Chef Michael Van de Elzen is justifiably proud of the success of his top-rating TV show The Food Truck and his award-winning Auckland restaurant Molten. But the greatest triumph of his life is the gorgeous toddler he’s holding in his arms. “She’s a very special girl,” says Michael as he tenderly strokes daughter Hazel’s hair. “We’re very lucky to have her.”
The 15-month-old is a true success story. After Michael (39) and his wife Belinda (38) were told they could never have children naturally, they underwent gruelling IVF treatment which, after much heartbreak, finally led to them becoming proud parents to precious wee Hazel.
Family was always part of the grand plan for Michael and Belinda, who’ve been together for more than 10 years. But for a long time their restaurant Molten – where Michael was head chef and Belinda ran the front of house – was their baby. They worked 80 to 90 hour weeks and it was all-consuming.
Realising they shouldn’t wait too long, they started trying to conceive in 2005. After several years with no result they saw a fertility specialist. Tests showed Belinda’s fallopian tubes were blocked and she was told IVF was her only chance of getting pregnant. “I tried to put on a brave face but it was a very hard thing to come to terms with,” says Belinda.
They underwent IVF with Kiwi fertility pioneer Dr Richard Fisher, who was hopeful about their chances. Belinda wanted Michael to be involved as much as possible, so it became his responsibility to give her the hormone injections.
The first cycle resulted in 10 eggs being collected and three were fertilised. The couple was delighted when the first embryo put back into Belinda’s womb implanted. “When I found out I was pregnant I thought, ‘Oh, this is a piece of cake.’ And then the wheels fell off.”
The Van de Elzens were devastated when Belinda miscarried at six weeks. “I had to go to work and I was crying, and Michael was crying, and the sous chef sent us home.” “It was hard but we had to keep soldiering on,” remembers Michael. The other fertilised embryos had been frozen but unfortunately one did not survive the thawing process and the other did not implant.
In their second cycle of IVF 10 eggs were again retrieved, but this time none of them were fertilised. The couple were distraught but Belinda took it particularly hard. “Nothing made me feel better. I resented the restaurant; it was hard when pregnant women came in and said, ‘I can’t eat this or that.’ It seemed so unfair.”
“I felt like I was walking on broken glass,” admits Michael. “It was hard to know what to do.” The couple says the failure of that second cycle was a wake-up call. “We realised we needed to make some changes, including me cutting down on work,” says Belinda.
As well as getting more rest, she began a course of fertilityboosting acupuncture and took Chinese herbal medicines. She and Michael took vitamins, gave up caffeine and alcohol, and included more vegetables in their already healthy diets.
With the third round of IVF they had an additional procedure which involves sperm being injected into the eggs. Again 10 eggs were collected and this time five became embryos. “I felt so much more positive,” says Belinda. “I almost feel as if I brainwashed myself into believing it would work.”
Sure enough, the first embryo implanted. Nine months later, after a trouble-free pregnancy, Hazel was born. “I waited so long to finally hold my own baby in my arms, and it was wonderful,” smiles Belinda, who describes Michael as a “devoted and doting” dad. Michael says having Hazel has made them rethink their futures. Last year they sold Molten, in part because Michael didn’t want to work from 7am until 1am and rarely see his daughter.
“It was too much to do both the restaurant and Food Truck,” he says. Michael’s dream is to own a restaurant in the country, and he and Belinda would like more children. “We’ve got some frozen embryos and I would go through IVF again,” says Belinda. “I would have gone through IVF 10 times to get Hazel – she’s been worth everything.”
