A 29-year-old woman has given birth to her own 'cousin’ after agreeing to help in her auntie’s 15-year fertility fight.

Emma Vaughan donated her eggs to her 42-year-old aunt Sandra Barlow from Ulcombe and acted as a surrogate for the birth of Sandra’s first child.

Now in the shape of beautiful baby girl Maia, Emma, from Sheerness, has brought an amazing end to Sandra and husband Chris’s battle to conceive.

Their hopes were dashed of having a baby naturally after just two years of trying when doctors told Sandra her fallopian tubes had fused shut and had to be removed.

Following an operation, the couple decided to try IVF and spent £40,000 on seven cycles over five years, with Sandra suffering two miscarriages.

Sandra said: “Surrogacy seemed like our only hope.

“I was in awe that people did these amazing things for complete strangers but I wanted to do it within the family. I’m not sure what made me think of Emma.

“When I rang her she instantly said yes. I told her to take some time to think about it but she never hesitated.”

Sandra said: “We decided to use Emma’s eggs as by the time we started I was almost 40.

"Generally the egg condition of a woman in her 40s is not as good as someone in their 20s. Emma also wasn’t keen on taking the drugs she would need if my eggs were used.”

In October 2008, Emma moved from her home in Peterborough to live with the couple.

A month later she was inseminated with Chris’s sperm - making Maia her biological daughter.

After 18 months and 17 failed attempts, Emma discovered she was pregnant in June 2009.

Sandra said: “Chris called me at work to tell me the news. I burst into tears in the middle of the office.

“The three of us went to every midwife appointment together. It was amazing to see our baby on the screen.”

Emma gave birth to Maia four and half weeks early in February last year by Caesarean section.

Sandra said: “When I saw Maia for the first time it so emotional.
“Maia is the double of her Dad, although she does have Emma’s hazel eyes. When Maia is older, we will tell her everything.

“Emma will be Maia’s auntie but Maia will always know how special Emma is.”