Clare Crawley's Inspiring Plea: Embracing Empathy for Surrogacy Journey

Clare Crawley Scott Kirkland/Shutterstock

Clare Crawley is discussing her experience with surrogacy following the announcement that she and husband Ryan Dawkins are expecting their first child together. In an Instagram Story video on Sunday, July 16, the 42-year-old Bachelorette alum captioned her post about enjoying morning matcha, despite previously disliking its taste. When a fan suggested that her change in taste could be due to pregnancy, Crawley set the record straight by posting another Instagram Story to clarify that she is not pregnant.

She continued by expressing that while she understands it can be a common mistake, it is important to be mindful of the sensitivity surrounding comments made to a woman who is not carrying her own baby. She shared the news on Instagram, stating that she and Dawkins will be expanding their family through the help of a surrogate. The baby is expected to arrive in January 2024. She expressed her excitement and gratitude, mentioning that keeping this secret has been challenging as she has shared her life with her followers for the past decade.

Crawley expressed that their journey to becoming parents was a personal one that they had kept close to their hearts while navigating the challenges of IVF. She eagerly looked forward to sharing their experiences with everyone and expressed immense gratitude towards @eggwhisperer for helping make their dreams come true. Many of Crawley's friends from Bachelor Nation congratulated the couple in the comments section, with fellow Bachelorette Andi Dorfman expressing her extreme happiness for them and stating that the fairytale had finally come true.

Congrats to Becca Kufrin, who is currently expecting her first baby with fiancé Thomas Jacobs! Becca couldn't contain her excitement and commented, "CONGRATS! Oh my goodness, I'm so incredibly happy for you all." Even former Bachelor Nation host Chris Harrison sent his well-wishes to Clare Crawley, saying, "So happy for you guys. All my love."

Courtesy of Clare Crawley/Instagram

After marrying Dawkins earlier this year, Crawley became a stepmother to his two daughters from a previous relationship. When asked about how his kids felt about Crawley joining the family during an October 2022 Instagram Q&A, Dawkins expressed, "Oh, my gosh, they are absolutely infatuated with you. They have so much love for you."

In a previous interview on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast in November 2020, Crawley openly discussed her desire to have children with her ex-fiancé Dale Moss, who she got engaged to on season 16 of The Bachelorette in 2020. "I constantly talk about having babies, and he shares the same desire," she shared during the joint interview with Moss, 34.

She added, "I constantly remind him about my age, saying things like 'I'm not getting any younger!' And he always responds like, 'Do you think I'm not aware of that? Yeah, let's do this.'"

Following a short separation in January 2021, the reality stars eventually reconciled but ultimately ended their relationship for good in September. Prior to that, Crawley had been engaged to Benoit Beausejour-Savard for a duration of two months in 2018.