Tracey, who was born without a ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs, thanks her mother Emma for giving her the greatest gift – a baby. On Sunday, the whole country will say thank you to its hard-working mothers. Tracey Smith has reasons above all to be grateful. 8 weeks ago, mom Emma Miles gave Tracey the biggest gift – a baby. Mother-of-two Emma, 55, gave birth to her granddaughter in January using IVF as a surrogate for her daughter. Tracey, 31, was born without a ᴡᴏᴍʙ but longs to marry her husband Adam.
So, the family was ᴏᴠᴇʀᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ when Tracey’s biological daughter, Evie, had a healthy ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. Nursery worker Tracey said: ‘I can’t thank her enough for what she’s done. “I believe I never had a child of my own, so having Evie in my arms is a dream come true.” Tracey found out at the age of 16 she would never be able to carry a child. She said: ‘The scans showed I was born without a ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs, but with working ᴏᴠᴀʀɪᴇs and fallopian tubes. I was ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsᴇᴅ with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome.
A condition in which the ᴠᴀɢɪɴᴀ and ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs are underdeveloped or absent even though the external genitalia are normal. “I am heartbroken that I will not be taking my baby with me. I was offered counseling and a support group with my mother but found it easier to bury my sad feelings. “After the ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsɪs, my mother offered to hold my baby one day. In April 2014, Tracey met yard keeper Adam Smith – both of whom were working part-time in a hotel – and fell in love.
Tracey said: “I always think about having a family. I told him that would never happen to me. It was a nasty subject and I even tried to push him away. “But Adam told me he wanted me. So we started getting real about the ways we could try to start a family and attend an appointment with a ꜰᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ specialist at Coventry University Hospital. The doctor said IVF might work and asked if we could think of a surrogate. We were on the moon. At home, Adam and I talked about using a sᴜʀʀᴏɢᴀᴄʏ ᴀɢᴇɴᴄʏ.
But worry about finding someone we trust. British law gives the surrogate all parental rights from birth and that sounds like a huge ʀɪsᴋ. “Then I remembered my mother’s suggestion. We met in September 2016 and I asked her if she was serious. Her eyes lit up and she said, “Of course I am.” “My dad Robert, 61, is also very supportive. He put it in writing, through a lawyer, that they would happily hand over parenthood to me and Adam when our baby was born.
Mom met our consultant in March 2017 and they planned to prepare her body for ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ. They didn’t seem to care about her age. They need me to lose weight, which I’m happy to do. In four months, she lost 6th – down to a healthy 11th 4lb. “She took hormones in tablet form to prepare her ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs and in May 2018 an ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏ made up of my egg and Adam’s sᴘᴇʀᴍ was implanted check on the board. It was one of the happiest days of my life. Mom had a frank ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ.
I expected that some people might be cruel about my mother holding my baby, but we had nothing but kind comments. With just two months to go, Emma traveled 148 miles from her home in Lampeter, South Wᴀʟᴇs, to Tracey and Adam’s flat in Atherstone, Warks. “At 38 weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ, she was stimulated but labor was not progressing as quickly as the doctors wanted, so Evie went to site C on January 16 this year. It was an emotional moment.
“I waited with heavy breathing to hear that cry – then burst into tears. My daughter was immediately given to me skin-to-skin, and my mother was sewn up. “I kept staring at her face and felt like every heartache was worth it, just to hold her in my arms. “We are currently going through the legal process to officially adopt Evie, as the father and mother listed on the birth certificate are the legal parents because of outdated surrogacy laws.
Every moment I share with Evie, I am grateful to my mother for her wonderful gift. ‘ Adam, 39, added: ‘The fact that Tracey’s mother made this miracle happen is amazing. I will never be able to thank her enough. Supermarket worker Emma, who is also the mother of Nicola, 24, said: “Finding out Tracey couldn’t have children was horrible. My instinct was to ask for my help. I would always remember the joy in her eyes when she found out that I was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ. Even though I’m old, I’m not worried about giving birth.”
When I had to do part C, I was very relaxed and insisted that Adam and Tracey be in the operating room with me despite the rules saying I was only allowed to have one partner. “I don’t feel more attached to Evie than any proud grandmother for their first grandchild. Now I’m back to work and back to normal. But I offered to do it all over again if they wanted a brother or sister for Evie. “I’m so glad Tracey was able to spend this Mother’s Day as a mother to her own precious little bag.”
