Surrogate Pregnant with Baby No. 11: 'I’m Probably the Unicorn’

Emily Westerfield, 37, has been pregnant in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2024

Emily Westerfield has delivered 10 healthy babies in the past 13 years — and now she’s due this July with her 11th.

Of those 10 children, three were her biological children: Mckenna, 13, Jack, 11, and Charlie, 10. The 37-year-old woman has served as a gestational carrier for several families and has been pregnant in the following years: 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022, reports TODAY.com. She also carried two sets of twins.

"I'm probably the unicorn in this industry," Westerfield told TODAY.com. She said she would carry a 12th baby “in a heartbeat.”

Westerfield’s journey began in 2010 after she spent time with her husband Max’s cousin who was suffering from secondary infertility and struggled to bring a pregnancy to term. (Secondary infertility is when someone who has previously given birth cannot get pregnant or carry a pregnancy to term, according to the Cleveland Clinic.)

"She just continuously kept having loss after loss, and it was heartbreaking," Westerfield told TODAY.com. After Westerfield gave birth to her three biological children, she felt “guilty” when sharing the news with the relative. She then offered to serve as the couple’s surrogate, but they declined because "they did not feel that surrogacy was the path that they wanted to take.”

Although her family members declined her offer, Westerfield knew she could offer to help other families. "I knew that there were probably so many other people in the world who needed help in a very similar way. Maybe I could help."

While Westerfield was pregnant with her last biological child, Charlie, she brought up being a surrogate for others to her husband, who continually rejected the idea.

"I was shot down by him so many times," said Westerfield. "The more and more I shared to educate him, I think the more and more he felt comfortable with it. Or he just got sick of me nagging."

Related: Chrissy Teigen Opens Up About Being Pregnant at the Same Time as Surrogate

After Charlie was born, Westerfield began searching a now non-existent online forum for surrogates, egg donors, sperm donors and intended parents.

"I created a profile and just put myself out there," explained Westerfield. "I was overwhelmed with the response and just inundated with emails and queries. The more and more that I got into this, the more I realized there’s so many more people out there that need the help than the people that are willing to help."

Although she settled on one family within driving distance, she admitted that it was not an easy decision. She was able to deliver their third child, a girl, to the intended parents in December 2015, noting, “That’s when everything started.”

“I noticed that as soon as I had the first one, I wanted to do this again. It was almost just like, ‘Now who else can I help?’” As a result, she delivered healthy babies to several more families. "I've been able to completely just have wonderful pregnancies.”

Westerfield shared that her objective is to help a family "start, build, or complete their family.” She explained that she gets “attached like a loving aunt,” noting, "You want to hand that baby over when you get to the end of this."

"I am so proud to be able to do this for other people. I know my time is very limited as we're getting closer and closer to how many people I'm able to help, but still I'm young enough and I'm healthy enough to be able to do so," she told TODAY.com. "And I'll continue to help as long as my body and my family allows me to."

Related: Kim Kardashian Used 'Surrogate Therapist' to Help with Communication Ahead of Chicago's Birth

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In August 2023, Westerfield established a full-service surrogacy agency, Carrying Dreams, which helps egg donors, surrogates and intended parents.

"Carrying Dreams isn’t just a family-building agency; we’re a dedicated team fueled by the mission to turn dreams into reality," Westerfield told Voyage Ohio in March. "Specializing in surrogacy and egg donation, our focus is on spreading joy, love, education, and resources. We work globally with intended parents and connect them with surrogates and egg donors in the United States, guiding them through every step of this beautiful journey."

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