The remarkable story of the woman who gave birth to her grandchild.

Many assume Michelle and Jono Harley's toddlers Hugo and Spencer are twins. 

But they were actually born five weeks apart. How? Thanks to a remarkable gift from Michelle's mother Jasmina and her sister-in-law Sophie. 

"I was just so grateful for these two women who sacrificed so much for us to have a family," Michelle tells Mamamia's No Filter this week.

Michelle and Jono met in high school but became romantically involved years later.

"As the relationship progressed, we talked about what we saw in our future, and kids were definitely a part of that. We always wanted a bigger family," explains Michelle.

But she knew from the first day she had her very first period that fertility might be a challenge for her.

Michelle with her mother Jasmina. Image: Supplied.

"That was my first hint, as it came along with such excruciating pain. I would be in the foetal position with every period, given the amount of pain I had."

Michelle was put on the contraception pill by her doctor, and for years following she would continuously skip her periods to avoid the pain associated. Then in her mid-20s, Michelle's doctors tried to get to the bottom of her pain.

A series of medical scans and surgeries found she had endometriosis, as well as a congenital disorder— unicornuate uterus— which means she only has half a uterus, with one ovary and fallopian tube, instead of two. It is associated with limited fertility and birth complications. 

"I knew that I eventually wanted to have kids and that IVF was expensive, so I started putting money in a savings account. I'd refer to it as my IVF fund," she tells Mamamia.

In 2019, Michelle and Jono married. They tried to conceive naturally for a year, before turning to IVF.

During the second round of treatment, doctors retrieved nine eggs that resulted in eight embryos. One of the embryos stuck, and Michelle and Jono were "thrilled" to be expecting. Throughout the pregnancy, Michelle would bleed every single day but scans showed all appeared well with their baby.

That was sadly until the 19-week mark.

"I woke up, went to the bathroom, and then laid back on the bed. My water then broke and we rushed to the hospital," recounts Michelle.

At the hospital, Michelle had to give birth to her little baby boy, who had passed away. Michelle then experienced severe haemorrhaging post-birth, almost losing her life. Fortunately, doctors managed to stabilise her and she was able to spend some precious time with her stillborn son. 

"I was so grateful that I was able to give birth vaginally, even though I knew it wasn't going to be a nice outcome. I had felt him start to move a little bit in the days before my waters broke, so I was grateful for that too. The way that hospitals now treat stillbirths is so amazing, and there was a volunteer group of photographers who came and took photos for us, as well as social workers who were present."

Following the stillbirth and almost losing her own life in the birthing process, Michelle and Jono — with recommendations from doctors — made the decision to stop trying to conceive. 

Michelle's mother Jasmina told No Filter it was deeply upsetting to see the emotional pain her daughter and son-in-law were going through.

"I had known about surrogacy for years as I had seen something on TV about a woman in the US carrying her grandchild for her son. I thought I could carry a baby for Michelle and Jono and told my husband, and he said, 'Don't be ridiculous, how old are you?' But I had researched it and thought I could," explains Jasmina. 

 After hearing of their fertility struggles, Jono's sister Sophie — a mum of three — also offered to be their surrogate, alongside Jasmina.

Jasmina, Jono, Michelle and Sophie. Image: Supplied.

After careful consideration and time to recover and grieve, Jono and Michelle approached their IVF doctor with the plan. 

Michelle and Jono would be the genetic parents to both children; the embryos were made from Michelle's eggs and Jono's sperm.

When Jasmina and Sophie became successfully pregnant via IVF just five weeks apart, everyone was shocked and delighted.

Jasmina, who was then 52, says: "I thought it would be nice for Michelle to have more than one child, and it was a bit rich asking Sophie to do it [be a surrogate] twice. So I thought I'll do one, and Sophie will do another as well."

"I was 21 and 24 when I had my pregnancies, so I'd forgotten what pregnancy was like. Fortunately, mine were easy — I didn't have much morning sickness and I felt quite healthy. It felt like I was babysitting for nine months."

Baby Hugo, who was carried by Jasmina, was born in December 2022. Baby Spencer was born in January 2023, carried by Sophie. 

Grandma Jasmina and Aunty Sophie say they feel so grateful to have been able to help Jono and Michelle create their family.

Jono and Michelle with Hugo and Spencer. Image: Supplied.

"I feel like a grandmother — he was never mine, not for a second," says Jasmina to No Filter.

"I was so honoured and proud that I could do this. Just watching their joy and the tears of happiness, I'll never, never forget that."

For Michelle, she feels immensely grateful to be a mum to toddlers Spencer and Hugo.

"Spencer is loud and full of personality. Hugo is so chill and inquisitive. It takes a village. Not everyone is lucky to have a village like we do."

You can listen to the full story on Mamamia's No Filter below.

If this has raised any issues for you or if you would like to speak with someone, please contact the Sands Australia 24-hour support line on 1300 072 637. 

You can download Never Forgotten: Stories of love, loss and healing after miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal death for free here.

Feature Image: Supplied.