HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake(HOUSTON) — Today, Lisa Jones is a labor and delivery nurse at a hospital in Houston, Texas. It’s the same hospital where she was born and the same hospital her mother worked as a nurse.
But before she went into nursing, Jones was in a labor and delivery of a different kind: she was the surrogate for three families, and gave birth to six children in total.
“It takes a lot of heart and a lot of commitment,” Jones told ABC News’ Good Morning America.
She began exploring the idea of surrogacy when her own cousin was dealing with infertility issues. Ultimately, her cousin chose adoption, but Jones couldn’t shake the idea of becoming a surrogate.
“I did years of research. I wanted to make sure I understood all the risks and requirements,” she said.
When her youngest child was 10, she decided it was a good time to be paired with a family.
Over her surrogacy journey, Jones has carried single babies, as well a set of twins.
“With every family I wanted to be very inclusive. I asked myself, ‘How could I create a pregnant situation for them?’ So we went to doctor appointments together, I always let them put their hands on my belly. We’d go out to eat together. I just wanted them to be able to spend as much time with their baby as possible,” she said.
One of the families that Jones worked with had a joint baby shower for Jones and the mom whose baby she was carrying.
“They gave me a corsage and invited me to open presents with her,” Jones said. “It was like being a family, we were creating a family together.”
All of her experience with pregnancy and giving birth led Jones to be a labor and delivery nurse, the same profession as her mother.
“I just have a really big heart for moms and babies,” she said. “The greatest compliment someone can give me is to say they can tell I love what I do.”
Jones said one of the things she loves most about her job is the connections she makes with her patients and their families.
“I’m with them for 12-plus hours. I love to help them and educate them with all the things I’ve learned not only in nursing school but in my own experiences,” Jones told GMA. “Sometimes it’s changing the lighting so it’s not glaring in mom’s face or finding and playing her favorite song.”
Nursing, she said, is like surrogacy in that “it’s a tremendous honor.”
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