I was born without a uterus – I can’t carry a pregnancy but still had twins, I am so grateful for my gym buddy

A WOMAN born without a uterus has revealed she had twins after a friend she met at the gym offered to be her surrogate.

Brooke Smith-Sanders, 39, from Bell Buckle, Tennessee, was diagnosed with the congenital disorder at 17 after years of waiting for her period to start.

"When I first found out I didn't have a uterus, I was scared and shocked," she recalled.

The farmer said she "never got over the sadness" of knowing she couldn't carry her own children.

When she and her husband, Walt Sanders, 42, were ready to become parents, they went straight to in vitro fertilization (IVF) with a surrogate.

They started the process in 2018, but it fell through at the last minute when the local woman they chose to be their surrogate discovered she was already pregnant.

"It was such a heartbreaking disappointment because we had finally got to the point of starting and it just fell apart," she said.

Brooke still went ahead with her own egg retrieval in November 2018, but it failed when they were "exposed to too much carbon dioxide" and died.

After hearing about their heartbreak, Brooke's CrossFit buddy Dawn Crawley, 47, a pharmaceutical product provider, agreed to become their surrogate instead.

"I am adopted. Someone gave me a chance from birth," Dawn explained.

"I wanted to repay that any way that I could. Something just said to me, 'I need to help them.'"

A second egg retrieval in December 2018 resulted in 22 eggs, with three fertilized eggs making it to day five.

In April 2019, Dawn had two eggs implanted, and Brooke and Walt were soon told they were expecting twins.

The couple attended their surrogate's scans with her, and they grew close with her as they awaited the arrival of their children.

Dawn was rushed to hospital on October 31, 2019, at 33 weeks, due to pre-eclampsia, a potentially dangerous pregnancy complication that causes high blood pressure.

Brooke and Walt's twins — daughter Maverick and son Shepherd — were born on November 1.

They were small but healthy, weighing 5 pounds and 4.5 pounds, respectively.

It was a hard journey, but it was so worth it — and I'd do it again every day of my life to get what I have now.

The newborns stayed in the NICU for three weeks with oxygen and feeding tubes until they were strong enough to go home on November 23.

"Nothing can prepare you for bringing babies home," Brooke said.

"I remember when we were leaving the hospital I was like, 'Oh my God, we don't know what we’re doing,' but it's been a really fun process."

Despite the difficulties she faced, she doesn't have any regrets about her path to motherhood.

"It was a hard journey, but it was so worth it — and I'd do it again every day of my life to get what I have now," she said.

Now 4 years old, the twins start kindergarten next year, and their parents feel as "blessed and lucky" as ever.

"Becoming a mom, it was amazing. I am still amazed to this day," Brooke said.

"Every day I look at them and it's like seeing them for the first time.

"And Dawn, we love her dearly and she is a member of our family. She is a very special person to us."

Dawn added that she is happy for the couple and is enjoying watching the twins grow up.

"Knowing that I was able to help them makes me so happy, not just for the parents, for those babies too," she said.

"They're growing up to be such great kids.

"I know how badly Brooke and Walt wanted this.

"It was an honor to help Brooke and [being] considered a part of her family now is a joy. I think the world of her."

Brooke wants to give hope to other women facing infertility and show it can work out in the end.

"I think when you realize you have to do IVF, it's scary and hard," she said.

"A lot of people shut down because they don't know who to talk to or what to do. I felt like that at times.

"In the movies and TV shows, it all looks so wonderful and easy when it's the furthest thing from that.

"But it's important to show you can get through it, no matter how hard it gets.

"For a long time, I was sad I couldn't carry them, but I did my part to bring them into this world.

"Sometimes you just need a bit of extra help.

"I want to tell people you're not alone, you're very valuable no matter what road you have to take."