NBC News’ Chief White House correspondent Kristen Welker and her husband John Hughes are expecting a daughter this June with the help of a surrogate.
Walker and Hughes appeared on TODAY on Friday in honor of National Infertility Awareness Week. They shared their triumphant news and received applause from Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Craig Melvin.
“We’re so excited to be able to announce that we, with the help of a surrogate, are expecting a baby girl in June,” Welker said.
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In a taped segment with Melvin, the couple said they had struggled with infertility. They married in 2017 when she was 40 and immediately set their hearts on conceiving a child. The first round of IVF went really well for the journalist and she expected to get pregnant soon.
However, Welker was told by her doctor that the lining in her uterus was too thin to carry a child.
“And I thought, ‘OK, well, let’s fix it. There has to be something that we can do to fix this,’” Welker said.
The tests and appointments did not yield the results she was hopeful for. “I was going into the doctor in between live shots at work and just feeling like … a failure, frankly,” Welker shared.
Peter Alexander, Welker’s Weekend TODAY co-host, recalled how upset she was throughout the process.
“It was clear that there were days when she was getting bad news,” Alexander told TODAY. “She would just sort of break down.”
In a letter to her unborn daughter published Friday, Welker wrote that after two years, she accepted that she’d be unable to carry her. She remembered the moments that led to the decision to call upon the help of a surrogate.
“Then, on a chilly weekday morning as I was walking into work, a doctor called with the most difficult news. The doctor said that, unlike most mommies, I would not be able to carry you in my belly and I would need a special helper to carry you inside her belly,” she wrote.
“That person is called a “surrogate.” On that day, I cried so many tears that I didn’t think they would ever stop. I felt as though I had let you down because I couldn’t carry you myself.”
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Welker achieved a professional triumph and won acclaim for moderating the final presidential debate last October. It was also a moment of personal happiness for her because at the time, she knew her surrogate was carrying her child.
“I can’t wait to tell my daughter that,” Welker said. “I credit her with the fact that I remained calm that night.”
Welker has formed a special bond with the woman who is carrying her unborn daughter. “Being matched with a surrogate is one of the most extraordinary experiences I have ever had,” she said.
“Our surrogate has been amazing. I can’t explain just how wonderful she’s been,” Hughes said. “For her this was about giving something to us that she felt a deep connection to.”
Welker said already feels a strong connection to her daughter. “All of the tears and the sadness and the setbacks were worth it because she’s worth it. And we cannot wait for that day when we can actually meet her and hug her and hold her,” she said.
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