A surrogate from Ipswich who was seven months pregnant on her wedding day said she is determined to help as many people build their families as possible - despite not wanting children herself.
Megan Watson-Wing walked down the aisle on October 29 last year, resplendent in a floor-length white gown. Just over two months later, the baby boy she was carrying arrived in the world, safe and well.
However, it was not Megan and her husband, Edward, who took him home. The baby left hospital with his parents, a gay couple who Megan had met through a surrogacy agency.
“Growing up, everyone talked about having kids,” said Megan, 26, who moved to Ipswich two years ago. “Because of how society is, it naturally encourages you down that path. I didn’t have anyone in my life who didn’t have children to look up to.”
“But I always thought, what if?”
However, when Megan became an adult and started work in London, she met people of all different backgrounds, some of whom had decided they, too, wanted a child-free life.
One of those people was her now-husband, Edward. He and Megan worked for the same company and started dating in 2019. As with many couples, the pandemic ensured that their relationship progressed quickly. They moved in together after five-and-a-half months, and became engaged in December 2020.
It was during lockdown that Megan and Edward discussed her becoming a surrogate.
It may at first seem odd that someone so definite about not wanting to become a mother would make this sacrifice for others. It is not legal to pay for surrogacy in the UK, other than a small allowance to cover any costs incurred by the pregnancy.
“Everyone in life knows someone going through fertility issues, whether they know it or not,” said Megan. “They might be a straight couple who can’t have a baby for health reasons, or two men or two women who can’t have a biological child.
“I feel drawn to helping those people. If I am so passionate about not wanting kids, then there must be people with this same fire inside them because they do want children.”
During lockdown, Megan twice donated her eggs, and knows that these donations resulted in the birth of three baby girls.
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However, Megan was still determined to carry a baby, and with Edward’s blessing, continued to research.
In 2021, she came across an organisation called My Surrogacy Journey. While many agencies prefer surrogates to have at least one healthy pregnancy behind them, this one was welcoming to surrogates who were childless by choice.
After a Zoom interview, Megan created a profile and she and Edward began getting to know several sets of prospective parents.
In September 2021, they settled on a gay male couple. After a ‘getting to know you’ Megan had an embryo implanted from a donor egg and sperm from one of the fathers.
Unable to wait, she took an early pregnancy test - and woke Edward up screaming with delight when it came back positive.
The pregnancy was difficult, with Megan suffering severe morning sickness. However, she was adamant that she would not postpone her and Edward’s wedding.
“I didn’t want to put the pregnancy on hold for the wedding, but I also didn’t want to put the wedding on hold for the pregnancy,” Megan explained. “Weddings are about love, and sharing a happy, special day with the people closest to you.
“My dress was a little tighter and I couldn’t drink. Even the intended parents kept saying, ‘We don’t want to ruin your wedding.’
“But I would say, how could you ruin it?”
The baby’s parents, who have since become Edward and Megan’s close friends, were amongst the wedding guests to wish them well.
In January, Megan’s 22-hour labour with Edward at her side ended with a caesarean section, and a healthy baby boy.
The baby was taken to his parents, and Megan was finally able to relax, with her body returned to her after nine months.
When the baby’s parents sent her a photograph of them, having arrived home a blissfully happy family of three, Megan replied with a selfie, clutching a Red Bull. She had been craving the energy drink throughout her pregnancy, so much so that she even brought a mini fridge with her to hospital.
Now, almost six months on, Megan said she would become a surrogate again in a heartbeat.
“I’ll be doing it again one hundred percent,” she said. “I want to help as many people have as many babies as I possibly can.”
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