Mother-of-two gives birth to her boss's baby

Marketing assistant, 28, gives birth to her BOSS’ baby after agreeing to be her surrogate when she saw her struggle to become a mother

  • Caitlin Cotton, from Alderney, Channel Islands, is mum to Imogen, 6 and Max, 5
  • Marketing manager, 28, offered to be surrogate for Kate Postlethwaite, 37,
  • Her boss Kate, had suffered three losses including a stillbirth and miscarriage

A woman has given birth to her boss’s baby after agreeing to become her surrogate when she saw her struggle to become a mother. 

Caitlin Cotton, 28, from Alderney, Channel Islands, who is mother to Imogen, six, and Max, five, offered to be the surrogate for her boss, Kate Postlethwaite, 37, after she suffered three losses, including a stillbirth and a miscarriage. 

Digital marketing assistant Caitlin, who works for Kate at digital media company Dot Com Limited, was aware of her boss’s struggle and desperation to have a baby and wanted to help. 

Caitlin says she jumped at the chance to help when Kate asked if she would be her surrogate in 2019. 

Caitlin Cotton, 28, (pictured left) who lives in Alderney, Channel Islands, offered to be a surrogate for Kate Postlethwaite, 37, (pictured right)

Kate (pictured) asked Caitlin to be her surrogate after being left heartbroken by three losses – including a stillbirth at 32 weeks

Caitlin, who is a digital marketing assistant at the same company as Kate, said she was aware of her boss’s fertility struggles while working together. Pictured: Caitlin pregnant with Kate’s son

Kate, who is a digital marketing manager at digital media company Dot Com Limited, is now the proud mother of one-year-old Joey, who was born on 13 February 2020. 

‘My other colleagues often laugh and say that I’ve gone a bit overboard to be “employee of the month,” Caitlin explained. ‘I do laugh it off as it’s not everyday that you’re your boss’s surrogate.’

‘I was aware of Kate’s struggle and as I was more than happy to help.’

Kate revealed she hadn’t considered surrogacy despite her fertility struggles, until 2019. 

‘The idea of surrogacy had never really been on my radar,’ Kate said. ‘But when I did start thinking about it, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I started airing the idea at work.

Caitlin said her colleagues joke that she’s gone ‘a bit overboard to be “employee of the month.”‘ Pictured: Caitlin with her children, Max and Imogen

Kate said when she began thinking about surrogacy, she couldn’t get the idea out of her head. Pictured: Pregnancy test

Kate said she may have been subconsciously hinting to Caitlin to be her surrogate, but it took courage to ask her. Pictured: Scan pictures of Joey

‘Looking back, I think I may have been subconsciously hinting towards Caitlin, but at first I thought it was far too intense to ask her.

‘But one day, I plucked up the courage and I asked her – to my surprise, she agreed.’

During their sit down discussion, Caitlin said she would be more than happy to carry a baby for Kate.

Kate continued: ‘It was scary watching Caitlin’s tummy gradually appear above the office desk and think, oh my, that’s my baby in there!

‘I am the opposite of Caitlin. I am a complete overthinker and I was constantly terrified of something bad happening. 

Kate admits it was scary watching Caitlin’s stomach grow throughout her pregnancy and she constantly feared something bad would happen. Pictured: Kate and Joey

Kate said Caitlin (pictured right) has completely changed her life by giving birth to Joey and she ‘can’t believe’ he’s here

Kate added Caitlin has become like family rather than a friend, claiming she would do ‘anything in the world’ for her. Pictured: Caitlin with Joey

‘After what we’d been through, it makes you feel as though pregnancy is as delicate as a snow flake so it makes you worry so much more.

WHAT ARE THE LAWS ON SURROGACY?

The laws of surogacy differ from country to country.

In the US the laws suffer from state to state; some states have written legislation while others have common laws stemming from court decisions.

For example, California is accepting of surrogacy agreements and upholds agreements that include LGBT people.

However, others are stricter, like Michigan, which forbids absolutely all surrogacy agreements, and fines people $500,000 for entering into agreements.

In the UK surrogates are the legal mother of any child they carry, unless they sign a parental order transferring their rights to the intended parents when they give birth.

The birth mother always has the right to keep her child, even if they are not genetically related.

It’s illegal to pay a surrogate in the UK, except for medical expenses. 

‘But Caitlin was amazing, she made me feel so much better.

‘She has completely changed my life by giving me my baby boy, Joey, now one. I just can’t believe we done this and here is here.

‘Caitlin is more like my family now rather than my friend, I would do anything in the world for her.

‘I am so grateful that she gave me the greatest gift.’

Kate and her partner at the time, Matt, who is also Joey’s dad, suffered her first loss in 2016 after she had to terminate her pregnancy due to her baby being too unwell.

In early 2018, Kate fell pregnant again but devastatingly had a stillbirth at 32 weeks.

After falling pregnant for the third time towards the end of 2018, she then had a miscarriage at 13 weeks pregnant.

Kate’s desire to become a mother grew stronger following the three losses and she was gobsmacked when Caitlin agreed to be her surrogate.

She added: ‘I was so happy that Caitlin was willing to do this and I wasn’t going to have to go through an agency in the UK.

‘There are so many horror stories to read online.

‘I knew Caitlin well, and I trusted her. We also live very close to each other so we were able to see each other a lot during the pregnancy.

‘The whole process went so smoothly, it all seemed far too easy. It all just worked the first time. The next thing we knew, Caitlin was pregnant.

‘In the space of 12 months and one day, we had gone from our first IVF appointment to Joey being born.’ 

Kate suffered her first loss in 2016 when she had to terminate her pregnancy due to her baby being poorly. Pictured: Caitlin pregnant in hospital

Kate (pictured) suffered a stillbirth at 32 weeks in 2018 and after falling pregnant for a third time tragically had a miscarriage

Kate said she’s glad that she didn’t have to go through an agency, especially after reading horror stories online. Pictured: Kate with Joey

Having had two easy pregnancies with her own kids, Caitlin says that her pregnancy for Joey was also very straight forward.

Kate explained that Caitlin was induced at 40 weeks as she couldn’t wait any longer.

She added: ‘I was so anxious I felt like I couldn’t breathe towards the end, I just wanted the baby to be born.

‘In hindsight, I feel really guilty about this, as Caitlin hadn’t ever had any medical intervention before.

‘When we were told Joey was about to be born, I had to leave the room and cry.

Kate (pictured left) said she was so anxious when Caitlin (pictured right) was induced at 40 weeks and felt like she couldn’t breathe towards the end

Kate said she was in ‘disbelief’ when Joey (pictured) was handed to her and it was the first time she had seen a newborn alive

‘I couldn’t believe it was about to happen and I just had to move past everything that happened.

‘I went back into the room for when Joey was actually born.

‘When he was handed to me it was such a shocking experience, I was in complete disbelief.

‘I had never seen an alive newborn before, I’d never had this experience.

‘But it was amazing and so incredible.

‘Looking at my baby for the first time was wonderful.

Caitlin said although she had mentally dethatched herself from Joey, she was aware that there could be some physical attachment. Pictured: Caitlin with her children

‘I stared at him for hours on end. I didn’t want to leave him and go to sleep because I was so scared of something bad happening to him.

‘I still feel quite terrified now, and he is a 13-month-old healthy and strong baby.’

Caitlin says that all the way through her pregnancy she was aware of the fact there could be some physical attachment, although she had mentally detached herself.

Kate says being a new mum is hard but incredible, especially after splitting with his dad when he was six months old.

She added: ‘I love just watching him grow every day and doing things like getting his words together. He is the cutest and brightest baby on the planet.

‘There is something very special about him.

‘I would love to go through the experience again and give Joey a sibling.

‘Surrogacy has been such a positive experience for us, I have learnt so much and I would know what to expect next time so I could probably actually enjoy it more rather than worrying.

‘Caitlin is just the most amazing person and such an amazing surrogate. I would do anything in the world for her.’ 

Kate said being a new mother is hard, especially as she separated from Joey’s father when he was six months old. Pictured: Kate with Joey

Kate said she would ‘love to go through the experience again’ to give Joey a sibling. Pictured: Kate and Joey on the beach

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