Fulfilling Another Dream
Jessica Allen is a mother from California who was blessed with two beautiful children and a loving husband.
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After hearing of the struggles of others who couldn’t have children, she decided she would try and help. In order to do so, Jessica signed up to be a surrogate.
Signing Up to Become a Surrogate
After the initial sign-up process, it wasn’t long before Jessica was matched with a couple seeking to have their own child.
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She successfully had an embryo implanted, and everything was going smoothly. However, little did Jessica and her family know that their lives would soon be changed forever.
Not One, But Two
Jessica initially fell pregnant in 2016. Not long after, during a routine checkup, the doctor confirmed that she was actually going to have twins.
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Jessica had already received compensation from the family she was a surrogate for. However, the family was excited about the news of twins and decided to compensate the Californian surrogate further.
Jessica Gives Birth to Twins
Jessica was happy with the compensation she received and went through with the surrogacy, giving birth to two healthy babies on December 12, 2016.
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But just one month later, the story would take another twist and turn as the surrogate mother received shocking news.
Some Very Unexpected News
It turns out that one of the babies was biologically Jessica’s. It was soon theorized that Jessica and her husband must have conceived another child while she was pregnant as a surrogate.
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After genetic testing verified this, Jessica was left in an unusual situation. The second baby was biologically hers, so she wanted to make it part of her family. But she couldn’t understand how this happened.
Who Would Have Guessed?
According to one of the doctors at the Riverside Community Hospital, while Jessica assumed she had given birth to twins, this was not the case.
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Instead, she gave birth to two separate babies, each with a different DNA profile. Unfortunately, a legal battle would soon ensue as Jessica wanted to bring her biological baby home.
The Complications That Ensued
Jessica opened up about the whole ordeal during interviews. Various unusual events unfolded after the pregnancy. According to her, the surrogate contract stated that she would be allowed one hour with the newborns, but this never happened.
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She would later be shown a picture of the two babies, which is when she noticed how different the children looked. Jessica claimed their appearance, even in the photo, was visibly different.
How Did This Happen?
A doctor would go on to explain how such an unusual and rare occurrence happened. Jessica had used in vitro fertilization to get pregnant as a surrogate. However, she conceived another child naturally around the same time.
This extremely rare phenomenon is called superfetation, in which a woman continues to ovulate even after becoming pregnant. Ultimately, this can lead to a woman becoming pregnant with two babies, each with their own genetic makeup.
Jessica Gets Emotional in the Aftermath
During the media interview, Jessica got emotional as she explained that she was unaware she had been carrying her own child during the pregnancy.
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As one of the babies was biologically hers, Jessica began a lengthy legal battle, which ended up with her being able to bring her child home and “make her family whole.”
The Custody Battle
After consulting with her lawyers and pursuing legal action, Jessica eventually reached an agreement with the family she had previously served as a surrogate for.
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She revealed in an interview that she paid the couple somewhere between $19,000 and $22,000 as compensation. Ultimately, this enabled Jessica to gain full legal custody of the child in 2017.
Heartbreak and Worry
Jessica went on to speak about the entire ordeal in various interviews. In one of them, she said that before she reclaimed the custody of her son, she felt “A type of pain that you’re never going to get over because they stole something from me that I can never get back.”
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On February 5, 2017, she met with a caseworker from Omega at a Starbucks in California. Here, she and her husband received their baby boy, whom they’ve since named Malachi.
All of Her Emotions Came Forth at Once
Once Malachi was in the arms of Jessica, the Californian mother revealed she was instantly overcome with joy and happiness.
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She said: “The moment was incredibly emotional, and I started hugging and kissing my boy. It’s been nearly nine months since we got Malachi, and he is doing well. He’s beautiful. He’s healthy, and his personality is hilarious.”
A Blessing in Disguise
Jessica explained that while she and her husband weren’t initially trying to have another child, they love and treasure the young Malachi with all of their hearts.
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The emotional mother said: “I just hope other women considering surrogacy can learn from my story. And that a greater good will come out of this nightmare.”
The Damage Has Been Done
According to Legalize Surrogacy, the lawsuit made several remarks about the situation and claimed that such an event could have mental consequences.
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They said: “The damage has been done by the defendants, and Jessica, Wardell, and most importantly, Malachi are now left to live with the long-lasting consequences of the defendants’ wrongs against them.”