Gwenna and her husband Joe faced difficulties getting pregnant after getting married and trying to have children. Despite trying everything they could think of for six years, they were unsuccessful in their attempts. They eventually considered adoption as an option, but Gwenna’s sister-in-law, Lorraine, offered to be her gestational carrier. Using frozen embryos, they were able to successfully deliver their son, Cullan Patrick.
Although Gwenna and her husband are happy with their son, she always wanted him to have a brother. However, she felt selfish in asking for another blessing from God, since getting pregnant with her first child was already a challenge. But as someone who grew up with siblings, she wanted the same for her son.
At the age of 37, Gwenna began receiving IVF injections with the intention of freezing ʋial embryos. As a sonographer in ostetrics and gynecology, I knew that maternal age greater than 35 years increases the risk of fetal abnormalities. Gwenna felt that it was now or never for her to try to have another child.
The interim fate when Gwenna received a phone call from her friend Emily, who also works as a sonographer. Emily was talking about Gwenna’s struggles with infertility and the extent they went through to have her child. After some thought and talk with her husband, Emily offered to be Gwenna’s surrogate mother.
Gwenna and her husband met with Emily and her husband Chris to discuss logistics and after that they decided to go ahead with the process. Gwenna had six frozen embryos from her retrieval in the fall, and they were good quality embryos. They started the process in January and by March Emily was pregnant after transferring two embryos and one survived.
Gwenna said: “My sister-in-law’s phone call and Emily’s call… I’ll never forget them. The feelings of panic, relief, overwhelming fear, worry that they would not make it, shock.” . Emily wanted to do this for me. The three previous pregnancies with her were relatively easy and uneventful. He liked to be pregnant and he wanted to help me”.
In October 2015, the ƄeƄé Paxton James arrived, and Ohio birth photographer Sarah ShaмƄaugh captured emotional photos of the day. Gwenna mentioned that they managed to keep the ƄeƄé 𝓈ℯ𝓍a secret and said that it was the best way to do it. Sarah expressed her surprise at how two sonographers managed to keep the 𝓈ℯ𝓍o of the ƄeƄé a secret.
Gwenna and Emily have the same O/GYN and work as sonographers in the same practice. This connection made the delivery so much better, as their doctor knew the circumstances and what it meant to them. Gwenna believes that her doctor wanted to involve her and Joe as much as possible, which is why she had Gwenna give birth and even cut her cord. Gwenna also had skin-to-skin contact with the ƄeƄé after delivery.
Gwenna is extremely grateful to Emily for what she did for her, calling her utterly selfless and compassionate. Gwenna believes that many people talk about doing good things or feeling bad for the troublemakers in the world, but Emily stepped up and changed the world for Gwenna, her husband and her son. Gwenna emphasizes that Emily did it all with a smile on her face, and she doesn’t care whose world it is because the impact is huge.
According to Sarah, this birth was one of her favorite births because the emotion was so raw and humiliating that day. She says that everyone cried, including her, which is unusual for her, as she usually keeps her composure and smiles to her happiness. Sarah added that even the doctor cried during the delivery.
Sarah remembers a particular moment during labor when Dr. Costa asked Gwenna if she wanted to deliver her ƄeƄé and Gwenna’s face lit up with excitement. At this point, she still didn’t know the 𝓈ℯ𝓍o of the ƄeƄé. Gwenna came to announce that she was a boy, and the room was filled with laughter and excitement. Sarah noted that there was not a dry eye in the room and that everyone had a smile on their faces.