Surrogate gives birth to her own cousin to help her infertile aunt end 15-year fertility struggle

She will grow up to call her Auntie Emma.
But an extraordinary rearrangement of Chris and Sandra Barlow’s family tree means that Emma Vaughan is actually baby Maia Barlow’s mother.
The 29-year-old barmaid effectively gave birth to her own cousin after agreeing to become a surrogate mother to help her aunt Sandra’s 15-year fertility battle.
The mother-of-three used her uncle Chris’s sperm to produce the little girl, carried the baby during an eight-month pregnancy and gave birth by caesarean section.


Now Emma is about to have a fourth child of her own – who will become both a half-sister or brother to Maia, and simultaneously her new cousin.
It’s certainly going to take some explaining. But yesterday Chris and Sandra cuddled the child they thought they could never have and said: ‘Maia will always know how special Emma is.’
Keeping it in the family means that Maia, born in February last year, has Emma’s hazel eyes. The biological mother and daughter currently share the same colour hair, too.
But Maia is ‘the double of her dad’, according to Sandra, 42, whose struggle to conceive involved Emma moving in to the family home in Maidstone, Kent. 


There, she underwent 17 failed insemination attempts over 18 months before becoming pregnant in June 2009. The parental triangle – which is perfectly legal – came about when Chris and Sandra’s hopes of producing a child by more traditional means were dashed after two years of trying.
Doctors told Sandra her fallopian tubes had fused shut and had to be removed. After the operation Sandra, a catering company manager, and Chris, a sub-contractor, spent £40,000 on IVF treatment, without success.
‘At first, our GP told us to just keep trying before we were referred to a specialist,’ she said. ‘We saw four specialists in two years but with no luck. Then Chris said he wasn’t leaving until they agreed to do something.
‘Every day he gave me my hormone injections, put up with my mood swings and even let me sit with my feet up for two weeks each time I had an embryo transfer.’


Despite their optimism, Sandra miscarried twice and endured years of heartbreak.
‘It was very hard but we couldn’t imagine our future without a child,’ she said. ‘Each time I convinced myself it was going to work but after the seventh cycle, we decided enough was enough.’
The couple considered adoption but were told by a social worker they were ‘not ready’.


Then along came Emma, the daughter of Sandra’s brother Jim. Aunt and niece had lost touch after Emma’s parents split up but the two women were reunited 11 years ago at Jim’s funeral. After considering the possibility of surrogacy, Sandra hit on the idea of using a family member.
‘Surrogacy seemed like our only hope. I did some research and looked at a surrogacy agency website. I was in awe that people did these amazing things for complete strangers but I wanted to do it within the family. I started to think who could help us. I’m not sure what made me think of Emma.’
She says she spent months agonising over the idea before telling Chris. ‘I could tell he was shocked but he said we’d got nothing to lose. When I rang Emma she instantly said, “Yes”. I told her to take some time to think about it but she never hesitated.
‘We decided to use Emma’s eggs as by the time we started I was almost 40. Generally the egg condition of a woman in her 40s is not as good as someone in their 20s. Emma also wasn’t keen on taking the drugs she would need if my eggs were used.’
All three went to all midwife and clinic appointments – but the moment Maia was delivered, Emma handed over maternal – and emotional – responsibility. Emma, who met her 38-year-old husband Alan when she was seven months’ pregnant with Maia, said: ‘It was my choice and I knew I could do it. When I was in the delivery room the doctor said to me, “You’re about to become a mum”.
‘I just pointed to Sandra and said: “No, this is the mum. It’s her baby.” Even when Maia was born I didn’t feel anything for her. It was just a job.’ 


Yesterday, Sandra said: ‘I can’t thank Emma enough. She has given me the greatest gift in Maia.’
Although some would consider the arrangement unorthodox, it is not unique or illegal. It would break the law only if it contravened incest laws or ‘prohibited relationships’ with a genetic link. A husband, for example, cannot ask his sister to carry a baby created by his sperm. But using a niece is allowed under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, provided certain conditions are met.
After Maia was born, Sandra had to apply to a court for a parental order to allow her to become the legal mother. Current legislation in England and Wales means the surrogate is the legal mother at birth.
Family law specialist Harjit Sarang said: ‘The surrogate mother is the legal mother, and is free to keep the child until a parental order is made.
‘The attraction of using a relative as the surrogate is that she is less likely to change her mind – and of course it maintains the family link.’



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