Eighth baby on way for surrogate mother

London: After giving birth to seven babies, Jill Hawkins was happy to call time on her career as a surrogate mother.

But then she found she missed being pregnant so much that she decided to do it all again.

The 45-year-old was implanted with two embryos from a professional couple in their early thirties.

And on Tuesday night, Hawkins said she was "absolutely ecstatic" after a home pregnancy test revealed at least one of the embryos has started to grow in her womb.

It will be the first time she has carried a child not from her own eggs. She will find out later this month if she is expecting one baby or twins.

Handover

Hawkins, who has no children of her own, will hand over the baby — or babies — to the couple while still in the maternity ward.

She insists that she has no desire to keep a baby, and that she is continuing to be a surrogate mother because she loves being pregnant. All the previous children she has given away have been conceived using her own eggs and sperm from the father which was artificially inseminated.

Hawkins, who will be paid around £12,000 (Dh71,760) in "expenses" for her pregnancy, had spent 18 months trying for an eighth baby, but without success.

"My eggs have just packed up which is not unusual for a woman of my age," she said.

"I was worried that because my eggs aren't as strong as they were that the rest of me might not be up to it either. But I've had scans and there's nothing wrong with my womb so being a host should not be a problem."