That is the household that Freddie and Chelsea Freeman wished: a number of siblings who will develop up enjoying collectively, loving one another, serving to one another. However the Freemans by no means may’ve imagined how they might get to the place they’re now, with 4-year-old Charlie and his two child brothers.
After attempting for being pregnant for a few years after Charlie was born, the Freemans explored fertility choices, met with medical doctors and heard uncertainty about whether or not Chelsea would have the ability to have extra youngsters. Final spring, the Freemans organized for a surrogate to hold their little one — and in a stunning and completely satisfied growth, Chelsea additionally turned pregnant almost concurrently.
Charlie now has two little brothers: Brandon John, born Dec. 30, his identify in honor of Chelsea’s grandfather; and Maximus Turner, born eight days in the past on Valentine’s Day, his center identify a reference to the ballpark the place Freddie Freeman performed his first dwelling sport with the Atlanta Braves. The infants and Chelsea are doing properly and are wholesome, though it is inevitable that father and mom will likely be sleep-deprived.
“We’ll be drained for 25 years,” mentioned Freddie, the longtime first baseman and 2020 Nationwide League MVP.
The Freemans mentioned they may borrow the verbiage of one other couple who had infants below comparable circumstances: “Twins, with a twist.”
The Freemans talked about their journey Monday night, with aspirations of offering hope for {couples} battling fertility questions and to assist destigmatize the selection of a surrogate.
“Each being pregnant and fertility journey is just a little bit totally different for everybody, and we wished to respect our surrogate’s privateness, as properly,” Freddie mentioned. “I believe it is an inspirational story that we have now.
“We tried for a few years, and it did not occur. We have been speaking with medical doctors, they usually steered surrogacy. We jumped at that, as a result of we wished to be blessed with extra children.”
Formally a household of 5 💙💙💙 pic.twitter.com/jAorRj3pFr
— Chelsea Freeman (@chelseafree5) February 21, 2021
Freddie’s mom, Rosemary, died when he was 10 years outdated. He grew up very shut along with his father, Fred. After Chelsea met Freddie, she discovered in a short time that he wished to have a giant household.
“So long as I’ve recognized him, he mentioned that since he was just a little boy, he at all times knew he wished to be a dad,” Chelsea mentioned in an interview in November. “As vital as being a baseball participant to him is, I believe being a dad is much more vital.”
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Freddie Freeman’s son, Charlie, reveals off his energy whereas taking some swings indoors off a tee.
When the Freemans determined to start out a household, Chelsea rapidly turned pregnant with Charlie. At his supply, she had an emergency cesarean part. Freddie famous Monday that a number of the problems in that process might need affected their makes an attempt for a second little one.
“I assumed, ‘You realize, this time it will be the identical,'” Chelsea mentioned. “I had a few girlfriends and we have been all attempting on the identical time. Slowly, they bought pregnant and I did not. That was a troublesome time for us.
“It was too painful to even speak about at that time. So finally, after it’d been like a 12 months and a half, I used to be like, ‘We have to give you a plan.'”
Because the months handed and the house being pregnant assessments got here up unfavourable, the couple started consulting with physicians.
“It was lots of medical doctors’ appointments, lots of procedures, lots of assessments,” Chelsea mentioned. “A whole lot of them on my own, as a result of it was in the course of the baseball season. It is all value it ultimately, however going by that … positively one of many hardest issues mentally that you can undergo.”
“The toughest half about going by infertility is the emotion. You’re so drained, as a result of you do not know why — like, ‘Why is not it taking place? How is that this a part of God’s plan?’ You concentrate on these issues.”
As Freddie mentioned, “We did all the medical doctors’ appointments and, you realize, it wasn’t taking place. We did not know if we have been ever going to have one other child once more. We have been informed by a few individuals she wasn’t going to have the ability to carry anymore.”
They rapidly embraced the thought of a surrogate. Final spring, Chelsea underwent a process to organize for an embryo switch; Freddie carried a cellphone within the again pocket of his uniform to listen to phrase.
The onset of COVID-19 delayed the embryo switch, nonetheless. 9 days earlier than the rescheduled date, Chelsea took one other being pregnant take a look at — one in every of dozens and dozens after Charlie’s delivery — and noticed she was pregnant.
“I began crying, after which I used to be freaking out,” she remembered. “After which it is simply all of these feelings once more. It actually did really feel like instantly I used to be healed, all of the stress and every thing lifted off my shoulders once I noticed that optimistic.”
Freddie was figuring out on the time. So Chelsea scrambled to rearrange for a option to inform him, asking Charlie to attract an image of her with a child in her stomach. When Freddie got here by the door, he was initially confused — till he noticed the optimistic take a look at.
“No approach,” he mentioned. “Are you severe?”
He hugged Chelsea, they usually broke down collectively.
“We went from one to 3,” he mentioned, fortunately.
The medical doctors requested in the event that they wished to go forward with the embryo switch. The Freemans didn’t hesitate in saying sure.
Freddie is mostly a personal individual, with little interest in social media. However final 12 months, Chelsea took to Instagram to speak in regards to the fertility points that that they had confronted.
“When she informed that story,” Freddie recalled, “it was identical to — we’re regular individuals, you realize. I do know you guys see me on TV rather a lot, enjoying baseball, however we undergo the identical issues. We tried so arduous.”
Chelsea mentioned, “It was at all times my dream to have three children by the point I used to be 30. When my twenty ninth birthday got here round and I nonetheless wasn’t pregnant, I by no means thought it might be attainable. I believe our story is certainly a narrative that God at all times has a much bigger plan. … Whether or not a household is trying in the direction of fostering, adoption or surrogacy, youngsters — regardless of which approach they arrive — are really a blessing for any household.”
Now the Freemans are a celebration of 5 — with Charlie on the excellent age to be an older sibling, Freddie mentioned, serving to with pacifiers and blankets and, on Monday night, sporting pajamas that matched these of his little brothers.
