Inside Kristen Welker's Journey With Surrogacy
NBC News correspondent Kristen Welker recently welcomed a child via surrogacy with husband John Hughes. As reported by The New York Times, the two tied the knot in March 2017 at the Hyatt at the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia. "I wanted to ask her outside in a place you could walk by years later and tell your kids that this was the spot we got engaged," Hughes told NYT about proposing to Welker at the Lincoln Memorial.
"I couldn't imagine not being with you the rest of my life," he added. Unfortunately, however, the couple struggled with infertility issues. During a "TODAY" segment from April, Welker recalled trying to carry a child via in vitro fertilization (IVF), which didn't turn out to be successful. "I thought, 'I'm going to be pregnant within the next few months," she said. " ... but the doctor determined that the lining of my uterus was too thin to carry a child." Still, the news correspondent kept wanting to give the IVF process a chance.
"It was some of the most difficult months that I can remember, because I was going into the doctor between live shots at work and just feeling like, 'You're a failure.'" After two years of trying, Welker realized that carrying her own child would not be an option. "John and I considered surrogacy and adoption," Welker continued. "Surrogacy felt like the right first step for us." Scroll on for more on Welker's surrogacy journey.
Kristen Welker and her husband found a surrogate in 2019
Speaking with People, Kristen Welker admitted that she never thought she would have infertility issues. "I never imagined, and I think most people don't, that you're going to be one of the couples that will struggle with infertility," she said. "And yet, there we were."
And so, after deciding to go with surrogacy, Welker and husband John Hughes began searching for a surrogate mother, and were finally matched with one in 2019. "Being matched with a surrogate is one of the most extraordinary experiences I have ever had," Welker said on the "TODAY" show in April.
"Our surrogate has been amazing. I can't explain just how wonderful she's been," an emotional Hughes added. "For her this was about giving something to us that she felt a deep connection to." In a heartfelt letter penned to her surrogate baby, Welker shared loving words towards the surrogate mother. "Our special helper and hero is a young mom who says being a helper is her purpose," she wrote. As the letter explains, the woman told the couple it had a been a dream of hers to help in this way. "Now, her dream is helping us make our dream come true."
Kristen Welker welcomed daughter Margot Lane in June
As Kristen Welker and John Hughes opened up about their surrogacy journey on "TODAY" in April, they revealed that they were expecting a baby girl, due to arrive two months later. "After years of really tough infertility struggles, my husband, John, and I are so thrilled to share that, with the help of a surrogate, we will welcome a baby girl and become a family of three in June," Welker wrote on Twitter, sharing a picture of their surrogate's belly.
On June 12, Welker and Hughes welcomed their daughter, Margot Lane Welker Hughes. "Margot Lane Welker Hughes was born on Saturday at 2:12 a.m. and weighed 8 pounds and 6 ounces," "TODAY" shared on Instagram. In an email to the show, the new parents explained that Margot was named in honored of Kristen's grandmother, Margaret, while her middle name, Lane, honored one of Hughes' family members.
"I was the first person to catch her and to hold her," Welker told People. "I felt the most incredible bond with her, and that maternal instinct kicked in immediately." She added that all of her doubts completely went away, and that sharing her journey has helped her realize that there's a community of people ready to support. "Whether you're struggling with infertility or anything, that sometimes by sharing your story and speaking out, you find support and love in places that you could have never imagined."