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New York Post
I’m raising my husband’s ex-wife’s baby — the reason why is tragic
By SWNS,
9 hours ago
A woman is raising her husband’s ex wife’s baby after she died five days after giving birth.
Christie Werts, 49, and husband, Wesley, 46, got a phone call in August 2021 to say his ex-wife was in hospital with Covid and was pregnant.
Wesley was warned his ex wife was extremely unwell and Christie told her partner that if the worst was to happen they would adopt and raise the unborn child.
His ex wife gave birth to Levi at 33 weeks after being induced but five days later died after having a stroke.
Christie Werts is raising her husband’s ex wife’s baby after she died five days after giving birth. Christie Werts / SWNS
Devastated, Christie — who was a foster child herself — reached out to the Child Protection Service (CPS) and told them she and Wesley wanted to raise Levi.
Fearful he would be fostered while the adoption was considered, the family moved 1,400 miles miles from Toledo, Ohio, to San Antonio, Texas.
They fostered 11-day-old Levi — and adopted him over a year later.
Levi, now two, is “part of the family” — alongside their four children from Christine and Wesley’s previous marriages.
Werts’ ex wife gave birth to Levi at 33 weeks after being induced but five days later died after having a stroke. Christie Werts / SWNS
Christie, who works in IT — who had never met Wesley’s ex-wife — from Toledo, Ohio, said: “I was a foster kid myself and I didn’t want him to go into the foster care system.
Both couples had children from separate relationships — she had two, now aged 22 and 15, and he had two now 15 and 11.
In August 2021, Wesley got a phone call from his ex-wife’s sister saying his former partner was 33 weeks pregnant and in hospital with Covid.
“I worked so much when my other kids were smaller, I missed a lot. He also makes me excited about the small things again,” Werts said. Christie Werts / SWNS
Christie said: “When my husband told me what was happening I told him we could take the baby.”
Levi was born on August 23, 2021, weighing 4lbs 9oz.
She said: “It wasn’t easy.
“As Levi was born in Texas and we lived in Ohio we could have done a state transfer to foster him but that would take one year at least.
“He would go into foster care during that time and we didn’t want that.”
Christie moved to Texas in September 2021 and stayed with her husband’s former sister-in-law for a month before the family moved in October 2021.
She said: “We all wanted to make sure that Levi was with us but transitioning children to another state was hard.
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