Surrogate mother Jill Hawkins says her sixth child will be her last.

But, she said: "I said that last time and the time before that."

Jill is expecting her latest child in August but will once again be handing over the baby to another woman who will bring it up as her own.

She has given away all of them but says she has no regrets.

The 39-year-old legal secretary is driven by a desire to be pregnant but has no wish to be a mother.

She said: "I only did it at first because I wanted to experience pregnancy but I have always known I didn't want children. I've got a job and I like my independence.

"I suppose my clock finally started ticking at the age of 26. It was a very strong physical urge. I just felt ready to do it.

"That's when I looked into surrogacy. I didn't want to go out and get pregnant and just have the baby adopted."

Jill also knows she is helping infertile couples.

The couple waiting for the latest birth, a girl to be called Alexandra, are scientists from Cambridge and have been trying for a baby for ten years.

Jill, from Moulsecoomb, Brighton, said: "After the fifth one I decided no more. But when I met this couple they were so lovely that before I knew it I had opened my mouth and said I would have a baby for them.

"As the pregnancy has gone on I've seen them quite frequently. They've attended all the scans and I text the mother-to-be when the baby hiccups or is kicking so she can be as involved as possible.

"I've had to tell her off because she keeps buying blue things. It's the first girl in her husband's family for 65 years and because I've had four boys in a row they expected it to be a boy.

"I'm absolutely delighted it's going to be a girl. I love little girls."

Alexanda will be Jill's first girl in more than a decade.

She had her first born, Lucy, on August 28, 1992 - but only after a struggle. The agency Cots (Childlessness Overcome Through Surrogacy) was reluctant to accept her because she had never had a baby before.

They were worried she would not be able to hand over the child.

Finally accepted, Jill was paid £6,000 but was left so traumatised she vowed never to be a surrogate again.

She said: "I got very upset giving Lucy up but it wasn't because I wanted to keep her.

"I feel I want to look after and protect them all but it's not a feeling of love or of wanting to keep them.

"It's just hormones. Your body is programmed over nine months to expect a baby and then it's taken away. You experience emotions you've never felt before.

"I cry my eyes out every time. But afterwards I sit and think about the last few hours we had together and look at photographs.

"Eventually it settles down but it's hard for me. Most surrogates go home to their families but I come home to nothing.

"I'm all on my own and feel very vulnerable."

Just over a year after giving birth to Lucy, Jill had another overwhelming urge to become pregnant.

Still single, she returned to Cots and was matched with a couple in their 30s who wanted a second child.

This time the fee was £12,000 to cover possible emotional distress and Jill gave birth to Bertie on August 12, 1994.

Jill found it hard giving Bertie up and decided to put her life in order rather than have more babies.

She set about meeting Mr Right. She lost weight, found another job and made new friends.

But when she discovered her flat needed urgent repairs she decided to go through surrogacy once more to help pay the bill.

She met a couple in their 40s who agreed to pay £12,000. The result was Jamie, born on February 7, 1998.

Jill said: "I needed the money and was honest about it with the couple. But I regretted doing it for financial reasons. It made me feel depressed afterwards.

"I couldn't detach myself like I thought I could. I couldn't think of it as a business deal. It upset me."

The experience spurred her on to have two more babies to help another couple. Euan was born on October 3, 2001 and brother Callum on November 9, 2002.

The fee for each child was £12,000.

Jill said: "Some people don't like the money aspect. But it's a year out of your life and the couples want to give you something.

"Would people still quibble if they gave me a new car instead of cash?

"There's the emotional turmoil to think of as well as the health risks.

"But the money's lovely and it allows me to have good holidays and do the things I want with my life."

Jill is what is known as a "straight surrogate" - she is inseminated with the father's sperm and the babies are genetically half hers.

But how does she stop herself getting attached to them?

Jill said: "I like the couples with me at the birth. Dad usually cuts the chord and the baby is passed straight to mum.

"I have a cup of tea and get cleaned up and only then do I have a little cuddle with the baby."

She sees each of her children once a year and seems particularly fond of Lucy.

She said: "Lucy's like me. She likes shopping, chocolate and cats. We've always been very honest with her. We told her mummy's tummy was broken so I had her in my tummy and then gave her back to mummy."

But Jill is determined this birth will be her last.

She said: "I'm 40 in September and it's a good time to call a halt."

And although she hopes to meet the man of her dreams she has no wish to start a family.

For more information on Cots, call 01549 402777.