Kristen Welker, host of NBC's 'Meet the Press,' has announced her second surrogacy, as she and her husband, John Hughes, are expecting a baby boy in June.
Welker, 47, and her husband became first-time parents in June 2021, when they welcomed daughter Margot Lane via surrogate.
The host also shared her struggles with infertility, revealing to People Magazine that she and her husband had grappled with IVF for three years before pursuing surrogacy.
The first time around, she said, the process filled her with uncertainty, not knowing what to expect from the process.
"I think when you're embarking on a surrogacy journey for the first time, it is a huge leap of faith," Welker says, adding that she questioned, "Would I bond with Margot immediately?"
Welker had even penned a letter to Margot ahead of her birth, which was published by Today.
"When you didn't arrive at first, we worried something might be wrong," she wrote in the letter.
"So, we went to a doctor to ask for help. She was so smart and explained that I might need some extra help to bring you here."
Once Margot joined her parents, Welker explained that all of her fears had immediately disappeared when she first locked eyes with the newborn.
Welker is also working to raise awareness about fertility treatments on a broader spectrum, highlighting that "treatments are out of reach for so many people."
Before embarking on her journey, the host said she was hesitant to publicly speak on the issue, fearing negative reception, but went on to reveal the overwhelming feedback she's received, as other parents shared similar stories of their own struggle to conceive.
In the nearly two years since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, A federal bill was introduced that would make it illegal to restrict IVF treatment. The bill has been put on hold in several states while Republicans across the country continue to push for bans, blocking the vote to safeguard nationwide access to IVF.
Not all Republicans support an IVF ban, however. Recently, former President Donald Trump posted to his social media platform Truth Social that he supports IVF access to create "strong, thriving, healthy American families."
"We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder!", Trump wrote.
