TORONTO -- An Idaho woman who served as a surrogate for a couple in China has been caring for the infant for nearly five months while the biological parents try to navigate pandemic-related travel restrictions in order to take custody of their child.
Emily Chrislip said the initial plan was for the baby’s biological parents to travel to Idaho so they could be present for the birth and take custody of the child right away.
However, two months before Chrislip’s due date, the spread of COVID-19 became a global pandemic and halted almost all travel.
With the knowledge that they may not be able to travel to the U.S. in time for their child’s birth, the biological parents asked Chrislip and her husband if they would agree to take care of the infant until they arrived.
“They understood that was a lot to ask,” Chrislip told CTV’s Your Morning on Thursday. “So we just had a lot of conversations about it, my husband and I, and we talked to family and friends to get their perspective and ultimately, we just decided we would do it.”
Although they had the option to give the infant to a nanny agency, Chrislip said she and her husband decided they would take care of the baby themselves.
“We both agreed that it was the right thing to do and we would be all that she knows right now. So we felt like we were the best people to take care of her,” she said.
On May 18, while the biological parents were still in Beijing, Chrislip gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
While Chrislip and her husband initially thought they would only care for the infant for a few weeks before the biological parents would be able to take custody of her, the prolonged travel restrictions have meant they’ve now looked after the baby for nearly five months.
Chrislip said the father, who is a Canadian citizen, has been trying to secure a Canadian passport for the mother so they can travel through Canada to get to the U.S., but they’re still waiting on those approvals.
In the meantime, Chrislip and her husband, who have a two-year-old son of their own, have been taking care of the infant as if she was their own.
“She’s doing great. She's a really happy baby. She hardly cries and she sleeps through the night. So we got pretty lucky. She's very easy. So we’re blessed to take care of her,” she said.
Although she didn’t expect to raise the baby as a surrogate, Chrislip said it’s been a learning experience.
“It’s taught me a lot about my mental strength and a lot about just myself in general and how I can love a child that isn’t biologically mine even though I’ve created these specific boundaries when it comes to her,” she said.
When it does come time to hand over the child to her biological parents, Chrislip said they will be prepared.
“I think it will be emotional, but we’re ready to get her to her parents and we’re ready to kind of start moving on in our life and try to get things back to normal,” she said.
