Texas newborn connects two continents

AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) - A Pflugerville mother of four is the surrogate mom for a couple she's never met who live 10,000 miles away.

What do you do if you cannot conceive or perhaps carry a child through pregnancy? One option is adoption, but if you want your own blood kin, a surrogate mom may be the answer.

In western Australia, Jenny and Steve Suleski lost their third child during pregnancy, and Jenny was told she could not carry another.

By destiny or luck, the couple had a fertilized embryo in storage. Because of Australia's stringent surrogate laws, they looked abroad. Through an agency their search led them to a Pflugerville woman named Christi.

"We did a lot of research, America's a really good place to go for surrogacy," said Jenny Suleski. "Christi was in Texas, and Texas is great for us because the laws are very friendly."

Christi Allen was content with her own four kids, but she loves bearing children."Once I was pregnant I was good at it, I enjoyed it, it's something I liked," Allen said.

Allen gave birth two weeks ago to the Suleski's child at St. David's Women's Center of Texas.

"We're going to see a lot more of this," said Dr. Rob Cowan. "Austin's a cutting edge town. This is what we do, and I think I'm going to see a lot more of it." 

The newborn is named Anastasia Grace. 

"Her middle name is (Grace) because she is an act of grace," Jenny Suleski said. "Anastasia means resurrection, and we feel in this process that we've been reborn."

The Suleskis said Grace already is on Australian time.

"She's up during the night and sleeps during the day," Steve Suleski said. "Hopefully she'll keep to that when we go home."

The couple flew home with their newborn Saturday, while two young sisters back in Australia anxiously wait to meet their new sibling.

"They went through the devastating process of losing a sister," said Jenny Suleski. "Now they're excited to welcome Anastasia to the world."

Allen said she might be a surrogate again. As for giving up Grace, she said it's a gift.

"I'm not giving it up, I'm giving it back," Allen said. "That moment of giving them their child was like the huge prize at the end of the marathon."