Science is so cool. Moms Ashleigh and Bliss Coulter became the first women to carry the same baby thanks to a process called Reciprocal effortless IVF.
Both Ashleigh, 29, and Bliss, 36, wanted the experience of being pregnant. “Obviously, us being two women, we were like, ‘How can we make this happen?’” Ashleigh told NBC 5. “We felt like there has to be a way.” And there was.
The couple, who tied the knot in June of 2015, turned to Dr. Kathy Doody, from the C.A.R.E. Fertility Clinic in Bedford, Texas. It was there that they underwent a groundbreaking procedure. Bliss’s eggs were placed into a device called an INVOcell and then inserted into her vagina to incubate.
“She got the embryo off to an early start,” Dr. Doody told NBC 5. “The eggs fertilized in her body.” When Ashleigh and Bliss returned five days later Dr. Doody removed the INVOcell and froze the embryos, which were later transferred to Ashleigh who carried the baby until he was born in June.
“Bliss got to carry him for five days and that was a big part of the fertilization, and then I carried him for nine months,” Ashleigh explained. “So that made it really special for the both of us — that we were both involved. She got to be part of it, and I got to be part of it.”
Bliss and Ashleigh named their 8 pound, 3 ounce, bundle of joy Stetson. “I’m excited to put all of this in his baby book!” Ashleigh told The New York Post on Monday, October 29.
According to the paper, the medical procedure cost them less than $15,000, while traditional IVF can come with a price tag of $30,000.
“It’s a great way to involve both people in the relationship,” Ashleigh told The New York Post. Though 5-month-old Stetson has Bliss’ DNA, Ashleigh noted that he’s “loud” just like she is. Ashleigh was concerned her son wouldn’t connect to her. “He’s attached to my hip,” Ashleigh gushed. “Everything I was worried about went away.”
