Oh boy! She meets Elvis, 10 weeks, and his brother Ezra, 11 days, who have made British history along with their mothers Emily Patrick and Kerry Osborn.
The babies, pictured here for the first time, were born to the lesbian couple via IVF. Elvis was created from Kerry’s egg, which was fertilized and implanted in Emily so that she could be her biological mother.
Meanwhile, Ezra was created from Emily’s egg and implanted in Kerry so she could carry him and give birth to him.
It is the first time the procedure, known as simultaneous reciprocal IVF, has been attempted in the UK, and has led to a joyous and unique Mother’s Day for the new family of four.
Meet 10-week-old Elvis and his 11-day-old brother Ezra, who have made British history alongside their mothers Emily Patrick (right) and Kerry Osborn (left).
It is the first time the procedure, known as simultaneous reciprocal IVF, has been attempted in the UK. Emily photographed on March 6, 2024
Elvis, with his big eyes and button nose, resembles his biological mother, Kerry. Ezra, with his shock of red hair, looks like his biological mother Emily (above)
“It’s been very emotional watching our two children arrive and watching each become a mother in the space of a few weeks,” said Emily, 38, a creative producer. “I was always the least maternal, but I found a completely different level of love, like a new camera in my heart, for our babies.”
“I still can’t believe they’re both here, that we’ve made our dream of having a family come true,” said Kerry, a 35-year-old teacher. “We never set out to be pioneers, but we hope we have shown others in the LGBTQ+ community that this is possible.”
Elvis, with his big eyes and button nose, resembles his biological mother, Kerry. Ezra, with his shock of red hair, looks like his biological mother Emily. Interestingly, the women say that, while they love their children equally, each feels a greater sense of parental responsibility toward the baby in her arms than toward the one who shares her genes.
Meanwhile, Ezra was created from Emily’s egg and implanted in Kerry so she could carry him and give birth to him.
Elvis was created from Kerry’s egg, which was fertilized and implanted into Emily so she could be his biological mother. Kerry (left) and Emily (right) performing baby scans on December 17, 2023.
Ezra (left) and Elvis (right) baby scans. The two new moms plan to spend their first Mother’s Day at the beach near their home.
Emily and Kerry have been together for seven years and started talking about simultaneous reciprocal IVF during one of the Covid lockdowns. The procedure has cost them around £25,000, including the price of the anonymous sperm donor who is the father of Elvis and Ezra.
Now planning to get married, the couple lives in Hampshire with their retired greyhound Dotty.
Elvis was born naturally on New Year’s Day and weighed 8 pounds. Ezra arrived via emergency C-section on February 28 weighing 7 lbs 1 oz. Kerry says: ‘It hasn’t been as chaotic as we had anticipated. If you think the worst then everything can be easier!’
The two new moms plan to spend their first Mother’s Day at the beach near their home.
Neither Emily nor Kerry have ever struggled with their sexuality. Emily found out she was gay when she was a teenager and she came out to her supportive parents when she was 16. Kerry was in college to train as a teacher when she realized she was a lesbian and came out to her family, who also accepted her.
Pictured: Together, with their retired greyhound Dotty.
Elvis was born naturally on New Year’s Day and weighed 8 pounds. Ezra arrived via emergency C-section on February 28 weighing 7 lbs 1 oz.
They first connected in January 2017 on the dating site Tinder. Emily was working in New Zealand after having been there for a decade and Kerry was visiting.
They first connected in January 2017 on the dating site Tinder. Emily was working in New Zealand after having been there for a decade and Kerry was visiting.
Although they were in the same country, they were too far apart to meet in person, but they began a long-distance courtship the old-fashioned way, corresponding for four months before they finally met. The first encounter included Emily on her knees holding a ring-shaped darling and Kerry holding a bottle of champagne.
They have been together ever since, traveling extensively throughout South East Asia and New Zealand before settling in Gosport a year ago. Now, their extraordinary shared pregnancies have put the seal on a love story that has been six years in the making.
Kerry was always the more maternal of the two: she knew she wanted children, while Emily hadn’t considered it before they got together. Discussing their future in the long hours of confinement, they decided to create a family in which they could be biological and gestational mothers.
Kerry says: ‘There was no big ceremony, it was a Thursday night and we started checking sperm banks. The problem is that once you start, you can’t stop, there are many options. We chose a man our age who had two children and donated for altruistic reasons: there were people in his family struggling with infertility and he wanted to help others.’
The pair were able to inspect his handwriting, as well as a photograph of him when he was about eight years old, and heard a recording of his voice. Although the donor was a Dutch-German because he gave his sperm in the United Kingdom, the two boys will be able to discover his identity when they turn 18.
Follow Emily and Kerry’s story on Instagram @twomumstwobuns.