“Ana” (not her real name) lives in Georgia and is a single mother with two children of her own. She has also given birth to two other children for couples who couldn’t carry them themselves. In return, she received a payment. In Georgia, commercial surrogacy is legal but it carries a stigma so great that Ana didn’t even tell members of her own family what she was doing. She spent the final months of her pregnancy almost entirely behind closed doors.

Just a few months ago Ana was carrying a baby for Patrick and Enitan, they’re from Zimbabwe and Nigeria respectively and live in Canada, around 8,500 km away from Ana, but their connection belies that distance. Throughout the pregnancy Ana, Patrick and Enitan would talk over the internet. They told us, “It was beautiful from the first time we talked to her.” Ana would send them photos of her growing belly and then, nine months later, she would deliver them a baby boy.

Presenter: Emily Webb

Producer: Jo Impey

Image by Alice Haworth-Booth for BBC Woman's Hour