Becki and I were like sisters. So how would I feel about my fella getting her pregnant? By Kimberley Allen, 33
A voice whispered in my ear and I started to giggle.
But before I could whisper back to my friend Becki, another — much louder voice — barked at me.
‘Kimberley!’ the teacher snapped. ‘You sit over there!’
I glanced at Becki and we started sniggering again.
We were always being split up for chatting but, despite the best efforts of our teachers, Becki and I had been inseparable since we were four.
We were chalk and cheese, though. While I was outgoing, Becki was more reserved. But that was fine because we complemented each other.
She grounded me, while I brought out the fun in her.
We spent hours laughing, chatting, and making up dance routines to our favourite Atomic Kitten songs.
And we looked out for each other too.
We could instantly tell when the other was upset and no matter what happened, we always felt comforted by the other’s presence.
‘You’re not my friend, you’re my sister,’ we’d tell each other.
So, when I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome at 15 and told I’d struggle to have children, it was Becki I turned to.
‘Being a mum was my dream,’ I told her.
‘You never know what’s going to happen,’ she replied.
And that soothed me.
As the years went by, our friendship remained unbreakable — even when Becki fell pregnant.
I was so pleased for her, it never crossed my mind to feel envious. After all, if anyone deserved the joy of motherhood, it was my best pal.
But it didn’t happen for me.
'Being a mum was my dream'
Even when I did manage to fall pregnant, I suffered a series of devastating miscarriages which took their toll on my relationships.
Still, Becki was there for me.
She gave birth to another two daughters and her growing family only ever brought me joy.
I loved being a fun auntie and I jumped at the chance to look after them whenever Becki needed. They stayed over so often that I had my spare bedroom set up just for them.
Eventually, I stopped wondering when it would be my turn to be a mum and even gave up on finding a man.
But one night I found myself online and got chatting to a man called Jamie. We hit it off and agreed to meet up.
Amazingly, we got along even better in person.
Before things went further, I knew I had to be honest about my struggles to have children.
‘That’s OK,’ Jamie replied. ‘Let’s just see where this goes.’
So we did and, eight months on, he popped the question.
Thrilled, I said: ‘Yes!’
As time passed, we looked into fertility treatment, but it didn’t work and we started to accept that it wasn’t going to happen for us.
But then something happened.
Becki invited us round to hers for a barbecue and, when the kids were in bed, she sat us down and said something astonishing.
For a moment, I thought I’d misheard.
But I hadn’t.
‘I’d like to have a baby for you,’ she said.
Jamie and I sat in stunned silence for a few minutes before I finally managed to say: ‘You what?’
‘I’ve thought about it,’ she said, ‘and I’d like to help you.’
I didn’t know what to say.
I’d never thought about Becki being a surrogate for us, but she’d already discussed it at length with her husband.
‘You’d do that for us?’ I asked.
‘Of course,’ she replied. ‘I love you.’
I felt overwhelmed.
We got the ball rolling straight away, deciding to do everything ourselves, with no surrogacy agency.
And when we were ready, I called Becki over to my home in Southsea, Hampshire.
Jamie went upstairs to make his deposit in a cup.
'I'd like to help you'
Then, when he returned, Becki and I went up with his sample and a syringe from a bottle of children’s medicine which I’d sterilised
It wasn’t conventional, but I made sure that everything was clean and safe.
Then we got down to business.
But we couldn’t help giggling like kids as we did.
‘I just helped my husband impregnate my best friend!’ I said, laughing.
When Becki didn’t fall pregnant, we went through the process again and, 12 days after our third attempt, Becki asked us over, then pulled out a pregnancy test.
I looked at it and my mouth dropped open.
‘You’re pregnant!’ I gasped.
Suddenly it was all systems go.
I worried about everything we had to prepare, but Jamie kept me calm. And, at the same time, we started planning our wedding with Becki’s help.
When we told friends and family that Becki was carrying our baby, they were so supportive, and Becki’s children understood that even though the baby was in their mum’s tummy, Jamie and I were the parents.
I went to every appointment with Becki and, whenever we sat chatting on the sofa, she moved my hand on to her bump.
Each kick felt like a tiny miracle.
In time, we got married with Becki as a witness. At our reception, all eyes were on Becki and her bump.
But I wasn’t jealous. In fact, I was grateful to her for taking the pressure off me!
It was a wonderful day, made all the more special because our unborn child was there.
Then three weeks later, Becki went into labour.
Jamie and I were in the delivery room with her and her husband, and emotions were high.
Nothing prepared me for seeing Becki in pain, and I couldn’t breathe until I heard a little cry.
Our little girl had arrived safe and sound.
We named her Roxanne,
Becki didn’t want to bond with her, so we were taken to another room with Roxy.
‘We love you!’ I called to Becki as I left.
I had the first skin-to-skin contact and I fell head over heels in love.
She was absolutely perfect, and I couldn’t believe we were finally parents.
Jamie and I couldn’t stop staring at her.
My mum said Roxy was a miracle sent by my late grandparents, and I agreed, but she was also a miracle from Becki.
‘I can never thank you enough,’ I sobbed to her, ‘you really are my sister.’
‘It’s my pleasure,’ she replied.
We brought Roxy home and then, when she was six months old, we went to family court to officially become her parents.
Roxy is 18 months old now and thriving.
She’s fearless, cheeky and clever and she loves being with Becki, who she calls her Auntie BeeBee.
We’ve decided to raise our kids as cousins, as we’re now a blended family.
I’d already considered Becki my sister, but now there really is a piece of her DNA in my family.
Roxy knows she grew in Auntie BeeBee’s tummy, and when she’s older we’ll be open with her.
I thought my dream of being a mum had been taken from me, but Becki gave it back to me.
That’s the greatest gift of all.
Becki told Take a Break: ‘Kimberley’s a sister to me, and we’ve been through so much together. My husband and I discussed it thoroughly, as I knew it was her dream to be a mum, and more than anything I just wanted to give her what I had. Because that’s what sisters do.’