Shared Motherhood: UK Lesbian Couple Becomes First To Carry A Child In Both Their Wombs

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A lesbian couple from the United Kingdom (UK) has become the first to carry their child in both their wombs. Yes, you read that right! The couple has borne the same child in their womb to experience 'shared motherhood'. It was in September 2019 when the couple welcomed their baby boy Otis. The birth of the baby was through the In-Vivo Natural Fertilisation, which involves incubating the eggs in a mother's body and then transferring the embryo into another mother's womb.

Twenty-eight-year-old Jasmine Francis-Smith, a dental-nurse by profession gave birth to their son, Otis in the month of September in a hospital, using the egg which was incubated in the womb of her wife Donna (30). The couple went through a procedure in which Donna became the contributor of the egg and then incubated it through the In-Vivo Natural Fertilisation. Jasmine subsequently carried the embryo until the baby's birth. The couple says this procedure has made them feel 'equal in the whole process'.

It is not the first time when a same-sex couple has given birth to a baby through artificial incubation. However, this is the first time when both the parents have taken part in the pregnancy and the birth of the child.

Donna Francis-Smith couldn't stop her happiness post the birth of their baby boy. She said, "We're overwhelmed, to be honest, it's blown up massively. It's my egg, and then they did the 'egg collection' from me and then put it back into my body for 18 hours before being put into Jasmine's body, and she became pregnant."

"You get a lot of same-sex couples where one person is doing the whole thing, and the one person is getting pregnant and giving birth, whereas with this we're both involved in a massive way. It's definitely brought us closer together emotionally," added Donna.

The couple says this will help both of them in developing a bond with their child rather than one of the parents having a deeper connection.

Jasmine too spoke about the successful birth of their son, "We're really fortunate that this was our first go at IVF, but the reality is that it doesn't work the first time for a lot of people."

For 11 years, Donna has been working in the Army for 11 years stationed at Cyprus and serving for one tour of Afghanistan. The couple met in 2014 through an online dating platform and it was last year when both of them tied the knot. Donna says that they will be supporting their boy for whatever he wants to do. The couple also wants to help the people in the future.

We are also happy for the couple and wish them the best in their lives. We hope this paves a path for same-sex couples willing to have children.