My sister Rachel battled to conceive for several years. Rachel had already lost her effervescent personality by the time they asked me to carry their baby.
Looking at my boys through the kitchen window as she slipped her fingers around the glass of water, I could sense her love for them and knew she would be the ideal mother if given the opportunity.
Then Rachel got closer and took my hands in hers. “You know, Abby, you are my only chance of ever experiencing motherhood. Please take your time to think about the gift you could give me.”
That evening, my husband and I discussed the possibility of me being my sister’s surrogate. Having four boys already meant having a lot on my plate. Another pregnancy could take a toll on my body and my emotions, but watching my sister suffer was overwhelming.
I asked my husband to trust me and support me in my decision to be my sister’s surrogate.
It didn’t take long before Rachel and Jason’s baby started growing in my belly. They were extremely dedicated and couldn’t stop making plans for their future as parents.
Hours passed by and Rachel and Jason finally appeared at the hospital. But their demeanor said something wasn’t right.
Instead of taking the girl, Rachel looked at me and said,
“This isn’t the baby we expected. We don’t want it.”
“You’re joking, right?” I asked, still unable to process her words.
“It’s a girl. And Jason… Jason wanted a son.”
That’s when my husband intervened and started yelling at Rachel and her husband. “Have you both lost your minds?”
“But you never said anything about gender,” I said, still surprised.
“That’s because you have given birth to four boys, so we thought it wouldn’t be any different this time,” Rachel said.
The idea of being a surrogate seemed so logical at the beginning, but now it destr0yed my relationship with my sister.
A couple of weeks later, someone knocked on the door. “Who could it be on this rainy day?” I thought to myself as I opened the door.
It was Rachel. She looked different.
But before I could ask her why she was there, she started crying and apologized. She couldn’t abandon her daughter, even if it meant leaving Jason.
I could see her regret was genuine, so I brought her in and allowed her to hold Kelly for the first time.
Looking at my sister and her daughter, it felt like everything fell into place. Being a single mother would be difficult, but my husband, boys, and I were ready to support her for as long as she needed.