I’m a mum but give birth to other people’s babies too – my husband thinks it’s cool but some people say it’s weird
A WOMAN who realised she loves being pregnant decided to take the plunge and become a surrogate, since she didn’t want any more kids of her own.
Yessenia Latorre, 26, had son Tyson, now five, then sadly suffered a miscarriage before second son Trey Jnr, now three, was born.
Inspired by her pregnancy loss, Yessenia decided she wanted to help families who were unable to conceive.
With the support of partner, Trey Murray, 27, a foreman, she became a surrogate and after undergoing an embryo transfer, Yessenia soon fell pregnant.
Yessenia said she felt “pride” when she handed the baby over and is currently recovering from her pregnancy but plans to be a surrogate again.
The mum-of-two says she has a great relationship with the parents of her surrogate child and often receives pictures and updates on how he is developing.
Yessenia, who is a surrogate educator, from Atlanta, Georgia, US, said: “Going through my miscarriage, it made me realise that so many women have problems getting pregnant.
“There are so many people out there who deserve to have children and having that miscarriage made me realise I wanted to help others.
“Whenever I think about what I do, it makes me really happy.”
“Whenever I receive pictures of the baby or get gifts as a thank you, I feel a lot of pride and happiness that I was able to accomplish something so life changing.”
The parents of the baby often send the mum flowers, gift cards and desserts, and even sent Yessenia’s kids Christmas presents.
The mum gave birth to her son Tyson in November 2017, and then miscarried at 10 weeks in September 2018.
She fell pregnant again in March 2019 and gave birth to Trey Jnr in October 2019.
“It made me feel really sad, there are so many people out there who deserve to have children and having that miscarriage made me want to help others,” she said.
“I considered myself lucky, as I immediately fell pregnant with my second son, but I know other women don’t have the same fate.”
After the experience, she signed up to an agency to become a surrogate in October 2021.
Yessenia said she was “nervous” to tell her husband about wanting to go through pregnancy for other people at first.
She said: “You have to have your partner’s support.
“I filled out an application and they review all your medical records.
“My husband was cool about it – I was really nervous talking to him.
“When I spoke to him about it, I explained how so many people can’t have children.
“I explained how I missed pregnancy – he was really supportive and said he was surprised that I would do all of this for a stranger.”
She created a profile for potential parents to look at when choosing a surrogate.
She then had the chance to review the family’s profile to see if they would be good match for her.
Yessenia then met the intended parents in person for the first time in May 2022.
After agreeing to be a surrogate for a couple from Florida, Yessenia had her embryo transfer in June 2022 – falling pregnant the same month.
Yessenia said: “Surrogates are in really high demand, there is one surrogate out there for every 10 families needing one – so, as a surrogate you don’t wait long to be matched.
“You are matched really quickly on the spot.
“As a surrogate, I wanted to have a relationship with the family.
“Something that stood out for me with the family that I chose was that they were OK to have whatever relationship with the baby that I wanted.”
Yessenia gave birth in March 2023, she said she was “blessed” that the family would shower her with gifts throughout the pregnancy.
She remains in touch with the family and is often sent pictures and progress updates.
She said: “I really wanted to connect and be able to see them in person and possibly see the baby.
“The most important thing for me was to see pictures, I didn’t want to be shut out.
“When I gave birth, I wanted the baby to go to the mother, I thought it was really important for them to have that bond.
“For me, it isn’t weird, whenever I think about what I have done it makes me really happy.
“Whenever I receive a picture of the baby, it makes me feel a lot of pride and happiness that I was able to accomplish something so life-changing.”