Cecile Eledge, 61-Year-Old Grandmother, Gave Birth To Her Own Grandchild After Acting As Surrogate For Her Son

Cecile Eledge just gave birth at age 61.

The even more remarkable feat for the Nebraska grandmother was the fact that the baby she gave birth to is actually her own grandchild.

Eledge’s story is gaining national attention after she volunteered to serve as a surrogate for her son and his husband. As the Daily Mail reported, Cecile had told 32-year-old Matthew Eledge that she loved being pregnant and would “do it again in a heartbeat,” which Matthew remembered when he and husband Elliott Dougherty met with an IVF specialist.

After telling a reproductive endocrinologist about Cecile’s offer and being told that would be a viable plan, the couple decided to ask the 61-year-old if she would actually carry the child for them. Though Cecile had already gone through menopause and hadn’t carried a child in three decades, she enthusiastically volunteered. Doctors put her through an extensive examination and determined that she was in remarkable shape and would be able to carry the baby, the report noted.

There was even more family involvement. The eggs came from Elliott’s sister, 26-year-old Lea Yribe, and reproduction specialists used Elege’s sperm to fertilize several of these eggs. Doctors then implanted them in Cecile Eledge’s uterus, and she became pregnant on the very first attempt.

“The whole experience behind it all has been so special,” Matthew told the Daily Mail. “The acts of kindness that went into this all, and all of the support has been truly humbling.”

This is not the first time that a woman has given birth to her own grandchild. Back in 2015, a 53-year-old woman named Antonietta Di Maggio served as a surrogate for her daughter, who was born with a medical condition that prevented her uterus from growing normally.

As The Inquisitr reported, 30-year-old Claudia Luca had tried to find a surrogate to carry a child for her but had no luck — until her mother offered to do it. Doctors determined that Di Maggio would be healthy enough to carry the baby, even though Claudio worried that her mother might be too old.

It took four attempts, but doctors were finally able to successfully implant the fertilized eggs, and Antionetta carried her daughter’s child.

Grandmother gives birth to her granddaughter at age 61 https://t.co/B1KmTIM6yA

— TammyDeePhoto (@TammyDeePhoto) March 30, 2019

The story of Cecile Eledge’s incredible pregnancy is gaining some viral attention, thanks, in part, to a series of very emotional photographs from the first time that Matthew and Elliott met their new child. The pictures can be seen in the Daily Mail’s story about the unusual pregnancy.