Nurse offers 'out of the blue' to have surrogate baby for colleague
Doctors warned Bec Vallee against pregnancy after she was diagnosed with a kidney disorder. But she's experienced the "incredible blessing" of having two daughters through surrogacy.
Amanda Lewis, a nurse with a background of working alongside her biological daughter's surrogate, has continued to breastfeed the infant while also expressing milk for her since Evangeline's birth on August 3. Lewis, who has two teenage children, first contacted Bec Vallee, the biological mother of Evangeline, about becoming a surrogate three years ago.
The little girl, named Eva, was born seven hours after labor at Ipswich Hospital west of Brisbane, weighing 3 kilograms at just three weeks premature. Vallee was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, a kidney disorder, at age 12 and has had two kidney transplants, the second one from a living donor in the Australian and New Zealand Paired Kidney Exchange Program.
The couple had previously discussed adoption and becoming foster parents, but Vallee's sister Sarah had previously volunteered to be a surrogate for them, giving birth to their first child, Ambrosia, in 2019. Lewis's decision to become a surrogate for the Vallee family has allowed her to experience the profound joy of parenthood in a unique way, forever changing her life and her relationship with the newborn.
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