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When 48-year-old Megan Barker’s eldest daughter, Maddie, was only 14 years old, she was told by her doctor that she would never be able to rear and give birth to her own child.
Maddie suffered from a medical condition called Mayer Rokitansky Küster Hauser Syndrome, a condition that causes the female reproductive system to either be absent or underdeveloped. For Maddie, it was the latter.
Both mother and daughter were “crushed” after that appointment, which was when Barker offered, “When you get older and want a child, I’ll carry your baby.”
At the time, Maddie found this offer “totally weird.”
But now, after ten years and the discovery of another tumor on her ovary, Maddie understands why her mother had made that promise — and she even took her mother up on it.
When doctors discovered the tumor on Maddie’s ovary, they advised her to undergo fertility treatment and freeze some of her eggs before undergoing surgery that would make her menopausal, and thereby unable to produce any viable eggs.
Maddie did just that, and then approached her mother with her request.
For Barker, there was no doubt in her mind that she would do it. “I knew how important it was for Maddie to be a mom and I understood there were other options like adoption, but I wanted her to know a biological baby was a viable option,” Barker explained. “I’m just so fortunate I was able to provide the opportunity and that the IVF worked the first time. It’s the greatest gift.”
Thankfully, all the necessary procedures carried out smoothly.
In March 2016, Barker became pregnant with Maddie’s child.
On October 22, 2016, Gus Wyatt Coleman was born, and frankly, no one could’ve been happier than Barker that day.
“This has been the best experience of my life,” she said.
