A 58-year old mother is set to give birth to her own granddaughter in a few weeks after serving as a gestational surrogate for her daughter and son-in-law, FOX News reports.
Julia Navarro is helping her daughter and son-in-law after the couple found they have fertility issues. Her daughter, Lorena McKinnon said that she's been trying to conceive with her husband for the past three years, but to no avail. She also confirmed that she's already had about a dozen miscarriages, with the longest pregnancy lasting ten weeks.
After several attempts at conceiving, the couple went in search for a surrogate. She said that a friend and sister considered carrying her baby but later on changed their mind and that's when her mother stepped in. "As a family we have to help each other," Julia said. Navarro had to undergo hormone shots for three months before an embryo fertilized by her daughter and son-in-law could be implanted. Due to her age, doctors have initially warned her that there is only a 45 percent chance the implantation attempt would be successful.
As it turns out, the procedure was a success, and Navarro said she's had a smooth pregnancy carrying her own granddaughter. As with other surrogacy arrangements, the couple and Navarro underwent three months of counseling. "The psychologists wanted to make sure we knew what we were getting into - that we were mentally prepared. Mostly, surrogacy contracts are with people you don't know. It was weird to have a contract with my mom.," McKinnon said.
Although rare, it is not the first time for a grandmother to carry her own grandchild. Last year, a 53-year old woman from Iowa gave birth to her twin granddaughters.
