GRETNA, Neb. (WSVN) — A 61-year-old woman gave birth to her own granddaughter after she served as the gestational surrogate for her son and his husband.
According to Fox 42, 61-year-old Cecile Eledge delivered Uma Louise Dougherty-Eledge at Nebraska Medical Center on March 25.
However, Eledge is not Uma’s mother. Instead, she is her grandmother.
Eledge volunteered to be the gestational surrogate for her son, Matthew Eledge and his husband, Elliot Dougherty. A gestational surrogate is a woman who is not the biological mother to the child but will carry the child after the embryo is implanted during in-vitro fertilization.
“There was no moment of hesitation. It was natural instinct.” Cecile Eledge said.
According to Surrogate.com, having a child through surrogacy can cost tens of thousands of dollars or more. However, some couples try to offset costs by using a loved one as a surrogate.
Despite her age, doctors determined that Eledge’s high level of physical health made her the perfect candidate to be the gestational surrogate.
Dougherty’s sister served as the egg donor, and after doctors used Eledge’s sperm to fertilize the egg, the embryo was implanted.
“We are thankful with how the whole process worked,” Matthew Eledge told Fox 42. “We are really grateful that both Uma and her grandma are here, happy and healthy. For the time being, we’re just going to relax and enjoy this moment.”
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