Surrogate helps Tyra Banks and boyfriend Erik Asla become parents

America's next mother is model Tyra Banks, who has just become a parent with boyfriend Erik Asla, a Norwegian photographer. Viewers of “America’s Next Top Model” who did not notice any baby bump at all on the former supermodel-turned-model-search-host got an explanation from her on Wednesday evening.

The baby boy, York Banks Asla, was born through a surrogate mother, reports E! News. In an Instagram post of baby clothes, Banks shares, “The best present we worked and prayed so hard for is finally here.”

Banks describes York as inheriting her fingers and big eyes and Erik’s mouth and chin. She also thanked the unidentified surrogate whom the TV host describes as “the angel of a woman that carried our miracle baby boy for us.”

In an episode of “FABLife,” Banks and Chrissy Tiegen, wife of singer John Legend, shared their difficulties in becoming pregnant. She also admitted on the show that she was undergoing IVF treatments.

Banks stresses that the journey, before they welcomed their bundle of joy, was not an easy process. “As I gaze into the beautiful eyes of my son, I think about all the people who have struggle with fertility or carrying a child and continue to pray for them every day,” Banks says.

She continues, “My hope and dreams are filled with well wishes that they get to feel what my little treasure, York Banks Asla, feels like in my arms,” quotes People.

Banks is one of the 8 million women in the US with fertility problems. According to the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, they spend $3 billion (AUD$4.26 billion) yearly to help them conceive. The cost includes medical and legal costs of those who would use a surrogate, which ranges between $40,000 and $120,000 (AUD$56,800 and $170,430).

The surrogate, in turn, is paid between $20,000 and $25,000 (AUD$28,400 and $35,500) or an average of $3 (AUD$4.26) per hour, based on 266 pregnancy days or 6,384 pregnancy hours.

In Australia, surrogacy became a hot topic after Gammy was born with Down syndrome. Gammy is one of a pair of twins who was part of the surrogacy scandal in 2014 because the West Australian couple, David and Wendy Farnell, who contracted a Thai woman to be the surrogate, left the boy behind because of his birth defect. But the couple took back with them to Australia the girl who was normal.