A car accident took her 3 kids. Now through surrogacy, she is a mom again

A car accident took her 3 kids. Now through surrogacy, she is a mom again

Doug

An Indiana woman who has spent the past five years mourning the loss of her children is now celebrating the birth of her baby boy through surrogacy. She has given him a name that will forever connect him to the big brother he never had the chance to meet.

Brittany Ingle, a resident of Akron, Indiana, tragically lost three of her children on October 30, 2018. Her children were 9-year-old Alivia and 6-year-old twins, Xzavier and Mason, who were involved in a fatal accident at a school bus stop. This past September, Brittany welcomed a baby boy through surrogacy, and she named him Psalm Patrick Ingle.

Baby Psalm, now 3½ months old, is thriving, according to his mother. He has joined Brittany, her husband Shane, and her 16-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

“I’m literally starting over,” Brittany remarked. “I have one child who’s going to be a senior and a baby.”

Brittany had her first child, Selena, during a previous relationship when she was 17 years old. She welcomed her daughter Alivia in 2008. After that, she met her now-husband, Shane, and had the couple’s twin boys.

Due to past medical complications, Brittany had to turn to surrogacy to have her latest addition, Psalm. She had struggled with heavy menstrual cycles in her youth and had her tubes removed, followed by a uterine ablation, which made it impossible for her to conceive more children.

“I didn’t know two years later my children were going to be killed,” Brittany shared. She sought advice from specialists to explore any possibilities of having more children, but surrogacy became the only viable option.

After much contemplation, the couple decided to find a surrogate. They initiated the process by freezing Brittany’s eggs and reaching out to surrogacy agencies.

Welcoming baby Psalm was a unique experience, but the love Brittany feels for him is just as strong. She emphasized that despite the different circumstances of his birth, the connection was instant.

Brittany also reflected on how she and her husband had to navigate their grief together. Losing their children had changed them, and they had to adapt to their individual grieving processes. She acknowledged that many couples who suffer such a profound loss end up separating.

In October 2018, Brittany’s children tragically lost their lives when a woman driving through their area failed to stop for a school bus, resulting in their deaths and the injury of another child. The driver responsible was convicted and received a three-year house arrest sentence with three years suspended, in addition to probation and a 10-year driver’s license suspension. She was released in March 2022 after serving just over two years.

Following the loss of her children, Brittany became an advocate for stricter bus safety laws. The MAX Strong bill, named after her children Mason, Alivia, and Xzavier, went into effect on July 1, 2019. It increased penalties for drivers who pass stopped school buses with extended stop arms and mandated school districts to review their bus routes and safety policies. However, Brittany expressed a desire to see similar laws at the federal level.

After some time had passed, Brittany decided to have more children and worked with Family Choice Surrogacy, an agency in Indiana. Through the agency, they learned that it can be easier to approach friends and family to carry babies for you, as there is often a shortage of surrogates compared to aspiring parents.

Leah Potter, the founder of Family Choice Surrogacy, highlighted the rigorous requirements for surrogates, including stable lifestyles, previous healthy pregnancies and births, financial stability, psychological evaluations, and other processes. The surrogacy process can be costly, ranging around $150,000 or more.

Brittany made a post in 2021, seeking a surrogate, and Keri Fox reached out to her. Fox lived close to the family and had also experienced the tragic loss of her own child due to a similar accident.

Their shared experiences and proximity led to a connection between the two, and Fox ultimately became Brittany’s surrogate. Brittany expressed her gratitude for Fox’s support during their challenging journeys.

Brittany noted that motherhood is different when you are older, but her daughter Selena has been a great help, and they all find immense joy in baby Psalm, who has brought newfound happiness to their family in just 3½ months.

Their baby is described as “very chill,” and Brittany looks forward to the upcoming stages of talking, walking, and playing with him, even though she jokes that she may regret her enthusiasm.

Having Psalm to raise has been a blessing for Brittany and her husband, Shane, who had struggled to cope with the loss of their other children. Psalm’s presence has brought renewed happiness to their lives.

Ingle also shared the touching story behind Psalm’s name. On the day her children died, one of her sons asked her to choose a dog tag for him to wear to school. She picked one with the Bible verse Psalm 119:105 written on it: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” This verse inspired her to name her baby boy Psalm.

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