Surrogate mother carries eighth baby

ONE of the UK's most prolific surrogate mothers is pregnant with an eighth child.

Jill Hawkins, 45, is reported to be being paid around 12,000 in expenses to carry the baby for a couple in their 30s.

She had been trying to conceive for 18 months, and is still waiting to hear whether she is expecting one child or twins.

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She said: "I love being pregnant. It's a compulsion I suppose."

It is the first time that Ms Hawkins, who has no children of her own, has carried a child not conceived from her own eggs using artificial insemination.

On this occasion, the couple whose child she is carrying had six embryos frozen and two of them transplanted into her womb.

Ms Hawkins, from Brighton, added: "It's a new experience this time because they are not my biological children.

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"I feel there's not so much pressure on me because it's not my genes. I'm just providing the womb for the baby to grow in."

A spokesman for the surrogacy organisation, Childlessness Overcome Through Surrogacy (COTS), confirmed Ms Hawkins' pregnancy.

It is illegal to pay for a surrogate child in the UK. However the intended parents are usually expected to pay any expenses, such as for travel or loss of earnings.

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