BRITAIN'S first surrogate mother has described a woman about to give birth to her 11th surrogate child at Scunthorpe General Hospital as an angel.
Kim Cotton became the UK's first surrogate mother in 1985 and she has praised Karla Kirkby – one of the country's most prolific surrogates – for giving couples the gift of a newborn baby.
Karla, who lives in Brigg and has two children of her own, has so far had 10 surrogate babies and is due to give birth to number 11 at the end of May.
Kim said: "Karla is blessed with fertility and she is like an angel.
"It is very rare to have someone like Karla.
"In terms of surrogates who have had 10 or more, we are probably talking about four or five in the UK."
Kim, a mother-of-two herself, is acting chair and founder of voluntary organisation Childlessness Overcome Through Surrogacy (COTS). It provides advice, help and support to surrogates and intended parents.
Kim, who gave birth to three surrogate babies, said: "We have between 50 and 55 births a year at the moment.
"We are always looking for potential surrogate mothers out there.
"It is a fantastic way to, I think, make use of your time at home.
"When you are bringing up your own little ones, this buys you more to stay at home with your own children.
"It is a way of making use of this time that you are housebound.
"You are sharing your fertility with a more unfortunate person that may not be able to have children.
"We have never, ever had a surplus of surrogates.
"We are always seeking surrogates and it is very difficult."
Kim said the "feel-good" factor is the reason many women choose to become a surrogate.
She said: "It is very addictive. The feel-good factor is so amazing – it is that feeling of having changed someone's life.
"It is a very powerful emotion and it is very hard to know when to stop.
"A lot will stop when they cannot conceive and I do worry about the risk of multiple pregnancies.
"In the olden days before the pill, people were having 15/16 children and I think financially bringing up that many children is impossible. It is not the same as surrogacy.
"There is wear and tear on the body but you are not caring for this child – you are giving them away.
"You can go home, recover and get on with your own life."
Sources: http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/SURROGATE-MUM-0F-11-ANGEL/story-26303140-detail/story.html
Kim Cotton became the UK's first surrogate mother in 1985 and she has praised Karla Kirkby – one of the country's most prolific surrogates – for giving couples the gift of a newborn baby.
Karla, who lives in Brigg and has two children of her own, has so far had 10 surrogate babies and is due to give birth to number 11 at the end of May.
Kim said: "Karla is blessed with fertility and she is like an angel.
"It is very rare to have someone like Karla.
"In terms of surrogates who have had 10 or more, we are probably talking about four or five in the UK."
Kim, a mother-of-two herself, is acting chair and founder of voluntary organisation Childlessness Overcome Through Surrogacy (COTS). It provides advice, help and support to surrogates and intended parents.
Kim, who gave birth to three surrogate babies, said: "We have between 50 and 55 births a year at the moment.
"We are always looking for potential surrogate mothers out there.
"It is a fantastic way to, I think, make use of your time at home.
"When you are bringing up your own little ones, this buys you more to stay at home with your own children.
"It is a way of making use of this time that you are housebound.
"You are sharing your fertility with a more unfortunate person that may not be able to have children.
"We have never, ever had a surplus of surrogates.
"We are always seeking surrogates and it is very difficult."
Kim said the "feel-good" factor is the reason many women choose to become a surrogate.
She said: "It is very addictive. The feel-good factor is so amazing – it is that feeling of having changed someone's life.
"It is a very powerful emotion and it is very hard to know when to stop.
"A lot will stop when they cannot conceive and I do worry about the risk of multiple pregnancies.
"In the olden days before the pill, people were having 15/16 children and I think financially bringing up that many children is impossible. It is not the same as surrogacy.
"There is wear and tear on the body but you are not caring for this child – you are giving them away.
"You can go home, recover and get on with your own life."
Sources: http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/SURROGATE-MUM-0F-11-ANGEL/story-26303140-detail/story.html
Mumbai (Bombay) Time
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