A 61-year-old Nebraskan woman has told of her joy after giving birth to her own grandchild, acting as the surrogate for her son and his husband.
Cecile Eledge carried the daughter of her son Matthew Eledge and his husband Elliot Dougherty to term, giving birth to baby Uma Louise last week.
Mrs Eledge said she made the offer when her son and Mr Dougherty first said they wanted to start a family.
“Of course, they all laughed,” Mrs Eledge told the BBC.
Mrs Eledge, who was 59 at the time, said her suggestion remained a sort of joke among family at first, not a realistic path forward.
“It just seemed like a really beautiful sentiment on her part,” Mr Dougherty said. “She’s such a selfless woman.”
But when Mr Eledge and Mr Dougherty, who live in Omaha close to Mrs Eledge and her husband, began exploring options to have a baby they were told by a fertility doctor that it could be a viable option.
Mrs Eledge was brought in for an interview and a series of tests, all of which gave a green light to the surrogacy.
“I’m very health conscious,” she said. “There was no reason whatsoever to doubt that I could carry the baby.”
With Mr Eledge providing the sperm, Mr Dougherty’s sister Lea served as the egg donor. -BBC