61-Year-Old Woman Gives Birth To Her Own Grandchild In Order For Her Son And His Husband To Have Their Own Baby

Nov 25, 2019 by apost team

Families are there for us through thick and thin. Without expecting much in return, they help us through the hardest situations in life. It’s no doubt that many of our parents would do anything to help us out. But in the case of one 61-year-old woman, she went above and beyond expectations to make her son happy!

The woman, named Cecile Eledge, was a surrogate for her beloved son, Matthew, and his husband Elliot. In 2019, Cecile gave birth to her granddaughter, Uma Louise Dougherty.

Because Matthew and Elliot wanted a child of their own so badly, they had been going through the motions to begin IVF treatment for a few years. However, they got the surprise of a lifetime when Matthew’s mother volunteered to be their surrogate! Cecile had a wonderful experience with her past pregnancies and felt that her body would be able to handle the task.

But the family was unsure that a doctor would allow the grandmother of the child to go through this. When they finally met with a reproductive endocrinologist, they were delighted to hear that the doctor would be happy to help out with their mission. Although Cecile hadn’t been pregnant in over 30 years and had gone through menopause over a decade ago, the process began.

Before the pregnancy was initiated, Cecile had to undergo some testing, such as a pap smear, blood work, cholesterol testing, mammograms, and ultrasounds. Her health had to be in tip-top shape in order to carry her grandchild. While testing was ongoing, Elliot’s sister decided to make a contribution of her own: her eggs! 

Once Cecile passed all of her tests, hormone treatments began and Elliot’s sister’s eggs were fertilized with Matthew’s sperm. Despite the challenges that seemed to be facing her, Cecile became pregnant on her very first try with implantation. Although the pregnancy wasn’t easy because of her age, she handled it with grace. 

She went through morning sickness and blood pressure spikes, but despite all of the odds, the baby girl was finally born and named Uma Louise Dougherty. Uma was even born without the need for a C-section! Naturally, the fathers of the child were overcome with emotion during the birthing process, letting their tears flow without shame.

"I don’t know how to describe her; she’s remarkable. I have such deep respect for her and am so gracious that even as a grown adult she continues to go above and beyond for me,"  Matthew told the Daily Mail. 

He’s in disbelief at the lengths his mother would go to in order to make him happy and help him start a family. He also credits her with shaping him into the person he is today, to him she is incredible, strong and a warrior of a woman.

When asked about the birthing process, Cecile told the Daily Mail that it wasn’t hard for her to give the baby to her son. She felt like the baby was her grandchild all along, and pregnancy had worn her out so much that she was happy to hand over the infant to her loving parents!

Two years on, Matthew and Elliot are doting dads to Uma. Although usually private, the couple decided to share their parenting journey with the world in a bid to counter the hate they received when their story first went public. 

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Although most of the comments on social media were positive, there were some very angry and negative comments, they told The Guardian. But thankfully many of the people who got in touch had positive things to say. They told the newspaper:

“People from all around the world have been reaching out. They want to help in any way that they can.”

The family now documents their life on Instagram under the name The Dürt Family, where they have over 21,000 followers. On their website, they described themselves as "a minimalist, full-time travel family" who are camping throughout the United States before they wish to head overseas. Their website also said:

"We hope to connect with communities, and to explore new (and old) ways of living on this planet through cultivating and stewarding a reciprocal relationship with this sacred Earth. All of this while we intentionally raise and unschool our daughter."

Lastly, it said that their "mission" is "to become storytellers, spiritual seekers, and students of the world." Meanwhile, Uma, who is 2 years old now, is absolutely adorable these days. There are many photos of her with Matthew and Elliot on Instagram and the trio looked incredibly happy as they explore nature together.

Last year, a friend of the couple's started a GoFundMe page to raise money for Elliot to adopt Uma. Over $5,000 was raised and in an update, the organizers announced that the couple had been connected to a local lawyer and had begun the official process for Elliot to legally adopt his daughter.

Just last month the family revealed that they'd bought a van so that they could live the "van life" together and continue to explore nature. We wish them all the best in their travels!  

What do you think about this story? Would you offer to help somebody in your family out this way? Let us know and be sure to spread the word about this one-of-a-kind pregnancy!