After battling infertility for years, NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Kristen Welker and husband John Hughes are expecting their first child, a baby girl!
The baby, being carried by a surrogate is due in June of this year but the doting mom has already poured her heart to her future baby girl in a letter she read to the public last week.
"I cannot wait until the moment I hold you for the very first time, it is all I have dreamed about for years," Kristen Welker wrote in a heartfelt letter to her unborn baby.
Welker further revealed to a media publication that she got married to Hughes at 40 and they started trying to have a baby immediately, which did not work out as planned so they thought to see a fertility specialist as a precaution.
They were recommended IVF by their doctor which gave the couple hope for a solution. Unfortunately, that did not work out for them either.
“First round of IVF, it went really well and I thought, ‘I’m going to be pregnant within the next few months, no problem,’” Welker recalled. But then, Welker received devastating news: The lining of 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.
What followed was a never-ending series of tests and doctor appointments,
Welker recalled having to run between her live shoots and doctor visits and feeling like an absolute failure because nothing seemed to work!
After two miserable years of trying and failing, the couple accepted the fact that Welker won't be able to carry a baby.
“And it was probably the lowest moment and realization that I’ve ever had,” she said. "I felt as though I had let you down because I couldn’t carry you myself."
After researching extensively into their options, including adoption, the couple decided to settle for surrogacy.
Welker expressed the immense gratitude she felt towards her surrogate.
“Being matched with a surrogate is one of the most extraordinary experiences I have ever had,” Welker said.
The couple enjoy a wonderful relationship with their surrogate. Welker reveals how they had a lot of questions for her when they first met her, and so did she. For her, it was important that she would be carrying a baby for a family who would be able to love and take care of the child, Welker said.
Although, the transfer did not work the first time, the surrogate was pregnant on the second try. Interestingly enough, the successful pregnancy coincided with Welker's moderation of the final Presidential Debate 2020! Rightfully so, Welker credits her calm and composure during the fiery debate to her unborn daughter.
Welker also revealed that the couple would definitely want to have more children in the future.