A mother has offered to act as a surrogate for a gay couple for a second time completely free of charge, after watching them become ‘exceptional fathers’ to the first baby she carried for them.
Becky Harris, 30, from Suffolk, is 30 weeks pregnant with her seventh baby, which she is carrying for two businessmen from the south of England, after already having given birth to five surrogate children in total as well as a son of her own.
Becky, who is separated from her husband and father of her son Levi, seven, previously had another baby six years ago for the couple, who at that time covered her expenses of around £5,000.
But this time Becky is accepting absolutely nothing – not even the price of her bus fare to antenatal classes, vitamins or maternity clothes – because she wants to give the men the ‘gift’ of a second child, which she has jokingly referred to as their ‘BOGOF (or buy one get one free) baby’.
Becky Harris is offering a gay couple a ‘BOGOF baby’ after refusing to take any compensation for the second child she has carried for them
Becky explained that she could earn up to £15,000 a time as a surrogate mother, but said the process is ‘not about making money’ for her.
Her expenses have been covered by parents-to-be in the past but this time, the couple in question will pay nothing at all.
‘We have been jokingly saying that this is my BOGOF baby – have one and get one for free,’ she said.
‘I wanted to have a second baby for the dads, as my gift to them, as over the past six years I have seen what exceptional fathers they are – and I have become a part of their extended family.
‘The reality is that I have had lots of other couples approach me to have babies for them, offering me my full expenses, which under UK law could be anything up to £15,000.
The mother-of-one says that since having carrying their first child six years ago Becky has noticed what exceptional dads they are and so wanted to carry the child for free. Pictured: The sonogram of the second baby
Becky is 30 weeks pregnant with her seventh baby for a gay couple after she gave birth to five surrogate children as well as a son of her own
‘But having a baby isn’t about making money for me – it’s about giving a deserving couple a longed-for and much -loved family.
‘I don’t ever get paid, in all of my surrogacies I only asked for my expenses, which on average are around £5,000. But this time round as the dads are exceptional fathers I have agreed to give them a sibling for no expenses whatsoever for their daughter.
‘I don’t know of any other surrogate who has agreed to do this but we share an amazing bond, we are like an extended family. So its exceptional circumstances.’
Becky first became a surrogate in 2010 when her son Levi was seven months old when she first helped a husband and wife who were unable to have a child of their own.
Becky has helped many other couple realise their dreams as parents including Mark and Benita Cutter who fell victim to a surrogacy con. Pictured: Becky with their son Logan
Benita and Mark were conned by Samantha Brown who faked her surrogacy to gain access to their life savings. Pictured: Becky with Logan
She went on to then help the two gay dads, who she is pregnant for now, who are businessmen from the South of England, who do not wish to be identified.
She said: ‘While I was still pregnant I decided to become a surrogate for someone one day – as I couldn’t imagine not being able to have a child of your own to love. Levi is my world.
‘In addition, while I was pregnant my sister in law became a surrogate for the first time. Her positive experience made my mind up that I would help someone too. I never imagined I’d do it so many times though.
‘I met the dads on a private surrogacy forum on the internet. I hadn’t considered helping a gay couple but they were were warm, sincere and kind and I told my family straight away I really loved them.
Becky says that the sister of the child she is carrying now would constantly ask for a sibling and she is delighted to be able to help
‘They left the house after our first meeting and rang me literally two minutes later and said: “We’d be honoured if you would have our baby”.
‘I felt the same connection, but I only ever promised to have one child for them.
‘I fell pregnant at the first attempt with their daughter. From the moment she was born they called me her ‘aunty’ and every single day since her birth they have sent me messages and photos.
‘While I don’t consider myself to be their daughter’s mother, I’m very happy to be able to share their joy and their experience of fatherhood as she grows up.
‘Over the past six years I’ve seen they are such extraordinary dads – and their little girl has asked me many times if she have a brother or sister; pretty much every time she sees me. She’s such a sweet little girl how could I refuse.
‘So when I saw them at the start of the year I just said: ‘I’m happy to have a baby for you for free’. I told them: ‘I feel so close to you, I feel that we are an extended family. I know they are going to love baby number two just as much as number one.
‘At first they insisted they couldn’t take advantage of me after what I’d already done for them, but agreeing to help them complete their family wasn’t about money for me.’
The surrogacy was originally meant to have happened two years ago. But it was put on hold when Becky read in the news the story of Hull mother Benita Cutter, who was conned by a fake surrogate out of her and her husband Mark’s life savings.
The couple met bogus surrogate Samantha Brown on a magazine forum in 2013, where she posed as a former policewoman who wanted to change someone’s life through surrogacy.
After agreeing to get pregnant, Brown feigned morning sickness, wore maternity clothes and spoke about antenatal appointments to keep up her pretence during regular meetings with Benita and buildings manager Mark.
She faked a car crash, that she claimed killed their unborn child days before the due date. But her lies were later exposed by police when Benita and Mark feared she was lying to keep the baby herself. Detectives discovered, in fact, she’d never even been pregnant.
Becky said: ‘I was moved to tears by what Benita and Mark had gone through, so much so I wrote her a letter and offered to help her and her them. I gave birth to their son Logan in October 2016. That was an incredibly rewarding pregnancy as Logan really was a longed-for little boy and they’d been to hell and back.’
After Logan’s birth Becky had to rest her body for six months. Then, on her first home insemination with the dads she fell pregnant.
‘When I told them they were just overwhelmed,’ she said.
‘They were in shock as they couldn’t believe it worked first time. ‘They just started crying and saying thank you.’
The three month scan, in June confirmed the good news.
‘We don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl as it’s going to be a surprise this time round,’ she said. ‘So I’m just going to enjoy being pregnant.’
Shockingly, all of Becky’s surrogate children are biologically her’s.
‘I am a traditional surrogate, which means that I use my own eggs and an insemination takes place at my home. That means the child is biologically connected to me.
‘And that was a big thing with the dads I am helping, they wanted to have children who were fully genetically related. So second time around, it is my eggs again and the same dad is the biological father. They have always said they would never use another surrogate as they trust me.
‘On the day I give birth I won’t feel sad about handing over a child that was never mine to keep.
‘You form a unique bond with the couple you are helping and I enjoy almost every part of being pregnant – I don’t even get morning sickness – which is why I can be pregnant all the time. It doesn’t faze me or change me, even my emotions don’t change – the only side effect I get is baby brain for a few months.
‘For me it’s about the amazing feeling when you hand over a child to someone who really wants to have a family of their own, and who would not be able to so otherwise. ‘That’s what keeps me going – surrogacy has never been about money for me. I’m very fertile, I seem to fall pregnant almost by just thinking about it – and I realised that is a gift I can use to help others.’
And she has no plans to stop yet.
Becky said: ‘I’ve been talking to another gay couple and I hope to be pregnant for them next year.
‘After that, well I haven’t decided if I’m going to take a break or continue. As long as I can have healthy babies and my body holds up, I won’t rule out doing it again. My midwife has told me I was born to do this, as my body just snaps back after every pregnancy and I just seem to sail through.
She doesn’t think of any of the children, except her son Levi, as her own, even though they are all biologically her’s.
She said: ‘We have regular meet ups and the children get to see the other children I’ve helped. They know they grew in my tummy.
‘I don’t miss them or think of myself as their mum at all. I just carried them.’
There has been just one tragedy.
‘I lost a surrogate child in 2013 and I was so upset as it was my15th week of pregnancy, ‘I immediately decided to go again and I had a healthy baby girl for the same couple, but I’ve never forgotten that child and the loss.
‘I know that when they are older the children I’ve given birth to will want answers, as they are all biologically connected to me.
I’ve always left it up to the parents to stay in contact, but I’ve been lucky enough to have made such good friends with the parents that theyre always sending me pictures and updates, which of course I enjoy seeing.
‘I’ve always thought that if one of them knocked on my door asking questions, or needing help, I definitely would not turn them away – but not do I feel like I am their mum. I’m like a proud aunt.
‘There’s such a need for surrogates and I strongly feel it should be legalised in this country, for the protection of the parents as much as the surrogates themselves. I get letters from France, Italy,and other parts of the world asking for her help but sadly I can’t help everyone.
‘All my parents have decided that being open is the best approach with their children, which I totally agree with and I’ll answer any questions they might have – but I’ll be clear that I don’t love them like their mums and dads. do That said, I can’t wait to watch them grow up and see what they achieve in their lives.
The World’s Most Prolific Surrogate, British mum Carole Horlock said: ‘There is a huge network of surrogates in the UK and most agree that Becky must surely be the world’s most altruistic surrogate. Anyone who has a baby to create a family for someone else is extraordinary, but her acts of having a baby for free and helping a stranger who was conned by a bogus surrogate really are exceptional. I know her personally and she’s a wonderful surrogate.’