781054 Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6936339a76f89ba373d297c3/e/699412e68b7fe5457d1b0c6e/media.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/now-what-podcast-6669541/episodes/becoming-a-solo-mum-by-choice-what-no-one-tells-you-before-you-start-with-anna-riches Duration seconds: 2426 ## Resource **Melbourne IVF fertility specialist Dr Daniel Lantsberg has offered the Now What community an exclusive discount for anyone in Melbourne considering becoming a solo mum by choice. They are offering  half-price off the initial consultation  — usually $400, reduced to $200 — for those who register via the link below. The initial consult is the most important first step, even if you’re only in the thinking stage. It gives you clarity on your fertility, your timelines, your options and the realistic pathway ahead, so you can make informed decisions without losing valuable time. If this is something you’ve been quietly considering, this is a practical place to begin. Leave your details to start your journey with Melbourne IVF: https://www.jotform.com/assign/260467361728059/260471128781054 In this episode, Rachel sits down with Anna Riches (you may know her from  Big Miracles ) for an honest, reassuring conversation about becoming a solo mum by choice- and what people don’t tell you about the road to getting there. Anna takes us through the turning points that pushed her from “I’ve got time” to freezing her eggs, then choosing a donor, then diving into treatment with Dr Daniel Lantsberg — including multiple failed IUIs, IVF, a chemical pregnancy, a pregnancy loss, and the third transfer that finally brought River into her life. They talk money (because IVF isn’t optional-cost), the long, mandatory counselling and donor waitlist process, how she chose her donor, why she didn’t use a friend as a donor even when offered, and what it feels like when you’re the only adult at 4am with a crying baby and no one to tap in. It’s also a conversation about the emotional aftermath: the hormonal shock, the loneliness that hits in different seasons, the grief for your old l… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/now-what-podcast-6669541/episodes/becoming-a-solo-mum-by-choice-what-no-one-tells-you-before-you-start-with-anna-riches/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/now-what-podcast-6669541/becoming-a-solo-mum-by-choice-what-no-one-tells-you-before-you-start-with-anna-riches.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.