Surrogate Mom Who Gets A DNA Test Is Caught Off Guard By The Results
Bringing a child into the world is tough, a journey even more complicated for surrogates. So when Jessica Allen volunteered to be one for a couple wanting children, she took plenty of time to prepare herself for the physical and emotional feat. However, no amount of planning could have possibly readied her for the nightmare she was forced to face.
Knew What She Signed Up For
California resident Jessica Allen was a proud mom of two. She carried both of her own children, so she knew all the nitty-gritty details of bringing children into the world. And if it meant helping out another family, Jessica would gladly carry a child again.
Wanted To Help
Jessica signed up to become a surrogate, all in hopes of helping a family in need while making a few bucks. She thought she found the perfect couple, who were simply desperate to create a child from their own DNA. Their struggle touched Jessica's heart.
Wasn't Legal
The couple was from China, but since surrogacy isn't yet legal in their country, they trekked it to the United States to find a surrogate to deliver the child they always wanted. In 2016, Jessica agreed to carry for them.
Wheels In Motion
With the help of San Diego-based Omega Family Global, it was a done deal. In April 2016, the couple's male embryo was implanted in Jessica's uterus via in-vitro fertilization. Everyone had their fingers crossed.
Followed All Instructions
To "prepare her womb," Jessica took estrogen and progestogen as instructed. She followed her IVF doctor's orders to a T to ensure that the pregnancy would go smoothly. The embryo took, and everything went well... up until the six-week mark.
Carrying Twins
Jessica was told she was carrying twins. One. Two. She thought there was only one baby refusing to pay rent in her uterus, so you could imagine the shock of the situation. The couple didn't know what hit them.
Additional Payment
The doctor explained it's not often that a singular embryo will split, but it does happen. While Jessica was originally paid a whopping $30,000 plus expenses to carry the Chinese couple's offspring, after they discovered she was hosting twins, she received an additional $5,000 a month.
Didn't Get To See The Babies
Moving forward, all was well with the babies. On December 12, 2016, 38 weeks into the pregnancy, Jessica gave birth to two healthy babies via c-section. Directly after the birth, doctors darted away with the babies, Jessica not even getting a mere glance at them.
Violated Their Contract
According to Jessica, she signed a contractual agreement that allowed her to spend an hour after the birth with the children she nurtured and cultivated for nine months. So the fact that they were immediately rushed away from her was... suspicious.
Something Wasn't Right
Later that night, Jessica was shown a photo of the newborns, who doctors insisted were identical twins. When Jessica took a close look at the picture, however, something seemed very off.
They Weren't Identical
Unless the definition of the word "identical" recently changed, Jessica just knew those little ones were not identical twins. “One, his skin tone was much fairer than the other. One looked full Chinese, the other didn’t look full Chinese," Jessica told People.
Nobody Questioned It
"It was very clear that they were not identical … but I didn’t ask questions," she continued. Jessica was undoubtedly troubled by the situation, but a case worker with the surrogacy agency guaranteed that the children were identical twins despite their polarizing physical features.
Purchased A Home
After the birth, Jessica and her hubby, Wardell Jasper, used the hefty chunk of cash they received from the surrogacy to help pay for a new house. Just as they were prepared to move into their dream home, there was an interruption.
The Mother Noticed
Weeks after the birth, Jessica received a text from the intended mother with photos of the newborns. She was clearly having doubts regarding who the babies belonged to, as she probed Jessica, asking her if she noticed "that they look different.”
DNA Test
After much speculation, the babies got a DNA test, and it turned out they were 100%... not related. See, one of the infants belonged to Jessica and her husband. But how was this possible?
Rare Medical Phenomenon
Jessica and her husband followed the doctor's orders and obtained from sex until after she was confirmed pregnant with the other couple's embryo. Unfortunately, they were still at risk for a rare medical phenomenon called superfetation. Superfetation happens when a woman continues to ovulate after becoming pregnant. Understandably, Jessica had no idea this was a potential issue since only approximately 0.3% of women are affected.
Had To Return The Money
Jessica and her husband were wallowing in the most intense level of panic mode. They desperately wanted their new son home, who they named Malachi, but the Chinese couple weren't handing over that infant until Jessica and Wardell handed over $22,000.
Panic Mode
"My husband and I were panicking. We had no idea how this came about and we had no idea how we were going to prepare for a child over night. We just moved into a new house, we didn’t have any more money," Jessica said.
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The Ultimatum
If Jessica didn't give the couple that wad of cash soon, the intended mother threatened to put little Malachi up for adoption. “They wanted me to buy or adopt my own child," Jessica told People.
No Hard Feelings
Believe it or not, Jessica Allen wasn't angry with the intended mother, as Jessica thought she may have been manipulated. “It’s not her fault … The agency put it in her head that I was going to try to sue her. I never said those words,” she explained.
Things Got Messy
Things got worse once the other mother started sending Jessica "all kinds of text messages" out of fear that she'd get sued. “We tried to get him three different times and they just kept giving us an excuse," Jessica said. It was messy.
Home At Last
“We tried to get him on numerous occasions, but one excuse they gave us was the intended parents didn’t want to sign over the power of attorney, so we didn’t get him,” Jessica disclosed. But in February 2017, Jessica and Wardell finally retrieved Malachi.
Vowed Off Surrogacy
Since reuniting with their son, the emotional and financial stress of the situation made bliss a distant concept for Jessica and Wardell. The events sadly put them in debt."We’re barely getting by right now and it stressed me out emotionally because this agency turned their backs on me," Jessica said, clearly jaded. Naturally, Jessica vowed never to be a surrogate again.
Legal Battles
The ordeal also involved ugly battles with lawyers and a brooding waiting game for Malachi's birth certificate and social security card. The only upside of all of this was that Jessica gained a beautiful son.
Healing Their Wounds
Though she and her husband were heartbroken that Malachi had to spend his first 10 months in the hands of flaky strangers, Jessica relayed that watching the "little man" grow has eased some of that pain and guilt.
Thankful To Reunite
What also helped the Allens cope was knowledge that, in the grand scheme of things, they could've been separated from Malachi for much longer. After all, they knew all about Shanara Mobley.
Teenage Pregnancy
On July 10th, 1998, a young woman named Shanara Mobley gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in Florida. At age 16, she knew she had a long road ahead of her...but it wouldn’t be paved with diapers and late-night feedings as she expected.
Oddly Dressed Nurse
The hours following the birth were hazy to the exhausted Shanara, so when a nurse walked into her room, the encounter didn’t stand out. She noticed the nurse’s thick glasses and oddly-colored wig but was in too much post-delivery pain to care.
Discussed Her Fears
Amid her grogginess, Shanara expressed fear about her future to the nurse. The nurse helped Shanara change her hospital gown and even gave her some advice. Comforted, Shanara didn’t think twice when, out of nowhere, the nurse said the baby looked sick.
The Baby Vanished
Too groggy to question it, Shanara watched as the nurse cradled the newborn in her arms and swiftly left the room. That was the last time Shanara would see her daughter for almost 20 years.
Pled For Her Return
So, why did the “nurse” do it? This was the question newscasters asked as Shanara’s story spread. She pleaded with the public to help her get her baby back, and the story flashed across countless TV screens for years…
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Teenager Hears of Case
...including the TV screen of a young Alexis Manigo, a girl who knew nothing of heartbreak or loss. Up until she was 17, Alexis lived a carefree life with her two brothers and her mom, Gloria. From the beginning, Alexis and Gloria shared a special bond.
Abusive Relationship
It makes sense why Gloria idolized her daughter: Before Alexis came into her life, Gloria and her two sons lived in a state of constant fear. A single mom struggling to make ends meet, Gloria also endured an abusive relationship with a man named Charles Manigo.
Cut Off Communication
When she found out she was pregnant, Gloria hoped the new baby would help...but this wasn’t the case. Even when she was pregnant, Charles would beat her. Gloria knew she couldn’t raise a baby in such a violent household, so she cut off all communication with Charles.
Mother Daughter Bond
When Alexis was born, she brought vitality and hope back into Gloria’s life. Gloria was mother and father to Alexis, the person who supported her through her first steps and first days of school. They weren’t only mother and daughter — they were best friends.
Trouble Getting A Job
This made Alexis’ teenage years difficult for Gloria to accept, emotionally and financially. With college on the horizon, Alexis tried to get a job to help with expenses. It wasn’t long, however, before she ran into an alarming problem.
Missing Social Security Number
No matter where she looked, she couldn’t find her social security number. She needed to find it, and fast — without this crucial information, getting a job and going to college would be impossible. Naturally, Alexis asked her mother for help.
Gloria Spills Secret
Immediately, Gloria started to panic. She knew the secret she had concealed for years had to be revealed. So she sat her daughter down on their front porch and told her the story of the day she was born… but this time, she told Alexis the real story.
She Was Kidnapped
At first, Alexis thought her mom was kidding. But as the story unfolded, it was clear that every detail was all too real. Alexis couldn’t believe the truth: Gloria wasn’t her mother...she was her kidnapper.
Missing Baby Identified
Though she grew up as Alexis Manigo, her real name was Kamiyah. Anyone from Florida knew the story of poor baby Kamiyah, who had been kidnapped from the hospital mere hours after she was born...
Wanted Answers
...And everyone knew the story of Kamiyah’s grieving mother, Shanara Mobley. When Gloria told Alexis the truth, all Alexis could do was ask herself the same question Shanara and the media had asked themselves for years: Why?
Acted Out of Desperation
Gloria, it turns out, was in a desperate state back in 1998. The hope she’d had of appeasing Charles with a baby was dashed when she had a miscarriage. Kidnapping Kimiyah was Gloria’s panic-ridden attempt to regain hope for a better life.
Afraid of Reaction
Everything Alexis knew — her family, her home, and even her name — were all a sham because of Gloria. With this in mind, Gloria waited nervously for Alexis’ reaction. But Alexis’ response was the last thing Gloria expected.
She Understood
Alexis looked at her mother and realized how supportive she’d always been. So, Gloria wasn’t her biological mother — in that moment, Alexis didn’t care. She saw Gloria not as her kidnapper, but as the loving woman who raised her.
Facing The Music
But when Alexis told some friends of her true identity, it wasn’t long before the police were knocking on the family’s door, looking for Gloria. Alexis pleaded with her mother to hide, but Gloria knew the jig was up.
Arrest and Reunion
Once the police confirmed the truth, Shanara received the phone call she’d been waiting almost 20 years for. Gloria, meanwhile, traded her nurse’s costume for an orange jumpsuit. She watched, devastated, from behind bars as Alexis reunited with her birth mother.
Undeniable Connection
Though Shanara wanted her daughter to go by her birth name, Alexis insisted on staying Alexis Manigo. Everyone from Shanara to the police to the jury saw the special connection Alexis and Gloria shared despite the illegal way they came together.
Stuck In The Middle
During the trial, Alexis was caught in between two worlds: the world that could have been, and the only world she knew. Though Alexis had finally met her biological family, it pained her to see Gloria in jail...especially after her sentence was finalized.
Hefty Sentence
Gloria was sentenced to 18 years in prison, the same timespan Shanara had been kept away from her beloved daughter. For Shanara, this sentencing was a small price to pay for what she deemed an unforgivable crime.
Still Painful
According to Shanara, the hardest part is competing with a kidnapper for Alexis’ love. It’s likely that Shenara will always be in competition with Gloria...even with Gloria behind bars. As Alexis said of Gloria, “She made a mistake, but I was loved...[Gloria is] a big part of my heart.”
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