- Korina Sanchez explains why it took her so long to have a baby
- Korina Sanchez and Mar Roxas now the proud parents of twins
- In gestational surrogacy, the child is not biologically related to the surrogate mother, who is often referred to as a gestational carrier
Korina Sanchez-Roxas said in an interview that she always wanted to be a mom. But in a series of unfortunate events, the ‘Rated K’ host only got the chance of her lifetime to give birth to twins with her husband, senatorial candidate Mar Roxas, through gestational surrogacy in the United States.
In gestational surrogacy, the child is not biologically related to the surrogate mother, who is often referred to as a gestational carrier. Instead, the embryo is created via in-vitro fertilization (IVF), using the eggs and sperm of the intended parents or donors, and is then transferred to the surrogate.
In a recent interview with The Philippine Star, the ‘Rated K’ host explained why it took her so long to have kids.
“Everyone who knows me well know that I love children. But for the longest time, because my career in news took charge, I thought it would never happen,” said Sanchez, who was the former anchor of ABS-CBN’s flagship newscast, “TV Patrol.”
“We weren’t married yet when we decided to freeze our embryos, before my biological clock stopped ticking,” she continued. “It was just a matter of when we were ready to start a family. But that time couldn’t be found for years. We were both always so very busy.”
According to Sanchez, it was only after 2016 that she and Roxas got to embark on their “best life adventures.”
This was the time of the year that they planned to build a family of their own and resorted to tapping medical professionals overseas for the surrogacy.
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“They already know who to put together. They’ve worked with these surrogates, medical experts, lawyers, and caregivers for a long time. I found them after trying for years with a facility in India and it just went too slow. Until this other group based in the US was recommended to me by a friend who also had a good experience and successful surrogacy with them,” Sanchez said.
She described her surrogate as a wonderful person and said, “We couldn’t have chosen one better. She wanted to help us as she had helped another couple in the past. Intelligent, compassionate, kind, and responsible. Being how she is, we felt no reason to micromanage her with food intake or activities. We wanted to respect her privacy and how she would be responsible for the children.”
Asked how she will feed their twins, Korina said, “Fortunately in the US, mother’s milk is available from a company which can supply it. So I have a month’s worth of mother’s breast milk for my two babies. They were also given colostrum as their first feeding in the hospital. I am hoping to work with a group back in the Philippines so I may continue feeding the kids mother’s milk. I’d like to keep them on it for much longer. Mothers milk ensures strength, health and resistance from infections. So nutritious.”
Mixed emotions
While she considers her twins, named Pepe and Pilar, a “miracle,” Sanchez admitted that she initially had mixed emotions of uncertainty, worry, and anxiety upon realizing that she is now a mother at 54-years-old.
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“I felt weird feeling that way. I worry about the future, about everything that could go wrong. I’m told this is normal among many expecting and new mothers. Good to know I’m not weird,” she said.
The couple will have to wait for the pertinent papers of their children to be all set before flying back home. So maybe in less than a month, we will see Korina and her tiwns in the Philippines.
When asked if they are thinking of having more babies coming, she said: “One miracle at a time, okay? I mean, two miracles!”
