TV cameras have caught up with Aberystwyth radio boss, Aled Haydn Jones, as he and his partner become surrogates.
Since the documentary, DRYCH: Ti, Fi a’r Fam Fenthyg (You, me and the surrogate), aired in February 2021 life has changed completely for the head of BBC Radio 1, Aled Haydn Jones.
Back then, Aled and his partner Emile were trying to become parents with the help of Surrogacy UK.
Unfortunately, the couple suffered a string of disappointments and were left deflated. Fast forward a year and a half and things have changed for the better.
A follow up documentary on S4C, DRYCH: Ti, Fi a’r Babi (You, me and the baby) reveals all that has happened in the past 18 months, and will be shown first on Tuesday (June 28) at 9.00.
"We’ve been trying for a baby with our surrogate, Dawn, for three long years," said Aled, who is originally from Aberystwyth but now lives in London.
"The IVF process was heartbreaking, full of emotional turmoil - making us question everything. We were left asking, are we ever going to have a family of our own?
"Well there’s good news at last, we’ve been lucky and Dawn is pregnant. Nappies, no sleep, screaming – we are ready.”
As we saw in the first documentary, every milestone of the journey is documented; the moment Aled and Emile discover Dawn is pregnant, the first scan, the magical moment of hearing the baby’s heartbeat for the first time as well as the birth.
In the middle of it all, Aled and Emile decide to get married as having all of the people he cares for in one place is an important, and essential, step for Aled so he can finally feel accepted.
"After 17 years together Emile and I have decided it’s time to get married. We’ve never celebrated our relationship. Now that we’re still here 17 years after meeting, I think it’s time to spend a day celebrating it.
"This is the first time everyone will be in the same room. Emotionally, that’s tough. I had to move to a big city to find a group of people who accept me for who I am. So, pulling family and friends from Aberystwyth, mixing them with Dawn and our new family as well as our London friends all in one room is going to be an important step.
“It will help me to feel comfortable with who I am for the rest of my life."
After a bumpy ride throughout the IVF process, things aren’t easy for the newlyweds either. In Aled’s words: "The pregnancy was just the beginning of the story".
When Dawn places an emergency call to the couple stating the baby is on the way, six weeks early, they have to rush from London to Derbyshire.
Will Aled and Emile arrive at the hospital on time? Will the baby be OK? Will advice from Surrogacy UK’s other parents help ensure they don’t experience unnecessary difficulties because of their situation? Will Aled and Emile finally be able to welcome a son or daughter to their home?
From being a young man who craves to be accepted for who he is, to head of one of the world’s largest radio stations, to Bridezilla, then a proud parent - join Aled on his personal and emotional journey on Tuesday evening at 9pm.