Kristen Welker welcomes second child via surrogate

Kristen Welker is officially a mom of two!

meet the Press The 47-year-old moderator and her husband John Hughes have welcomed son John Zachary Welker Hughes into the world.

Their son was born on Thursday, May 30, via surrogate — weighing 7 pounds and measuring about 20 inches long. He joins his older sister, Margot Lane, who will turn 3 this month.

⁠”The meet the presidentNBC News chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander said on the Sunday, June 2, episode of the show, which he hosted in Welker’s absence. “Look at this nugget!”

“John Zachary’s big sister Margot, as you can imagine, is extremely proud to welcome her little brother home yesterday,” said Alexander, 47. “Kristen shared that their surrogate, who she calls her ‘earth angel,’ is doing great.”

“On behalf of all of us here meet the Press“Congratulations to Kristen, John, Margo and all the grandparents,” Alexander said. “And John Zachary, we know you’re watching us, we can’t wait to meet you.”

People helped spread the news that Welker and Hughes were expanding their family.

“This is an extraordinary moment, no doubt about it,” said Welker, who made history as the first Black journalist to host NBC’s Sunday public affairs program. meet the Press last September.

The couple became first-time parents in June 2021 when they welcomed daughter Margot Lane via surrogate. The couple struggled with infertility for three years before opting for surrogacy, a process that filled them with uncertainty at first.

“I think when you first embark on a surrogacy journey, it’s a huge leap of faith,” Welker recalled. She added that she wondered, “Would I get along with Margot right away? Would she have any different feelings toward me?”

These questions vanished when Margot arrived. Welker said, “We connected instantly, she looked at me, I looked at her and told her I loved her more than anything in the world and all my fears vanished instantly. [So] I’ve really been able to enjoy this second surrogacy journey. This experience has been very different.”

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As for Margot, she’s ready for the arrival of John Zachary.

“Margot is telling her classmates that mom and grandpa are getting her a little brother for her birthday,” Welker said with a laugh. “She’s very proud that her little brother will be sleeping in her old crib.”

Welker said that when she and Hughes were thinking of some names for their future baby, Margot suggested a name she had adopted at home: “Lolo.”

meet the Press Airs Sundays on NBC.