Great British Bake Off star Laura Adlington has welcomed her first child after a nine-year infertility. The story behind a tiny baby outfit she bought nearly a decade ago will melt your heart.
Laura Adlington, 36, and her husband, Matt, are celebrating the arrival of their son, George, born in late October 2025. The announcement, shared on Instagram on October 23, marks the joyful conclusion to a fertility search that spanned nearly a decade, multiple IVF attempts, and countless moments of heartbreak. “After 9 years of wishing and 9 months of waiting – our little miracle is finally here, safe in our arms,” Laura wrote alongside hospital photos of baby George. “Everyone, meet George 💙✨.”
But it’s the story of a simple baby outfit that has captured hearts across social media, transforming a £5 Tesco purchase into a symbol of hope.
About nine years ago, shortly after coming off birth control and excited about starting a family, Laura and Matt made a quick trip to Tesco for a family picnic. Laura spotted the baby section and couldn’t resist. “I made a beeline for the baby section and picked up this little outfit,” she shared on Instagram during her June gender reveal. “I held it up to Matt and said, ‘Shall we get it?’. He laughed and reluctantly agreed.”
That tiny outfit travelled with them through three house moves and nearly a decade of disappointment. It survived negative pregnancy tests after negative pregnancy tests, tucked away in the bottom drawers and the untouched corners of rooms. During rare spring cleaning sessions, Laura would find it and hold it close, praying that one day their baby would wear it.
Now, baby George can finally fill the outfit that’s been patiently waiting for him all these years. The poignant detail resonated deeply with Laura’s 494,000 Instagram followers, many of whom have followed her fertility journey through her body positivity advocacy and candid podcast discussions.
Laura’s path to motherhood was anything but straightforward. The GBBO 2020 finalist faced significant medical barriers, including being told she would need to lose 14 stone (196 pounds) to qualify for NHS IVF treatment. She wasn’t allowed Clomid, a common fertility medication, due to her weight..
In interviews, Laura has described infertility as “the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through.” Watching friends and family members get pregnant while she struggled month after month, year after year, took an enormous emotional toll. She called the Samaritans’ helpline on multiple occasions during particularly dark moments.
About a year and a half before her April 2025 pregnancy announcement, Laura and Matt quietly decided to pursue IVF privately. They kept the decision from family and off social media to avoid additional pressure. The couple endured one unsuccessful round and one cancelled round before finally discovering they were pregnant in early 2025.
“We’d honestly made peace with the idea that having children might not happen for us,” Laura admitted in her pregnancy announcement. The shock and joy of finally seeing a positive result after so many years was almost surreal.
In her birth announcement, Laura addressed the community that championed her throughout the journey: “George, meet this community of amazing women who have championed you long before you arrived. We’re all doing really well and are happily disappearing into the newborn bubble for a bit.”
The couple chose the name George, which fans noted shares its royal connection with Prince William’s firstborn. Laura’s sister commented warmly: “Oh George, the cutest nephew I ever did see. Zachary’s new best friend.”
As Laura wrote in an emotional letter to her unborn son during pregnancy:
“I lie there in the dark, imagining what it will feel like to finally hold you.”
Now, after nine years of wishing and nine months of waiting, she finally knows.
