Watch: NBC’s Kristen Welker Gets Emotional Announcing She’s Expecting a Baby with the Help of a Surrogate
Following infertility struggles, NBC News chief White House correspondent Kristen Welker announced on Friday that she is expecting a baby girl in June with the help of a surrogate.
In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, Welker shared the news on the Today Show alongside her husband John Hughes, revealing that she and Hughes had struggled with infertility for years.
“We’re so excited to be able to announce that we, with the help of a surrogate, are expecting a baby girl in June,” Welker shared, the news met with cheers and claps from Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Craig Melvin.
In a segment dedicated to sharing their journey with others, Welker revealed that while she loves her job as a journalist, one of her dreams has always been to be a mother.
After a few attempts to conceive, the couple decided to see Dr. Rafat Abbasi, who first recommended in vitro fertilization, which Welker went through the process of.
The doctor eventually determined that the lining of Welker’s uterus was too thin to carry a child.
Welker revealed that the news left her feeling like a failure, while fellow NBC correspondent Peter Alexander noted that there were days that Welker would break down after receiving bad news regarding her fertility.
“After two years of trying to carry my own baby and after having consulted with four different doctors, they all agreed that I wasn’t going to be able to carry a child,” she said, revealing that it was the day of the Michael Cohen trial, one of the busiest workdays of her life, that she was forced to come to terms with that fact.
Welker later became emotional while discussing her future daughter after years of fertility troubles, saying, “I’m having a baby girl with John, and we’re so excited, and it’s with the help of a surrogate!”
In addition to breaking the amazing news on the Today Show, Welker published a letter to her daughter, writing, “I cannot wait until the moment I hold you for the very first time — it is all I have dreamed about for years.”
The letter honestly discusses the couple’s infertility struggles, while highlighting how excited they are to meet their dream come true.
“Then, on a chilly weekday morning as I was walking into work, a doctor called with the most difficult news,” she wrote. “The doctor said that, unlike most mommies, I would not be able to carry you in my belly and I would need a special helper to carry you inside her belly.”
Welker added that after many tears, she finally reached out to friends who also used “helpers” to conceive, and discovered that she and Hughes were not alone.
“It’s important that your daddy and I also share with you that while our journey may have been tough at times, we still feel so thankful because many families, for many reasons, do not have the resources it takes to find a special helper like we did,” she wrote, adding, “Our special helper and hero is a young mom who says being a helper is her purpose.”
My sweet baby girl, your daddy and I haven’t met you yet, but we have loved you forever,” she wrote, concluding the heartfelt letter.
Watch above, via NBC.
