‘It felt like the most natural thing in the world’: Meet the woman, 35, who had TWO surrogate babies for her gay brother (and she was already a mum of three)
Sister carries two surrogate children for her gay younger brother
‘It felt like the most natural thing in the world’: Meet the woman, 35, who had TWO surrogate babies for her gay brother (and she was already a mum of three)
A selfless sister who vowed to help her gay brother and his partner become parents has made their dream come true not once but twice.
Rhiannon Stevens, 35, from Melbourne, first offered to become a surrogate for her younger brother, Clinton, 14 years ago.
After meeting his partner Callum, 33, the pair tied the knot in 2012 and began to pursue their dream of becoming parents.
But with adoption and international surrogacy proving difficult for the couple, Rhiannon, a mum-of-three, stepped in to fulfill her promise.
Using a donor egg and the couple’s sperm, Rhiannon became pregnant with their eldest daughter Zara, two, after a successful embryo transfer in 2014.
Now she’s also given birth to their second daughter, Aiden, who was born just three weeks ago, making the couple proud parents for the second time.
Rhiannon, an administrative officer, and her brother have always been close, sharing a love of kids and working as babysitters in their teenage years.
As the years rolled by, Rhiannon went on to get married and have three kids of her own — Soraya, 10, Cobie, 8, and Mahli, 7 — while Clinton traveled and lived overseas.
But in 2010, he met Callum through a friend and love blossomed.
She said: “They were such great uncles to my kids. Both completely natural and offering different qualities.
“When they announced they were getting married in 2012, I knew they’d be looking to become parents soon. They’d be great dads.”
But when the loving pair looked into the process, they quickly came to the realization that adoption and international surrogacy were both lengthy and complicated.
The boys didn’t need to worry though, as Rhiannon once again offered to be their ‘oven’ not long after they embarked on their journey to fatherhood.
But it took 12 long months of legal formalities, including signing a contract and undergoing intensive counseling, before Rhiannon could begin the IVF treatment to carry her brother’s baby.
“The process was slow to begin with. I was ready to go from the moment we discussed it, but we had heaps of hoops to jump through,” Rhiannon added.
“Eventually, though, we were given the thumbs up and doctors started prepping embryos which were made using the boys’ sperm and a donor egg.
“Amazingly, I fell pregnant with Zara on the first transfer and I knew very quickly after that I was (pregnant).
“It was tough as I couldn’t tell them until the clinic had done a proper bloody test. I was having to avoid them for fear of spilling the beans too soon.”
It was an emotional and exciting time for the dads-to-be, who flew back and forth between Sydney and Melbourne for scans and doctor’s appointments.
This little girl that had grown inside of me, was their baby and I felt so privileged to have been a part of that.
‘I knew then that I’d do it again in a flash.’
Zara was born a few days before Christmas 2014, with both dads right by Rhiannon’s bedside.
When Zara was just three.
When Zara was just 3 months old, Rhiannon offered to carry another baby for her brother and brother-in-law.
Rhiannon said: “It was a really easy decision for me. My three kids were completely fine with the fact that their mummy had grown a baby for their uncle and I loved seeing Clinton and Callum so happy.
“It took another year or so for the process to happen again but when it did, I was over the moon.
“I loved being an auntie to Zara and couldn’t wait to help give her a sibling.”
On Nov. 20, 2016, Rhiannon gave birth to another niece, Aiden.
Now Clinton and Callum are looking forward to their future as dads to two girls, and can’t quite believe their sister gave them such an incredible gift.
Clinton said, “The fact my sister helped us to become parents twice is such a testament to the woman she is.
“Becoming dads for the second time is a gift we can never repay and we’re looking forward to explaining to Zara and Aiden exactly how they came into the world when they’re old enough.”
Source:nypost.com, dailymail.co.uk
