Born with no womb or uterus, Laura Curtis, 29, never imagined she would be able to become a mother.

But a stranger changed everything, allowing Laura and her partner Lewis Batterham, 31, to welcome their daughter, Wren, on May 15.

How? That’s all thanks to Chloe Thomas, 31, a woman who volunteered to be the couple’s surrogate, despite having never met them before.

Laura, a nurse, was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome – meaning she was born without a womb or a uterus and unable to ever carry a baby – when she was just 16, and for years gave up on the idea of becoming a parent.

It was only when she met Lewis in July 2016 that Laura discovered she could have her own child, but wouldn’t be able to carry it – as her ovaries functioned, so doctors could extract her eggs.

In 2018, the couple began looking into surrogacy, but were clueless when it came to how to find the right person.

‘Lewis suggested I post on Facebook about my condition and the situation,’ said Laura.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5video

That Facebook post, shared in November 2020, received masses of support, which led to Chloe, then a total stranger to the couple, spotting it – and reaching out to help.

Laura revealed: ‘She messaged saying she had donated eggs before but had never known how to go about being a surrogate.

‘We met for a coffee and clicked straight away.

‘I met her husband and children too and we all got on, so we decided to go for it.’

The couple and Chloe, a retail assistant, started the process in January 2021 and Laura had her egg retrieval in August 2021.

Lewis said: ‘I couldn’t quite get my head around it when Chloe reached out.

‘It shocks me that somebody would be so selfless and caring to do that for a stranger.’

In September 2021, medics implanted embryos – with Laura’s extracted eggs fertilised by Lewis’ sperm – into Chloe, and just two weeks later, the couple found out Chloe was pregnant with Laura and Lewis’s child.

‘We went round to Chloe’s and she left us a urine sample so Lewis and I could do the test,’ Laura said. ‘We couldn’t believe it.’

The couple lived ten minutes away from Chloe, who was happy to bring them along to all her check-ups and scans so they could feel part of the pregnancy every step of the way.

On May 14, 2022, Chloe began having contractions, and Laura rushed her to Grange University Hospital, Cwmbran.

As the contractions got closer together, both Wren and Chloe’s heart rate rose, and doctors decided to take her for an emergency c-section.

‘Chloe reassured me that she wanted me in there with her and I held her hand as Wren was born,’ Laura said.

‘It was a magical moment and it felt like it was just the three of us in the room.

‘I just kept saying: “Is she mine?”

But when the nurse passed Wren to me to hold, something started going wrong with Chloe and she was losing lots of blood.

‘It was really frightening.’

Baby Wren started to develop an infection and had to stay in hospital for eight days while she recovered.

‘I blamed myself that Chloe was unwell as she carried my baby and she felt guilty that Wren had an infection,’ Laura recalled.

‘But fortunately they are both OK now.’

On May 23, Wren was ready to come home with Laura and Lewis. Now, months on, the couple’s daughter has settled in a treat and the trio are enjoying life as a new family.

Chloe will ‘always’ be a part of Wren’s life, and is called ‘auntie Chloe’.

‘I just can’t believe she is mine and I’m a mum,’ said Laura.

‘Wren is my everything and she’s the perfect mixture of Lewis and I.

‘I never thought being a mum would be possible.

‘People always say it must be great to not get periods, but I’d take them any day if they meant I was able to carry a baby.

‘Chloe is my superwoman. We really are best friends now.

‘I can never repay her for the gift she has given me.’

Chloe added: ‘I’d always wanted to be a surrogate, but I hadn’t known how to go about it.

‘I’d started looking into again when I saw Laura’s post, so it felt like it was meant to be.

‘I wanted her to be at everything with me so she could experience it all.

‘It was amazing to see her see Wren and see her finally become a mum.

‘It was a traumatic birth, but I am so glad I did it.

‘Laura has adapted so easily to motherhood and it’s so lovely for me to hold Wren.

‘I’ve given someone a family and that’s so special.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Source: Read Full Article