Surrogate mum becomes pregnant while carrying another couple’s baby

A surrogate mum who was carrying a Chinese couple's baby also became pregnant with her own son.

California mum Jessica Allen explained that the doctors first thought she was expecting identical twins, but it wasn't until much later that she found out the second child was her own son. She told ABC News:

“I didn’t even know I was pregnant with [him]. “I carried my own child and I didn’t know he was mine.”

The mum-of-three was surprised to learn she had gotten pregnant with her own child while she was a surrogate, a medical phenomenon known as superfetation - which is when a woman continues to ovulate after becoming pregnant. She added:

“The chance of an embryo splitting is very small, but it does happen. “I was very surprised.”

Jessica gave birth via C-section in December 2016 before handing the babies over to the couple. But, she says, she was left confused when seeing a photo of the two growing boys just under a month later. She said:

"I did notice that one was much lighter than the other "You know, obviously they were not identical twins."

The two babies were also slightly different ages. ABC News reports that Jessica and her husband, Wardell Jasper, later learned that one of the boys was theirs - and a DNA test later confirmed the reports. The couple got caught up in an "emotional" legal battle as they fought to get their son back. They were granted custody of the little boy in February this year. Jessica first shared her story with the New York Post, telling the outlet that she and her husband treasure the little boy "with all our hearts". She added:

"It’s now been nearly nine months since we got Malachi, and he is doing well. "He’s beautiful. He’s healthy and his personality is hilarious. He loves his big brothers, is learning to walk and is starting to speak. "Wardell and I, who got married in April, weren’t planning to expand our family so soon, but we treasure Malachi with all our hearts. "I don’t regret becoming a surrogate mom because that would mean regretting my son. I just hope other women considering surrogacy can learn from my story."

Photos via ABC News.