Two Dads to Welcome Three Babies in Seven Months

Surrogates: Becky Harris (right), Bex Harris (centre) and Viktoria Ellis (top left) with their neighbour Jemma King (top right) and Bex’s mother Karen (left) appeared on ITV’s This Morning in July to talk about surrogacy. When they appeared on the show, Bex was already carrying Harris and Lee’s baby, Viktoria was preparing to, and Becky was days away from giving birth to another couple’s child  (photo: Steve Meddle/ITV/Rex)

A gay couple in England announced Monday that they’re going to be parents of three babies (AKA “twiplets”), thanks to three women they met via surrogacy websites.

In what’s believed to be a first-ever occurrence in the world of surrogate births, the couple, Daryl Lee, 41, and Luke Harris, 50, will soon be fathers of three babies, all to be born within seven months of each other — between January and July of 2015.

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Lee, a medical professional, and Harris, a computer programmer, who became civil partners in 2012, have spent the last 15 years trying to become parents. The couple always wanted a big family and joined a number of online forums to try to find a suitable surrogate.

Lee (Facebook)

"We love each other very much, but despite that it has felt like something was missing from our lives - our home felt empty without children," Harris tells The Sun, which also reports that Lee is the biological father to two of the children and Harris is the father of the third. "We never imagined in our wildest dreams we would have three all at once."

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The first woman they spoke with about becoming a surrogate was Becky Harris, 27, who was already pregnant with her third surrogate child. Through her, they met two others, Becky’s former sister-in-law Bex Harris, 32, and her best friend, Viktoria Ellis, 32, all of whom live in Suffolk, England.

Harris (Facebook)

“When we told our families we are having our first surrogate baby, they were so excited for us,” Harris tells The Sun. “When we told them we were having a second baby they were amazed. And then, when we announced we’re actually having three babies of our own they were stunned but overjoyed.”

While next year is going to be filled with baby showers and excitement about their growing family, this couple is going to have to work hard to make sure each of their surrogate’s needs are met, says Michael Doyle, MD, an IVF and surrogacy expert in Connecticut.

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“It’s a challenge to have several women in different locations who are pregnant at the same time,” Dr. Doyle says. “But, as long as the arrangements are ethical for everyone and soundly based in law, this is a better idea than putting one woman through a triplet pregnancy.”

And, by year’s end, this couple’s dream of having a big family will have come true.

“I like the fact that, whether you’re gay or straight, you can create a family in a way that feels best for everyone involved,” Dr. Doyle adds.