A mother whose daughter was born through surrogacy has described meeting her newborn child for the first time as “just the most amazing thing”. 

Last week, actress Lily Collins announced she and her husband had become parents for the first time thanks to an “incredible” surrogate mother. 

It was an announcement that was met with numerous congratulatory messages, while others were critical of the couple’s decision to become parents through surrogacy - citing human rights concerns. 

On The Hard Shoulder, two women talked to reporter Sarah Madden about their decision to become parents through surrogacy. 

Mother of one Amy Hamilton White said she and her husband decided to have a child through surrogacy after deciding adoption was “really complicated”. 

“My sister offered to carry with the support of her husband,” she said. 

“My sister moved back to New Zealand - where her husband is from; we had the embryos in Ireland and we courried them to New Zealand. 

“We flew over for a 20 week scan; the day we flew over, the borders closed behind us. 

“So, we ended up getting stuck in New Zealand for six months.” 

A mother and her newborn. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

Ms Hamilton White said the moment she was handed her daughter for the first time was a moment that “you just can’t describe”. 

“Seeing my sister birthing my child and then passing her to me like, ‘Here you go’ - it is just amazing,” she said. 

“All of these kids that are born through surrogacy are so longed for - it’s just the most amazing thing.” 

It is something that she still feels “every day”. 

A nurse and a newborn. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

Another woman who had her child through surrogacy, Senator Mary Seery Kearney. 

After five miscarriages, Senator Seery Kearney decided she no longer wanted to continue with IVF. 

“It became obvious that I wasn’t going to be able to carry a baby to full-term,” she recalled. 

“We travelled to India to a clinic that had been recommended. 

“We felt assured we had done as much due diligence as we could about the human rights of everybody involved.” 

A nurse and newborn baby. Picture by: Alamy Stock Photo. 

Senator Seery Kearney described it as a “very peculiar experience”. 

“When I met her, first of all, it felt very hard to meet her eyes at times,” she said. 

“I was thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, I hope we’re not bringing her into a tragedy’ - but we were very fortunate in our first time IVF with that clinic resulted in the birth of our baby. 

“She was a twin for a good part of that pregnancy and, sadly, we lost the second baby. 

“But we have our magnificent daughter now.” 

Last year, the Oireachtas passed the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 which regulates “the provision of any treatment or procedure, including such treatment or procedure for the purposes of surrogacy within or, in relation to certain persons connected with the State, outside the State”.

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Main image: A newborn baby at a maternity hospital. Picture by: Alamy Stock Photo