Emily Chrislip’s time as a surrogate for a family in China was extended as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 25-year-old mom from Idaho wasn’t expecting to take care of the baby after birth.
However, after welcoming the girl last May, she and her husband have been the child’s temporary caregivers for almost a year.
The travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic prevented the girl from being returned to her biological parents in China.
"We just felt that it was the right thing to do," Chrislip told the “Good Morning America” about taking in the baby.
Chrislip explained that she “wasn’t surprised” after the parents, who chose to remain anonymous for privacy reasons, asked the couple to take care of the child.
Chrislip said she was more than happy to help the family.
"We just couldn't imagine her going to some nanny agency where they were going to take care of her, and we were capable," she explained, adding, "We have a loving family and I've already carried her. So we said, 'Let's just do it.'"
The couple, who are already parents to 2-year-old son, Camden, have been raising the baby girl as an extended member of their family.
"I kind of view her as like my cousin's child," she noted.
She added: "I care for her. I love her and I will always care for her, but I know she's not mine and she belongs with her parents."
Chrislip revealed that the parents, who are in China, are paying for their daughter’s expenses and care. She also makes sure to schedule weekly video chats so that the parents feel connected to their daughter despite being thousands of miles apart.
Chrislip hopes that the family reunion can happen prior to the girl’s first birthday. She explained that the parents are currently working out the roundtrip logistics amid travel bans.
"I picture all the time in my head all the different scenarios, and it just makes me emotional thinking about it," she said. "I can only imagine the feeling that they're going to have seeing their child for the first time."
"Just as I see my own child when they are born, but they had to wait a whole year," she added.
"I'm hoping that when her parents get here, we can have a nice transition," she explained.
The surrogate mom told the outlet that once the family arrives, she hopes “they'll be able to stay long enough in the United States” so that she can help them get acquainted. She also wants to ease them into the transition and help “teach them about their daughter, teach them the little cues that she gives and how we know what they mean and just her schedule.”
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