One woman in the USA became a new mother and a grandmother at the same time. 49-year-old Linda Sirois from Maine, gave birth to her own grandson because her daughter was unable to conceive.
Grandma’s offer of unusual baby care
Sirois acted as a surrogate mother for her own daughter, Angel, who has a chronic heart condition that makes it unsafe for her to become pregnant. Last year, Angel and her husband Brian were hoping to start a family but received devastating news that pregnancy could pose a risk to Angel:
"It was pretty disappointing, and we were pretty upset about it," Angel told reporters but added that her mother offered to become pregnant on the couple's’ behalf. "But we kind of had an idea that it was a possibility and, all along, my mother was saying, 'I'm here and I can carry for you.' I guess we didn't really take her seriously."
Risky pregnancy
Linda Sirois was serious enough to convince Angel and Brian to accept her offer. After all three had agreed the hardest part was finding a fertility clinic that would carry out the implantation procedure. Sirois was rejected by many clinics due to the possible risks posed by her age.
Finally, the Reproductive Science Center in Lexington, Massachusetts agreed to perform the procedure after Sirois had passed a series of medical tests. An egg taken from Angel -- fertilized with her husband's sperm, was then successfully implanted into Sirois.
A surprisingly easy birth
In spite of Sirois’ age and doctors’ concerns, she gave birth via C-section to a boy that was named Madden Herbert. Sirois even told the Portland Press Herald that compared to her four previous pregnancies, this one may have been the least troublesome, as she experienced no morning sickness or other complications. When asked about carrying her own grandson to full term, Sirois commented that, “It was all pretty simple as far as I was concerned..I just saw it as I was babysitting for a few months."
Surrogacy in Singapore
There are no actual laws that explicitly ban surrogacy in Singapore, but Ministry of Health guidelines state that all health care institutions carrying out assisted reproduction services are not allowed to carry out surrogate arrangements.
This has driven some childless couples to countries like India, where surrogacy services are provided. However, the issue of whether or not to allow surrogacy in Singapore is not just a medical issue but one that carries serious social, legal and economic considerations.
[polldaddy poll=6498902]