Australian Story: May 15

Surrogacy is a family affair on Monday’s Australian Story.

It’s not every day a mother volunteers to give birth to her daughter’s child.

But that’s the gift 52-year-old Jasmina offered to her daughter Michelle Harley.

“I certainly didn’t expect that at the age of 52, I’d be carrying my grandchild,” Jasmina tells Australian Story. “They need an oven and I have to cook it.”

“Number one, it is so weird watching your Mum be pregnant with your child,” admits Michelle. “This whole process has brought us so much closer together.”

Incredibly, Jasmina wasn’t alone in being a surrogate for Michelle and Jono Harley. Jono’s sister Sophie, a mother of three, also stepped up to help the couple, who’ve battled with infertility for years.

Commercial surrogacy is illegal in Australia, meaning it is only possible if somebody volunteers.

“There are a lot of people who do not find a surrogate,” says their doctor, Lionel Reyftmann. “So, the fact that they came up not with one, but with two… that was completely unexpected.”

“There’s been, ‘How’s your sister pregnant with your baby? How does that work?’”, laughs Jono.

In 2021 Michelle managed to get pregnant using IVF, but she lost the baby boy at 19 weeks, and nearly died during childbirth. That’s when Jasmina and Sophie resolved to help the couple.

Michelle and Jono, both 31, are now the proud parents of two baby boys, who were born within 6 weeks of each other: Hugo Jay – the J for Jasmina – and Spencer Louis – for Sophie’s middle name Louise.

The couple are sharing their story in the hope of opening up a conversation about infertility, and the challenge and trauma that can come with it.

“It’s important to talk about…not only the good that’s come from the story, but the loss that we had as well,” Jono says. “To let people know that these things happen to people. There’s no point just sweeping that under the rug.”

Now five months into motherhood, Michelle is overwhelmed with gratitude.

“Without Sophie and Jasmina, we wouldn’t have a family. So, is there an emotion big enough to explain how you feel, how thankful you are?”

8pm Monday on ABC.