I really love being pregnant. I am one of the fortunate ones who are spared most of the sickness and complications. I love my shape, feeling the baby move, shopping for tiny clothes and decorating the nursery. Besides the hip and joint pain near the end of pregnancy, the whole experience is fun for me. That said, I don’t think I would want to be pregnant eight times… with other people’s children.
That is what one woman is doing in Britain. Jill Hawkins is pregnant for the eighth time, but she is not a mom, per say. She has never had a child of her own. She is a serial surrogate, as some call her, and she loves being pregnant so much that she has done it numerous times for couples who are unable to. At forty-five, this is the first time she has not conceived using her own eggs. She was implanted with two embryos from a professional couple in their thirties.
Three years ago, while pregnant with her seventh, she said she was ready to be done. Her seventh pregnancy was full of complications and the aftermath was becoming more difficult each time, but she felt an addiction to pregnancy. She said that after her seventh pregnancy, she had conquered her addiction, though she might want to have her own baby someday.
I guess she didn’t conquer her addition after all!
Personally, I could see myself becoming a surrogate for a close family member, but it would be too hard to give a baby up to a complete stranger, even if it did belong to them all along. With my son, I really bonded with him during the pregnancy. I got to know his little personality and I dreamed about him all day, wondering what he would look like and looking forward to meeting him face to face. I just can’t imagine handing him over after delivery, never to see him again. It would be too heartbreaking for me.
What are your thoughts on surrogacy?