Woman Born Without A Womb Shares How Sister Served As Surrogate To Make Her A Mum

Faye Richards, born without a womb, suffers from a rare condition called Mayer Rokitansky Küster Hauser syndrome, which affects one in every 5,000 women. Moved by her years of constant pain and gloom about her inability to carry her own child, her doting sister, Kim, 27, decided to serve as her surrogate and their parents footed the expensive  bills of the several cycles of IVF Kim had to undergo before success was eventually attained.

Now, thanks to her loving family, 31-year-old Faye has a 4-month-old son, Ralphie, to call her own.

According to Mirror UK, Faye first learned she had the condition at 19 when she went to her doctor to express worries that her periods still hadn’t started. They ran tests and announced the shocking diagnosis. Faye said,

“Put simply, I was born without a womb. I have ovaries and produce eggs, but have no fallopian tubes or uterus. I was told I will never carry a child. It was devastating. Even as a teenager I knew I wanted to be a mum some day. I remember crying to my parents and watching them hold back tears, too.”

Her mum, June Thomas, 58, added: “Faye’s diagnosis broke my heart. Even back then I knew she would make an amazing mother. I wanted to see that happen for her. I felt powerless.”

For years, Faye, a mental health worker, tried to push the thought out of her mind. “I was young and healthy and had plenty to be thankful for,” she said. However in June 2010, her sister Kim, then 20, found out she was pregnant with her partner, Jason Baginski. Faye said,

“It was hard to accept my little sister had fallen pregnant without trying. Attending scans and cooing over baby clothes with her, I did feel jealous. When baby Harry was born any bitterness went away. Cradling him, I felt a rush of love. But I also felt broodier than ever.”

Then, in January, 2011, Faye started dating dad-of-three, Tony, and told him about her condition. Their relationship got serious and the pair started considering having children through an IVF surrogate (Faye’s eggs would be fertilised by Tony’s sperm and implanted in another woman’s womb). They were however refused the treatment on NHS in 2012 as 41-year-old Tony already had children.

Faye said, “It was a huge blow. We knew private surrogacy would cost thousands in expenses on top of the £6,000 quoted per round of IVF. There was no way we could afford it.”

Regardless, the couple got engaged same month, and Faye asked her sister, Kim, to be her bridesmaid. Kim then decided to give her sister the best wedding gift ever by serving as her IVF surrogate.

Kim, a healthcare assistant, said, “Having a child was so important to Faye, I’d do anything to make it happen. I know she would have done the same for me. So I discussed the idea with Jason, who was supportive. I was surprised Faye had never asked me to do it.”

Kim and Faye’s dad Dave, 66, a plasterer, and their mum, June, a nurse, subsequently offered to foot the bills for private treatment, which eventually totalled £22,000.

Faye said: “I was stunned. I would never have asked Kim to carry my baby. It’s a huge thing to ask a woman to go through IVF and pregnancy, only to hand over a baby at the end of it. It was the most generous offer ever. And then my wonderful parents gave us the funds to make it happen. Tony and I were completely overwhelmed with gratitude.”

Kim went through two gruelling but unsuccessful rounds of IVF at a clinic in London, using Faye’s eggs and Tony’s sperm and revealed, “It was such a rollercoaster. Each time I called Faye in floods of tears, I felt like I was to blame.”

But Faye said: “She’s my baby sister, the last thing I wanted was for her to feel like a failure.”

Just as hope was slipping away, Faye’s parents offered last June to pay £9,500 for three more cycles of IVF at a clinic in Cardiff.

Her mum, June, said: “We used our savings, but there was nothing more we wanted to spend that money on. Tony promised to pay back every penny, but we told him we’re in no rush to see that money. It was our first present to our grandchild.”

That month, Kim had two embryos implanted and, 13 days later, learned she was pregnant.

Faye said: “I burst into tears when Kim rang. I ran home and told Tony. We hugged and jumped up and down with excitement.”

June added: “Dave and I were on holiday when the girls rang. We were over the moon.”

Watching Kim’s belly grow was ‘strange but exciting’ for Faye, as she said,

“I couldn’t believe it was my child. Harry loved pressing his ear against Kim’s bump to hear his cousin inside.

Even Jason was fascinated. It was an odd situation, with his partner carrying another man’s child. But we all got involved in planning and going to scans. I even bought tops for Kim and me. Mine said ‘My bun’ and hers read ‘My oven’.”

Kim was induced at 31 weeks after she was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia  and after five hours of labour, Faye’s baby, Ralphie, was born weighing 5lb 6oz.

Faye said, “I collapsed on Kim crying as Tony rushed in…We went to meet our boy for the first time and I felt a surge of love. Finally, I had a son.”

Kim added, “Faye kept asking how I was feeling. I told her I felt like I’d just carried my nephew so my sister could be a mum. I didn’t feel like crying, I felt happy…I have no regrets about what I did, I’m proud of it.”

Faye continued,

“I felt like a mum at last. I couldn’t believe what we’d all been through. I asked my parents if Ralphie was worth all that money and Dad said, ‘every penny’…

When Ralphie’s older, I’ll tell him we wanted him so much his Auntie Kim, Grandma and Grandpa stepped in to make it happen. What a wonderful gift of love. Every time I look at my son, I feel so lucky my family helped me have him.”

Photo credit: Mirror UK