It might sound strange to hear that Ashlee Mataele recently gave birth to her little brother’s baby boy.
However, on June 4, 2016, that’s exactly what happened. Ashlee, 30, watched her younger brother David, and his partner Brendan, struggle for years to have a child of their own. Adoption and surrogacy were proving to be a struggle for the same-sex couple.
David already has three children from a previous relationship, however, the moment he met Brendan — he knew he wanted to have a child with him. Brendan had always wanted a child of his own as well.
“David had three beautiful children and I loved that I got to be a part of their lives as our relationship grew serious. But there was always a part of me that wanted to have a baby of my own,” Brendan told DailyMail.
Ashlee hated watching her brother and his partner navigate a system that was stacked against them due to their sexuality. She offered to be their surrogate.
“When I saw how much David and Brendan were struggling to become parents together, I knew I had to help. Some people think it’s weird that I gave birth to my brother’s baby, but I think it’s an absolute honor,” Ashlee said.
David and Brendan, of course, were completely shocked by her offer and they couldn’t have been more grateful for such a special gift.
“It was not only completely genuine but a way to ensure any baby I fathered, would have a link to David’s family. It was perfect and I was so thankful,” Brendan said.
An egg donor helped complete the process and Ashlee became pregnant right away.
Ashlee said that when Rylee was born, she wanted to make sure he bonded with David and Brendan right away. Right after Rylee’s umbilical cord was cut, the nurses placed the baby boy onto David’s bare chest. It was an incredible moment.
It wasn’t until Rylee had a chance to bond with both of his dads for over an hour that Ashlee cradled her nephew in her arms for the first time.
“Looking down at him, with my husband John by my side, I couldn’t believe he was finally here. I kept saying, ‘look what we’ve done.
“I was so pleased we had given such an incredible gift to two people who mean so much to me,” Ashlee told Daily News. “To see and feel the love they had for Rylee from the moment he was born, I knew we’d done the right thing.”
The moment that David and Brendan get to meet their baby boy for the very first time was captured in the video below. What do you think about Ashlee offering to be the surrogate for her brother?
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