55-year-old woman gives birth to own grandchild because daughter can’t have a baby
A 55-year-old woman had to carry her own daughter’s child in her womb and gave birth to her grandchild because her daughter was born without a womb.
Emma Miles, 55, offered to be a surrogate for her daughter Tracey Smith, 31, who was worried she would never have a child of her own.
At 15, Tracey, who hadn’t started seeing her period, went for a scan. The scans showed she had been born without a womb but she did have working ovaries and fallopian tubes.
At 16, she was diagnosed with MRKH (Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome) – a condition that causes the vagina and uterus to be underdeveloped or absent, although external genitalia are normal.
Tracey was devastated when doctors told her that she would never carry her own child. But her mother Emma at that time said she would do anything she could to help
“When I was diagnosed it tipped my world upside down. I was heartbroken at the idea that I wouldn’t carry my own child. I’d always known that I wanted to be a mum, even at 15.”, Nursery worker Tracey said
“Straight after my diagnosis mum made an offer to do what she could to help. I knew that she meant one day she’d carry my child for me.”
But it was almost fifteen years later when Tracey and her husband Adam, 40, were considering fertility treatment that they took Emma up on the offer.
Emma, of Lampeter, West Wales, lost so much weight in order to reach a healthy weight to get pregnant with her grandchild and give birth safely. She lost six stone and took hormone tablets to prepare her body for the pregnancy.
Tracey’s dad Robert Miles, 61, was also very supportive. He put it in writing through a solicitor that he and Emma would happily give parental rights to Adam and Tracey once the baby was born.
The IVF process involved taking an egg from Tracey and fertilising it with sperm in a laboratory – so it could be placed into Emma’s womb to grow and develop.
Against the odds, it was successful at the first attempt.
And on January 16th 2019 Evie Siân Emma Smith was born at 7lb 7oz by caesarean section after a routine pregnancy.
Tracey now living in Coventry will be celebrating her first Mother’s Day on Sunday with her baby girl, all thanks to her mother.
Tracey said:
“Every moment of heartache was so worth it just to have our little bundle in our arms. I am so grateful to mum for her amazing gift to us.”
Sources: irishmirror.ie, lucipost.com
