WATCH: Portsmouth couple have two daughters thanks to surrogate mums
Tracy and Pete Akoun from Portsmouth suffered repeated miscarriages and fell victim to a conwoman as they battled to fulfil their dream.
But, after joining a Facebook group for surrogacy, they met Tricia Hunt and Kate Fruin-Smith, two lesbians who each have their own partners and children and live in different parts of the UK.
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Hide AdUsing the women’s eggs and Mr Akoun’s sperm, daughters Nyobi and Kenya were conceived and then born one month apart on June 4 and July 4 last year.
Mrs Akoun, 47, accidentally fell pregnant with twins not long after meeting her husband but suffered a miscarriage and then suffered ‘repeated losses’.
The couple decided to create a profile on a surrogacy website. They were first deceived by a conwoman into handing over £400 but were then overjoyed when they met Ms Fruin-Smith, but she only wanted to carry one baby. The couple then approached Mrs Hunt, who was willing to carry a second child.
Mrs Akoun said: ‘We were absolutely ecstatic. I don’t think Pete took it on board at all. I think he was worried that something might go wrong.
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Hide Ad‘At the end of the day, you worry until that baby is in your arms. We took each day at a time.’
Nyobi was born to Mrs Hunt on June 4, 2016, at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester and Kenya to Ms Fruin-Smith a month later, on July 4, at Rotherham General Hospital.
Under UK law, the surrogate is the child’s legal parent until the intended parents are granted a parental order six weeks after the birth.
But Mrs Akoun said she never ‘thought for one minute’ that either woman would not be able to give up the baby.
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Hide Ad‘The relationship is like family and we’re still in touch – we visit each other,’ the care home worker said.
‘I don’t have any jealousy or insecurity when they’re here. To both girls, I am their mum.’
Mr Akoun, 26, who came to the UK from Nigeria added: ‘When the time is right, we’ll tell them about how they were conceived.’