05/08/2026
*grab a tissue + scroll to the end for raw video footage*
Motherās Day hits differently this year for Maribel. š¤
After the unimaginable heartbreak of losing their daughter due to preterm labor, Maribel and Gabe, all the way from Argentina, found a lifeline in AustināLauren. A mom of four who gave them the greatest gift by becoming their surrogate.
At 37 weeks, they arrived in Austin waiting for their miracle. Waiting for Lauren to go into labor.
Then it all unfolded SO fast.
Lauren texted me when her water broke, and things escalated quickly. I left for the hospital at the same time she did, and on the way there she texted me saying she felt like this was going to be a car baby.
When I got to the hospital, the security guard told me she was already delivering in the ER.
I rushed in, and just as I walked through the doors, the baby was being born ā no time to even make it to labor & delivery. Here I was, taking photos of the birth, before the parents arrived.
Just minutes later, Maribel and Gabe arrived, meeting their son for the very first time.šš
And when Maribel walked into the sound of her baby crying, she knew she had missed the birth.
But before she ran to meet her son, she ran to Lauren.
Sobbing, she wrapped her arms around the woman who carried and delivered her baby, checking on her first.
This moment, yāall. I will never forget it.
This Motherās Day, I celebrate Maribel and I honor Laurenās selfless love. Two mothers. One baby. And a bond that will never break. š¤