Mom May Not Be Allowed To Be Present At Birth Of First Child – BabyGaga

Olivia Rowlands and her husband Sam, who are expecting a baby girl in July via surrogate, may not be allowed to be present at the birth of their first child. The baby is being carried by Olivias cousin, Ellie Hutchinson, after Olivia underwent treatment for bowel cancer left, which left her unable to bear children.

The coronavirus lockdown has forced the expectant parents to watch the pregnancy via video, and new hospital protocols may prevent them from witnessing the birth of their daughter. Olivia, 31, an elementary school teacher, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2017 and went into early menopause after 29 sessions of radiotherapy.

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Before her treatment, she had frozen four embryos at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. Her cousin Ellie, 34, offered to be the couples surrogate even though the two women had not seen each other since they were children. Fortunately, after an initial miscarriage scare early on, Ellies pregnancy has gone perfectly. The couples happiness, however, has been tempered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to Drivetime with John Beattie on BBC Radio Scotland, Olivia said, "We froze four embryos back in November which we had implanted into my cousin Ellie and we are now 28 weeks pregnant. But we haven't seen her for two months. She went into self-isolation two weeks before the lockdown started because she was pregnant and wanted to be careful and stay safe.

She added that they have been able to Facetime but havent been able to accompany her cousin to her prenatal appointments or be there when Ellie heard their daughters heartbeat for the first time. Thankfully, Ellie recorded the ultrasound and sent it to the couple. Olivia is grateful that a family member is carrying her daughter although she wishes she could speak to her unborn child directly or feel her cousins baby bump.

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The couple hopes that by July the lockdown restrictions will have been lessened so that they can be there for the birth of their child and their parents, who live abroad, can visit the newborn. For now, the couple is focused on the positives. Olivia is due for a two-year scan next month, which will hopefully confirm that her cancer is definitively gone. Meanwhile, she is undergoing hormone replacement therapy.

Source: BBC

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Mark Lugris is a Junior Editor and Contributing Writer to BabyGaga. A University of Connecticut graduate with a BA in English and Creative Writing, Mark has worked as a Reporter and Editor for news publications in Connecticut and Boston. He was the Editor-in-chief of PopGuide, a travel and lifestyle magazine in Madrid, Spain, and was the Online Public Relations and Communications Manager for Swarovski in Switzerland. Since 2016, Mark has been the CEO and Content Director of Lugris Communications. He is a mid-century modern design enthusiast, film and photography fan, dog lover, and an avid traveler.

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Mom May Not Be Allowed To Be Present At Birth Of First Child - BabyGaga