Woman Carries Baby For Her Friend, Then Unexpected News Changes Everything

Once the couple Kevin and Nicole Barattini got married, they instantly felt the need to start their own family together. Having children was one of their biggest dreams, and they were actually pretty excited at the idea of Nicole getting pregnant and them having a baby. But, this is the case for lots of couples, and just like them, Nicole and Kevin had to wait in order to get babies, and it couldn’t happen right away for them.

They’ve tried to do it a couple of times, and they were waiting on hearing the good news, but they never heard it. Nicole and Kevin were a pretty consistent couple, and they didn’t want to turn their backs on the goals and dreams that they had together, and when they were looking into some options that they could do in order to get a baby, a friend stepped up and offered up to do something amazing for the two of them…Things started looking suitable for the Barattinis, until one-day things started evolving pretty quickly, in a way that no one could even imagine.

 

Nicole Couldn’t get Pregnant

A couple of long years passed since the couple got married. And, all that time they were trying to get a baby in order to start a family. But, things weren’t looking good for them. The critical part is the fact that they never gave up on the idea, and they were doing everything that they could do in order to make their dreams a reality.

But, they never expected things to turn out the way they did. And they didn’t expect the road to creating a family would turn out to be that rough. Nicole and Kevin never even imagined the things that they would go through in order to start their family, but deep down they knew what they wanted, and they were sure that they were going to make it happen.

Sixth Pregnancy after Her Wedding day

Nicole and Kevin had two friends that really had a big family. Namely, they already had five kids together, and this is based merely in the fact that Lianna and Shaun were just like the Barattinis only because they also wanted to start creating their family right away after their wedding day. But, the difference between these two families was one little fact. Lianna and Shaun who were situated in New York, East Moriches, were successful in their attempts, and Kevin and Nicole weren’t.

After Lianna went through five pregnancies since their wedding, Lianna and Shaun were still planning on expanding their family with even more kids. But, she wasn’t planning on getting pregnant as soon as she did. But, there was one key difference in her sixth pregnancy. Now, with this pregnancy, the child that she was carrying wasn’t actually biologically hers.

She was Trying to Help Them

Nicole and Kevin couldn’t get a baby no matter what they tried, and once they realized this, they started looking for a surrogate that could carry their baby. They didn’t know how they were going to make the relationship work, but, they were sure that they were going to start a family one way or another, and for now, that was the only possibility that they had. So, they started looking for a trustworthy woman that could carry their baby.

Nobody expected Lianna to get that role, and that’s why everybody was shocked when they found out that she wanted to accept the task, and help out her friends start their family, by being their surrogate. Nicole and Kevin couldn’t believe that they finally found what they were looking for, and what was best according to them, was the fact that Lianna was their friend and they trusted her.

Hope, Love, and Joy from Both of the Couples

The obstetrician who planted the embryos was Dr. Richard Klein, he was in charge of the procedure, and he loved the fact that both of the couples were there for the appointments, showing a lot of love and joy while hoping to get a baby at the same time.

A couple of months after the embryos were planted, in July 2016, the doctor set the appointment in order to inspect if the embryo had taken. And, the doctor was amazed when he noticed that both of the couples were there waiting to see if Lianna was carrying Nicole and Kevin’s baby.

Tension Builds Up!

All four admitted that they were pretty nervous in the days before the appointment, but Kevin and Nicole admitted that they were significantly more nervous. They have been waiting for a baby for a long time now, and they were starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Lianna told them that she had done everything as the doctor told her to do after they planted the embryo, so the only thing that was left to do was to wait for the appointment and find out the news.

After what seemed to them like a long time, the day for the appointment was finally here, and they were finally going to find out the big news. So, the tension started rising quickly.

Their Plans Falling Apart

Nicole and her husband were waiting for a baby since the day that they got married back in 2010. And, as we mentioned a couple of times before, they couldn’t wait to start a family, they wanted to raise a lot of children in their hometown, Smithton, New York.

We spoke a bit about their problems, so you probably know that Nicole was not able to get pregnant. And, after lots of research, they found out some tips that could help her get pregnant. But, after a couple of unsuccessful tries, they figured that it is never going to happen. So, they decided to scratch their plans and move on to something else.

Nicole’s Health Problems

As it turned out, 16-years-old Nicole had some health problems back in the time. Namely, she started noticing small bumps randomly appearing on her body. Not too long after seeing the first couple of bumps, she started noticing that they were expanding both in number as well as in size. She got scared, and she went to the doctor with a fever and fatigue, there they found out that Nicole was also suffering from a condition with her eyes known as Jaundice.

The doctor decided to take Nicole’s blood samples and discovered something pretty dangerous. Namely, Nicole’s platelets were pretty low, and with a number of 8000 platelets from the average 140000 to 150000, it was a number that really scared the doctor.

Suffering a Rare Blood Disorder

After the blood tests came, and the Doctor did the needed research, they found out that Nicole was suffering from an autoimmune disease. This disease was known as Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, also known as TTP. The diagnoses shocked Nicole as well as everyone that cared for her because this diagnosis might turn out to be fatal. This disease creates big blood clots all over the body, so the Doctor told Nicole that she was in grave danger.

The doctor decided to keep her at the hospital after the diagnosis and do some more research, as well as help her recover faster. The time that she appeared at the doctors made the situation end up with an easy solution, and if she waited a couple of days, this situation might have ended with a much worse outcome.

Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura – A Rare Blood Disorder

If you’re wondering the danger that Nicole was in at the time. The only information that you need to know is the fact that almost 95 percent of people that are suffering from blood clots from TTP are dying from this disease if they don’t seek for immediate assistance. This disease causes the blood glycoprotein in hemostasis to increase which creates lots of blood clots all over the patient’s body.

Nicole was suffering from a lot of symptoms that were connected to TTP. This disease is so rare that every 100000 person suffers from it. This disease is more apparent in adult women, but Nicole was in the unlucky 10% of girls that had experienced this problem before their adulthood.

The Disease in her Adulthood

She was lucky that the doctors thought of that disease immediately, and started to give her a proper medication to help her with the fight against the TTP, and this allowed her to live a healthy life without any worries about the problems that the blood clots might end up causing. After the doctors helped her, the condition wasn’t on her mind a lot.

And, now, when she decided to start a family and get pregnant, the doctor told her that the medication that she’s taking to manage the TTP, might harm the baby, and because her condition was pretty bad, she couldn’t stop taking the medication.

Kevin Finds out About the Bad News

At the doctor’s she found out that she couldn’t get pregnant because of the situation with her TTP. She was sad when she found out about the problem. And, after she gathered up the strength, she decided to tell her husband why they can’t have a baby. As soon as Kevin got home, he knew that something wasn’t okay.

He spoke about that moment in an interview and he told how once he got back home from work, he noticed that his wife wasn’t looking like normal, and that when he asked her what was the problem, she started telling him how she went to the doctor and how the doctor didn’t think that it was safe for her and for the baby if she gets pregnant. She explained to her husband what the risks were and they both agreed that they were going to look for another way.

Looking for Another Way

The hard thing that Nicole had to get through was the fact that she could get pregnant. But, she knew that the pregnancy would be a huge risk for both her and her baby (If she ever got pregnant). She stated that the scary part for her was the fact that the pregnancy might not go as well as she would like it to go, and not the fact that she could conceive.

She realized that it would be too risky for her and for the baby if she got pregnant, so she and her husband agreed that they were going to find another, less risky way for them to start a family. A healthy family.

So Frustrated That she Wanted to Risk it All!

Nicole couldn’t take in the fact that she wouldn’t be carrying her own baby. And, she couldn’t let the information that the doctor told her sink in. She was frustrated and angry because she was able to get pregnant, but the doctor told her not to conceive.

At one point, she stated that she got so frustrated that she told Kevin that she wants to try and risk everything. But, lucky for her, Kevin said no. Nicole was pretty sad with the information that the doctor told her, but they were both together, and they were sure that they are going to get through it together.

Looking for a Less Risky Way

They didn’t let anything that happened to them stop them from achieving their dream. And despite the fact that their emotions were getting in the way, they finally decided to stop trying to conceive, and start looking for another way. They decided to turn off their hearts and start listening to their heads because this was one of the most important decisions that they were ever going to bring.

This was the moment when they started looking at other options. And, this was when Nicole decided that she was going to freeze her eggs in order to find a surrogate that would be able to carry their baby, this was a much safer method that would allow them to still have a family without the risk of the mother or the baby dying. They also had another plan, and they decided that they were going to try out adoption.

They Couldn’t Afford it

Adoption was an open option since the first day that they found out the bad news. And despite the fact that they were sure that they wanted a family, and it was the most important part of their lives. They didn’t think that the kids being theirs, biologically was not an important part of their plans.

But, they didn’t have to look far in order to find out that adoption is an expensive solution to their problem. Despite the fact that they wanted a family, they were sure that they didn’t have the funds needed to adopt a kid. And, even if they spent the money to adopt a kid, they still would need some money in order to raise the kid… So, they were once again disappointed.

Too much Money for Adoption

They knew that a lot of kids out there are looking for a loving family to adopt them. But, they also knew that they, wanting to adopt a kid wasn’t the only thing that they needed.  They found out later that the system makes adopting a kid pretty expensive for couples that want to do it. The legal fees are one of the most expensive parts of adoption.

The Adoptive Families stated that in 2015 and 2016 an adoption cost somewhere around 42 000 dollars. And, domestic adoption for babies is somewhere around 37 000 dollars. And despite the fact that they decided to adopt a baby, they couldn’t do this, because of the fact that their bank accounts weren’t ready for that big of an investment.

No way out for them!

Even more Expensive than Adoption

With adoption being too costly for them, they started looking for other options. And, they decided to turn to their plan B. They had surrogacy as their second way out, their plan B. After a bit of research about surrogacy they realized that this would turn out to be even more expensive than adoption with an average price tag of 75 000 dollars. Slowly, but surely they were running out of options.

Despite the fact that surrogacy was pretty expensive they decided to look into women that would be willing to carry the baby for free. Nicole said in an interview that they had heard about other women carrying their sister’s or their daughter’s babies, but she knew that she didn’t have a sister, and her mother wasn’t able to have babies because she was too old for it.

Another bump along their road of starting a family.

New York was One of the More Expensive Places for Surrogacy

The State of New York has its own laws on surrogacy, and when Nicole and Kevin looked at them, they were surprised. They didn’t have any clue that it was illegal for them to pay another woman to carry their baby. This meant that they had to look for someone outside of the state. But, with this, the expenses would go out of the roof because of the flights to the doctor’s appointments.

So, they decided that they were going to look for someone who is close to them, and with whom they could connect.

They Couldn’t Come up With a Better Solution

Despite all of the roadblocks along their way, they still decided to go with a surrogate. The process would go as follows. Nicole would first need to create an embryo with an IVF, next the doctors would implant the embryo in the surrogate. With this process, the kid would be biologically connected to the couple because of the fact that it has the fathers sperm and the mothers egg.

This is the main reason why the couple decided to go with this option. But, they were still at the beginning simply because they still didn’t have anyone to ask to do this for them.

Her Friends Show Interest In Helping

The couple didn’t try and hide the fact that it wasn’t safe for Nicole to have a baby. So, they started talking to people about their plans to find a surrogate in order to start their family. They had lots of friends and family members that supported them, and some of them even tried to help them by asking them to be their surrogate.

The couple started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel once again. Once they’ve spread it amongst people that this was their plan, they thought that they were going to find a surrogate. And they did find a surrogate pretty quickly. But, they were immediately disappointed because of the fact that the surrogate that they chose wasn’t fit to carry their child.

They were back at step one.

They didn’t even Think of Her

Nicole and Kevin had Lianna as a close friend. Lianna and Shaun, her husband, already had 5 children together, and the four of them knew each other for the past 20 years. As we mentioned earlier, Lianna was a caring mother, and she loved her children, and as she puts it, she couldn’t imagine her life without her kids.

Once she heard about their story, she felt sad. And at one point she even thought about offering up to carry the kid. But, she was scared because she didn’t know if her body was ready because of the fact that she had just given birth to their fifth baby.

Research isn’t Cheap

If you want to qualify to be a surrogate, first of all, you will have to be healthy. Because of the nature of the process, and the fact that it costs a lot, doctors consider lots of factors that might affect the procedure. And, as the couple found out in their previous attempts not everyone is fit to carry their baby.

But, if a woman gets the thumbs up for becoming a surrogate, the doctors say that there is a good chance to get the surrogate pregnant with three tries of planting the embryos.

Their Plans Are Brought Up At Dinner

2105 was the year when they decided who would carry their children for them. So the two couples met up and decided to talk more about Kevin and Nicole’s situation over a coffee. You could notice how bad it was for them, Lianna and Shaun wanted to help them, and cheer them up. And that’s why Lianna decided to do something amazing for the two of them.

After they had spent some time talking, they came to the topic of the couples’ problem. And Nicole started telling Lianna how badly she wanted to have a baby, and how they tried everything with her husband, Kevin, And, Lianna, had 5 children, and knew how happy she and Shaun were, so she wanted to help them out.

How Many Kids are enough?!

Nobody expected to hear that from Lianna after she heard what Nicole had to say about their problem. Kevin remembers that night, how Liana started telling them that even though they had 5 children her and Shawn were thinking of having one or two more.

He remembers how he and his wife looked at each other. They didn’t know why would someone like more children when they already have five. But, Lianna continued, and what she said next would change Nicole and Kevin’s life forever.

What did she Say to them?

Someone could even see it as mocking because Kevin and Nicole couldn’t have a child and Lianna was almost bragging about them having to have six-seven kids. They didn’t know what to think about it. But, they still listened to her. But, when she told them this, they understood where she was going with the conversation. Kevin remembers how she ended up her story… She told them that she wasn’t talking about her and Shawn having another baby, she was speaking about carrying Kevin and Nicole’s baby… They were in amazement.

They couldn’t believe what they heard. Kevin explained how all four of them started crying after Lianna ended her proposal. The couple once again felt like they can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and this time, they were feeling confident.

Why she Did it?

Lianna spoke in an interview about why she decided to do it. She said, that she knew that she had five kids, and she loved each and every one of them, and she knew that she couldn’t live without them. So she couldn’t even imagine how Kevin and Nicole felt about the fact that they couldn’t have kids, so she decided to help them in their quest of trying to start a family.

She knew how she felt about her kids, and she wanted to show that experience to someone that was unable to feel it, and that’s exactly what she did for the Barattinis.

How the Lianna and Shawn felt About Their Proposition

After their fifth baby back in 2015, they felt like they’ve made their family complete. And, with the love that Lianna had for each and every one of her kids, she knew that she could give more to someone that needs it. So, she decided that she wanted to become a surrogate in order to help some couples start their family.

She spoke about her idea to Shawn, her husband, and in that conversation, when she told him her idea, she also asked him if he would be willing to take extra care about their children while she was carrying the baby.

Will she Pass the Medical Tests?

Nicole and Kevin couldn’t believe that this had just happened to them. And they accepted Lianna’s offer without thinking and through tears. They were ecstatic when they heard her offer. This would finally help them start the family that they couldn’t have by themselves.

After they heard her proposal and accepted it, it was time for the tests where the previous surrogates failed. But, Lianna breezed through them with ease. And now, they officially had a surrogate. The couple was amazing, and they were ecstatic about finally finding the surrogate that would carry their child, and start their family.

Will she Get Pregnant?

After Lianna finished with the medical tests, she had to go to the doctor where they would plant the embryos. The doctor told them that it would only take a week after the embryo is planted for them to know if it was successful or not. One week of waiting for the Barattinis felt like an eternity, and despite the fact that everything was going great, they felt nervous because of their previous disappointments.

They were aware that there was nothing that they could do, except wait and prayed. And, that’s what they did. But, when they went to the doctor’s appointment, they found out that Lianna wasn’t pregnant.

Second Time’s the Charm?

Despite the fact that they didn’t manage to do it the first time, the two couples didn’t stop there. They tried for the second time, and this time the doctor was confident. He told them that he was going to plant more embryos this time and that this would increase the chances of Lianna getting pregnant.

They spent another week in waiting; in order to find out would the second round of embryos be successful. They were once again back to the tension, they were waiting, praying, and hoping that the embryos will catch and that this time they are going to get positive feedback from the doctor.

Not one Baby…

Once again, the waiting period has ended, and the two couples got to the doctors waiting to hear the news. Was Lianna pregnant with Kevin’s and Nicole’s baby? Well, this time the doctor was waiting for them with a smile on his face. He informed both couples that the embryo had taken and that they are going to have a baby

But, these weren’t the only news that he had for them. He had something more to tell them. He informed the couples that Lianna wasn’t only carrying one baby. She was pregnant with twins. The Barattinis were starting up their family with twins. They had two babies coming to their family that year!

Good News

They decided to uncover the news on Labor Day. They held a party with sixty of their best friends and their closest family. The celebration went well, but it took a turn for the better when they would hear the good news that the couple was about to tell them.

They asked the people attending the party for a moment, and they told them that they had some great news to announce. They couldn’t even imagine what the hosts were about to tell them!

A Boy and A Girl

The twins were finally here. The date that they came to this world was the 10^th of February 2017. Kevin and Nicole were delighted. They named the twins Dominic and Luciana. The babies were born healthy, and what was even better was the fact that Lianna’s pregnancy came through without any hiccups.

The Barattinis couldn’t believe that they finally had a foundation on which they could build their families. They were thankful to Lianna of course, and they couldn’t express how happy they were with the twins.

The Twins’ Godparents

Needless to say, the twins’ godparents were Lianna and Shawn. I mean this was the least that Kevin and Nicole could do for the people that help them start their family. And, they were already there for the babies in each and every step of their lives.

In an interview, Nicole said that despite the fact that she doesn’t have a sister she feels like Lianna is even more than that to her. She added that she is constantly asking her for guidance. She said that she was happy that everything turned out to be great, she was thankful that she could stay to the TTP medication, and still get two perfectly healthy kids.

Sharing Their Experience With the World

Once they formed their family they were happy to share their experience with the world. They were advocating for surrogacy, they were trying to make it legal in their home state of New York.

They started working with Legislators from New York in order to change up the laws and make surrogacy legal. They used their story as a great example that surrogacy is a great thing and that could help couples start a family.

It Was All Worth It

They couldn’t express how thankful they are to Lianna. They know that they couldn’t have started their family if it wasn’t for her. Nicole explains to others in their position that they can find their Lianna in their lives too. Someone that will help them start their family, and that it’s worth to wait for the perfect surrogate.

In an interview, she said that there are kind people out there that will become their surrogate just like Lianna did it, out of kindness, and because they want to help them. She also added that finding them is easier than it looks. Nicole and Kevin are still fighting to make surrogacy legal in New York and I hope that they manage to do that, and make it easier for others to start their family, even if they can’t have their baby.