Surrogacy is great for couples who cannot get pregnant to start a family of their own. And this simple fact is what attracted a UK mom to become a surrogate mother.
When she was a teenager, Shaniece Sturdy, from Carshalton, Surrey, became interested in surrogacy after watching an eye-opening TV documentary. The UK woman who is also a mom to her son, Rylee contacted a surrogate center through which she met hopeful parents, Steve and Joanna.
Shaniece, who was 21 at the time, was keen to assist the couple in starting a family. This is what made her come to Los Angeles so that a specialized clinic could put their embryo into her womb.
Following the successful procedure, Shaniece went to hospital for a routine check-up. The proud mum was shocked when a midwife revealed that they hadn’t found one heartbeat… they’d actually found two.
“At our first scan at just a few weeks pregnant, we were all told I was carrying twins, Joanna and Steve had already picked their twin pram.
“At the 10 week scan I joked, ‘I wonder if they will find another heartbeat,’ and just minutes later, they did.”
A few months through her pregnancy, Shaniece noticed how her baby bump had swollen to was bigger than her previous pregnancy.
She explained: “I was now expecting triplets and at just a few months pregnant, I was already bigger than I had been with Rylee at eight months, I looked huge.”
When the couple came across this news, they were beyond ecstatic. Joanna and Steve, who live in the UK, were thrilled they were expecting triplets and Shaniece now visits them every year for their birthdays.
Shaniece said: “Even though I was only 21 and it was a huge responsibility carrying their babies, it was one of the best experiences of my life.
“I had no morning sickness or cravings, the whole pregnancy flew by and with the support of Joanna and Steve, it was amazing and I would recommend it to anyone.”
The surrogate mother also shared that she received great support from Joanna and Steve during the time and she felt amazing. Speaking on the same, Shaniece disclosed that she had intended to give the family three children instead of the one sibling she had originally planned to give them.
Shaniece revealed that she was bigger than she had been with her son, Rylee at 8 months pregnant and her belly looked really huge. Talking to the same interview, Shaniece revealed they had planned for a C-section at 33 weeks, but her water broke before that.
The triplets were taken to intensive care but Willow, Daisy, and Harrison, were all perfectly fine, weighing 4lb 2oz, 3lb 7oz and 3lb 11oz.
Talking about surrogacy, Shaniece said how many people assume that surrogates use their own eggs, but that’s not really the case. She further stated that she was just a host womb to Steve and Joana’s embryo. And hence, it is their child, not hers.
Shaniece also said that she didn’t share the news about her surrogacy plans right away with her family in case they didn’t support her. She didn’t decide to tell her family the news until after she had met the parents and had conducted some of her own investigation.
The UK mom advises any woman who wants to be a surrogate to go for it as it was one of the greatest experiences of her life. She also said that as long as a person feels prepared and is aware of the responsibilities involved, age is irrelevant while acting as a surrogate.
