Samantha Holmes signed up for an MA in Creative Writing with The Open University as a distraction from the challenging IVF journey her and her husband were on. She used her writing to open up about their fertility battle, which she found cathartic, but which also raised awareness of infertility – a struggle faced by so many. By 2020, she was graduating with not only a Master’s degree, but also a much longed-for bump.
Samantha first had an ectopic pregnancy in 2017 – where the embryo implants in the fallopian tube instead of the womb. This was followed by years of struggling to fall pregnant as part of the couple’s long journey to have a baby, including multiple rounds of IVF.
“When we decided we were going down the IVF route, I knew I needed to find a distraction. I’d always wanted to do an MA and progress with my writing,” she said. “As it turned out, most of my pieces for the course ended up being about infertility and our struggles.”
Now she dreams of publishing a book on the subject, to help others going through what she went through.
From teaching, to a Master’s, and motherhood!
Samantha already has a BA (Hons) in English Literature and has worked as a Teaching Assistant in secondary schools since 2009. Since 2012, she has specialised in English, and she also does private English tuition on the side. But writing has always been her hobby.
“I always knew I wanted to do more writing,” she said. “I teach creative writing as part of my job, so the school funded part of my qualification. I’d had my own blog for years where I’d share my life and experiences, and I have my own writing page on Facebook. I wanted to work more on my writing.”
So in 2018, Samantha signed up to The Open University to complete an MA in Creative Writing, which she could do through supported distance learning around her job. She studied before work, after work and over weekends and school holidays to make it happen – even continuing when the pandemic hit.
She specialised in non-fiction so she could write about her personal experiences, and focused on her journey of what had been deemed ‘unexplained infertility’ by experts. Little did she know when she enrolled that by the time she completed her qualification, she’d finally have her little bundle on the way.
“The course helped me to emotionally process what I’d been through”
Samantha wrote multiple pieces on infertility during her course, including: ‘An open topic’ about her ectopic pregnancy; ‘Non-Mother’s Day’ about the rollercoaster of IVF; and ‘Book lover non-mother’ about her ambitions of having a book published as well as having a child. Each piece aimed to raise awareness of infertility, but she found that writing was helping her emotionally, too.
“I was focused on getting infertility out there. You could say I was bleeding onto the page, and I found it cathartic writing about and sharing my experiences,” she said.
“The course helped me to craft my writing, taught me new skills and showed me how to share my work with others and take on feedback. But it also showed me how to emotionally process, deal with and be open about what I’d been through.
“I loved the course and discussing mine and others’ work and experiences along the way. I became passionate about being open about infertility. Studying was such a positive journey and I very much enjoyed it.”
Graduating with a bump
Samantha with little Jacob
By the time Samantha graduated, she was over the moon to finally be pregnant with her little boy, Jacob, who is now nine months old.
Now she dreams of collating all her writing on infertility – along with new material – and then publishing it all in a book.
“I was doing a lot of reading when I was studying, and I discovered that there wasn’t much out there where people were sharing their experiences of infertility. But what I could find inspired me and spurred me on, so I want to do the same for others,” she said.
“I haven’t written much since Jacob was born as it’s quite busy, but I’d like to publish a book. The course content was great and there was a section on how to do this. I’m also thinking of expanding my private tuition business to offer creative writing tuition to adults. Studying with the OU does make you think you can do anything!
“To anyone in a similar position to what I was, I’d say don’t give up – there’s always hope. Writing, or doing something else you love, can not only be a helpful distraction but it can also help you through the tough times.
“I’m so pleased that I got my happy ending. As I got my MA certificate through the door, I had a 30-week bump to go with it! I’m looking forward to celebrating this achievement by finally getting to attend my graduation ceremony in May 2022.”
