A north-east woman has thanked her sister for the greatest gift of all – carrying and giving birth to her baby boy.
Kelly Yeats was diagnosed with cervical cancer almost a decade ago, and had to undergo a hysterectomy and have her womb removed to save her life.
With all hope gone of carrying a baby of her own, the 33-year-old, from Aberdeen, wondered if she would ever become a mother.
But two years ago, Mrs Yeats’ younger sister, Laura Smith, stepped in to help and said she would carry a child for her.
Last month, the 31-year-old gave birth to Freddie – weighing 8lb 9oz – with her sister by her side.
And yesterday, the pair said they hoped their story would encourage others to think about becoming a surrogate.
“A lot of people asked ‘how are you going to feel when you give birth’, but I know it’s not my baby,” said Mrs Smith.
“You hear about people going through it, but you don’t hear many happy endings.
“This will hopefully give people a bit more hope.”
Mrs Yeats, who is married to husband, Craig, had to undergo a hysterectomy in the week before her 25th birthday.
But doctors saved her ovaries so that she could still produce eggs.
After Mrs Smith offered to carry the couple’s baby, the sisters met with IVF doctors who took a sample of three eggs from Mrs Yeats.
The first attempt at fertilisation was unsuccessful, but the second shot worked and the embryo was transferred to Mrs Smith’s womb.
The chances of the treatment working were just 30%, and the odds were even slimmer because doctors had to use a frozen embryo.
But, luckily, Mrs Smith fell pregnant.
The whole process – from initial IVF appointments to successful implantation – took around two years.
For Mrs Smith, who has three children of her own and also fosters a two-year-old girl, it was the first time she had ever had a C-section.
She said it made the experience feel more like a “procedure”.
Mrs Yeats said she could never thank her sister enough for what she had done for her, and that she had given them a beautiful and healthy baby boy.
“Craig and I were allowed to be in the theatre, they pulled the curtain aside for us,” she said.
“Motherhood is going great, I love it.
“I’m really grateful to my sister – there aren’t enough words to describe it.”