Surrogate mother gives birth to own biological son in rare medical incident

'I was heartbroken knowing I carried a baby I didn't know was mine and that he was taken away from me without my knowledge'

A woman who gave birth to her own child at the same time as she delivered a surrogate baby has been reunited with her son after a long legal battle.

"I was heartbroken knowing I carried a baby I didn't know was mine and that he was taken from me without my knowledge and was in the arms of other people where he did not belong," Jessica Allen told The Independent.

The 31-year-old had decided to undergo a commercial surrogacy so that she could put the money towards a deposit on a home with her partner Wardell Jasper, 34.

The practice is legal in California where they live and Ms Allen, who already had two children of her own, agreed a fee of $35,000 (£26,600) to give birth to another woman's child.

But after undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF), doctors told Ms Allen she was carrying two baby boys.

But after giving birth, she said in a separate interview with The New York Post that she was not able to see them.

About a month later, she received a picture from the babies from the mother, asking why the newborns looked different.

A DNA subsequently revealed that one of the boys was her biological match, while the other matched with a surrogate - an extremely rare medical incident called superfetation.

Malachi was born on 12 December 2016. Ms Allen told The Independent he was "a happy baby" and had started to walk. (Jessica Allen ) (Jessica Allen)

Ms Allen's priority became to get her son back since the couple who hired her service remained legally responsible for the child - since the law did not provide for this rare medical incident known as superfetation.

An alleged dispute started between Ms Allen and the couple, who did not want to keep the child that was not theirs and asked Ms Allen for compensation.

Following a lengthy legal battle, Ms Allen and Mr Jasper were given back their son they renamed Malachi and calls for financial compensation were dropped.

Omega Family Global, the company which arranged the surrogacy, said in a statement published in full by the New York Post that the company "takes great pride in the care, attention and support that is given to all surrogates who choose to embark on a journey with parents in their efforts of family completion".