Paralyzed Bride Surrogate: Pregnant Paraplegic Rachelle Friedman Expecting First Child; Keeping Newborn's Sex A Secret [VIDEO]
A paralyzed bride is expecting her first child thanks to the help of a surrogate.
Rachelle Friedman was paralyzed from the chest down in a freak accident four years ago, but is working to put her life back together. A year after her ordeal, Freidman got married, and now her and husband Chris Chapman are expecting a baby.
"I was so nervous. It was super awesome," she told PEOPLE Magazine on Aug. 29. "We went into a room and they pulled it up on the screen. It was so small, and the doctor pointed it out to me, and I was so excited."
Friedman can thank social media for her surrogate.
After posting inquiries on her blog and Facebook account, estranged friend Laurel Humes, a stay-at-home mom, took notice. Friedman, Chapman and Humes traveled to California together for the procedure. Then a few weeks later, they were back in North Carolina to confirm the pregnancy.
Chapman, a school teacher, was unable to witness the newborn's arrival, but Friedman made sure he was at least virtually present via video chat. The doctor held the phone to the ultrasound and explained everything he was missing.
"He turned up the heartbeat, and we could both hear it. It was amazing!" Friedman told the site.
The 28-year-old 's doctor warned her that it could be dangerous to have kids, as the medication she's taking for her blood pressure could be harmful for the fetus.
But now the happy couple is even happier, and leaving the sex of the baby to be a surprise. Friedman wants to host a big reveal party for friends and family, so they could all find out the gender together.
"Seeing the baby today was pretty overwhelming because it's so real now," she said. "We've been talking about this for a while - it's been an idea in our heads, so it's pretty incredible. It's like that's me and Chris' kid. It's just crazy to hear the heartbeat of our child."
You can visit Friedman's blog here.