Grandchild
Mothers around the world have had a huge responsibility to their children from the moment of conception.
Emma Miles took it all a bit further for her daughter, giving birth to her own grandchild — despite the legal implications. For what reason, you may be wondering?
Mothers
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Tracey Smith, 31 years old, feared she would never be able to have children. At 15 years old it was found that Tracey had no reproductive organs.
However, when she found out, her mother told her she would do anything to help her.
Preparation
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Emma, 55, proved that she really meant what she said when she gave birth to her own grandchild, Evie.
Emma prepared well for the pregnancy, shedding six stones and taking hormone tablets. How was this done?
Success
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Tracey’s eggs were fertilized using an IVF that was placed in her mother’s womb. Against the odds of Emma being too old to have a baby, the treatment was successful at the first attempt.
Why did Tracey approach her mother, Emma?
Help
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Tracey had said that after getting engaged to her new husband, Adam, the couple wanted to find a way to have a baby.
Tracey immediately considered her mother’s offer to help her have a baby. How did Tracey take the news?
Carrier
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When Tracey found out she couldn’t bear children of her own, she said “ 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.” But would Tracey be comfortable with the legal implications of her mother carrying her baby?
Offer
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The next time Tracey saw her mother she brought it up. She asked her Emma if she was serious when she offered to carry her baby, and Emma responded.
“Of course I was.” Why didn’t Adam and Tracey consider a surrogacy?
Focus
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In the UK, surrogate mothers are given parental rights from birth, so it made sense to keep the baby in the house if possible. Emma said: This meant that Emma was legally the baby’s mother, and that Emma had no recourse if she decided to keep the baby. But it was better than a stranger having full parental rights, and Tracey trusted her mother.
“Despite my age, I wasn’t worried about giving birth at all. All of my focus has been about doing this special thing for my daughter,” Emma said happily.