‘I gave birth to my own grandson’: Mum, 54, becomes Australia’s oldest surrogate after having a baby for her daughter, 28, who was born without a uterus
- Maree Arnold, 54, gave birth to her own grandson for her daughter Meagan
- Meagan was born without a uterus and therefore could never carry a child
- Maree is now Australia’s oldest surrogate and gave birth last week via C-section
‘Australia’s oldest surrogate’ has given birth to her own grandson at 54 years old after carrying for her daughter who was born without a uterus
At 17, Meagan White, from Lilydale, Tasmania, was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH), a disorder that meant she could never carry a child.
The now 28-year-old, who has a background in nursing, feared her dream becoming a mother would never come true after their baby girl, carried by a Canadian surrogate, sadly passed away at 21 weeks.
But after doing research, Meagan’s mum Maree Arnold discovered she could be a surrogate for her daughter – and gave birth to her own healthy grandchild Winston lon via C-section on January 13.
Australia’s oldest surrogate has given birth to her own grandson at 54 years old after carrying for her daughter who was born without a uterus
At 17, Meagan White (right), from Lilydale, Tasmania, was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH), a disorder that meant she could never carry a child
The C-section was planned months ahead and the birth went entirely to plan; the group arrived at hospital at 7am and by 9am they had little Winston in their arms.
‘It was and is a dream come true. When we first saw him, it was love at first sight. He has filled out hearts in a way we never knew possible,’ Meagan said.
‘We were both present for the birth. Not nervous but just excited, our doctor was fantastic, informative, and calming.’
Maree, who is a mother-of-five and works on her own farm, said the birth was ‘perfect’ and she was thrilled to be able to carry her grandson.
The C-section was planned months ahead and the birth went entirely to plan; the group arrived at hospital at 7am and by 9am they had little Winston in their arms
‘I always just assumed I’d be too old to do something like this, but it just goes to show you always need to ask questions. It is such a special experience for me and I’m over the moon to be able to help my daughter,’ she said.
With Maree already having gone through menopause, she was given medications to reverse the process and thicken her uterus lining to prepare for pregnancy.
After three failed embryo transfers, Meagan and Maree said they both began to feel a bit defeated and thought perhaps the process was not going to work.
But thankfully, the fourth transfer was a success.
‘I know that I was obviously older with this pregnancy, and I did get a bit more tired than when I was last pregnant 22 years ago,’ Maree said.
‘But I was still up and about, mowing the lawns and doing this around the house. I felt great. Now that it’s all over I think I’m relieved it all went so well and just amazed at this little human we have made.
‘I know that I was obviously older with this pregnancy, and I did get a bit more tired than when I was last pregnant 22 years ago,’ Maree said
‘My first cuddle was super special and one I will never forget.’
Maree said little Winston is everything they could ask for and more and loves seeing Meagan and her husband Clyde so happy.
‘I just hope our story will encourage someone else to take the same journey as we did – I would definitely do it all again.’
Meagan knew something was not quite right years ago when all the girls at school had started their periods, except her.
‘Mum and I went to see a doctor and discovered I had MRKH, which means I was born without a uterus and therefore would never have a period,’ she said.
‘I just hope our story will encourage someone else to take the same journey as we did – I would definitely do it all again,’ Maree said
‘It also meant I could never carry a child; however I did have working ovaries so I could have a biological child with the help of a surrogate.
‘Of course, as I was just a teenager at the time, I didn’t think about it much. But after meeting my now-husband Clayde, 28, in 2015, I knew I wanted to start a family and be a mother.’
The pair looked into surrogacy and found a volunteer overseas in Canada through an agency named Allison in January 2019.
‘We got to know her virtually for nine months, before flying over there in September 2019 to meet her in person. Shortly after returning home to Australia, we went ahead with the first transfer which failed, but the second was successful and Allison got pregnant in December 2019,’ Meagan said.
Mum and daughter both agreed that this experience has made them closer than ever
‘In March 2020 doctors told us our baby girl had not developed kidneys and would not be viable with life.
‘Everyone was heartbroken, and after that I just felt like giving up. Then once the pandemic began, overseas travel was prohibited, so everything felt impossible.’
Maree said she was heartbroken watching her daughter suffer but never imagined she could volunteer to be a surrogate, as she believed she would be deemed ‘too old’ to be allowed to carry a child – thankfully that wasn’t the case.
Maree could possibly be Australia’s oldest surrogate to date, with Antonietta Di Maggio, from Sydney, making headlines back in 2015 for giving birth to her grandson for daughter Claudia Luca at the age of 53.
Mum and daughter both agreed that this experience has made them closer than ever.
‘Mum and I are so close; we talk every day. I can’t even put it into words how grateful I am for her,’ Meagan said.
‘Our relationship is so special. There is nobody else I’d rather have gone through this with.’
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