51-year-old mom carries her first grandchild after daughter struggles with infertility for years

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Breanna Lockwood, 29, and her husband, Aaron, are expecting their first child in November. And when their daughter is born, Breanna’s 51-year-old mother, Julie Loving, will give birth.

The little girl will be Breanna and Aaron’s biological daughter. Loving is acting as her daughter’s gestational carrier.

“MY MAMA is carrying her GRANDCHILD.”

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you ladies heard it first! but announced today on our personal page. This was a big step for me. Thinking and praying for each and every one of you! They say, “It takes a village to raise a child”, but for some it can take a village to HAVE a child… ⠀ ⠀ We are happy to announce, finally, …⠀ BABY LOCKWOOD IS ON THE WAY! ⠀ ⠀ Made with a lot of love, and a little bit of science…⠀ Baby Lockwood will be brought into this world via GESTATIONAL CARRIER, and this little miracle’s carrier is quite a special one. ⠀ ⠀ MY MOM.⠀ My mom will be carrying and delivering our baby!⠀ ⠀ The biggest supporter in my life is giving us our biggest blessing. My beautiful mama is carrying her first grandchild, Aaron and my biological child, as a gestational carrier!⠀ ⠀ Aaron and I had our reproductive DNA taken, fertilized, tested, and frozen via IVF, as my mom breezed through every preliminary test she took, to be able to give us this gift. Defying the odds at 51 years old, she’s pushing reproductive science out of the box, as ONE of only a handful of surrogates NATIONWIDE to deliver their grandchild via gestational surrogacy!⠀ ⠀ The trials and tribulations of infertility was undoubtedly the hardest venture we have had to face in our lives. ⠀ ⠀ In short that included…⠀ ⠀ 1311 days⠀ 476 injections⠀ 64 blood draws⠀ 7 surgical procedures ⠀ 3 rounds of harvesting eggs⠀ 19 frozen embryos ⠀ 8 IVF frozen embryo transfers total⠀ 4 failed embryo transfers⠀ 1 singleton miscarriage⠀ 1 twin miscarriage ⠀ 1 ectopic pregnancy ⠀ Countless tears⠀ ⠀ Sharing this adventure with my mom has been the most unique and amazing experience. Surrogacy is truly the most selfless gift. She is the pure example of “you would do anything for your kids”, and if i can even be half of the mother she is, I know i’m doing something right…⠀ ⠀ I want to give a special thanks to Dr. Kaplan with @fertilitycentersofillinois for his compassion and care in this field.⠀ ⠀ Baby Lockwood we can’t wait to meet you…⠀ See you in November! This content is exclusively managed by Caters News. To license or use in a commercial player please contact [email protected] or +44 121 616 1100 / +1 646 380 1615

A post shared by Breanna Lockwood (@ivf.surrogacy.diary) on Jun 5, 2020 at 5:34pm PDT

Almost as soon as Breanna and Aaron married in 2016, they began trying to conceive. After they were unsuccessful, they sought help from a fertility specialist.

The couple went through several rounds of in vitro fertilization, surgeries, and miscarriages before Breanna’s doctor suggested surrogacy.

“Struggling with infertility was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through,” she told Good Morning America. “When you have a plan for your life and then something like infertility gets in the way, I felt like I couldn’t see what I pictured anymore, that it could be taken away from me.”

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I just want to to say we are absolutely overwhelmed with the love and kind words we have received! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! ⁣ ⁣ Never in a million years did I expect to receive so many touching messages, from all of the world, of women struggling with infertility and loss. ⁣ ⁣ 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬⁣ 1 in 8 couples ⁣ 7.4 million people⁣ Someone you know ⁣ 𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓂𝑒⁣ ⁣ Don’t be ashamed of your story, it will inspire others.⁣ ⁣ ⁣

A post shared by Breanna Lockwood (@ivf.surrogacy.diary) on Jun 12, 2020 at 4:06pm PDT

Breanna, who lives in Chicago, wasn’t the one to suggest that her mother carry her child. It was all Loving.

“I’ve run 19 marathons and done many triathlons,” Loving said. “I felt like health-wise I could do it and I had really easy pregnancies with my two kids.”

Loving brought the idea up to her daughter after Breanna miscarried twins, and her 29-year-old daughter wasn’t on board with the idea.

It wasn’t until Loving accompanied Breanna to an appointment that she and her doctor started to believe Loving could be a surrogate.

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TRANSFER #6⁣ ONE little 6BC on board…⁣ ⁣ Running out of fingers to hold up.⁣ Prayers needed 🙏🏻

A post shared by Breanna Lockwood (@ivf.surrogacy.diary) on Oct 22, 2019 at 10:02am PDT

Following Breanna’s appointment, Loving began seeing a number of specialists to see if she would be able to be a gestational carrier.

After years of disappointment and countless tests and appointments, the mother and daughter underwent an embryo transfer in February.

They held their breath and in March they learned Loving was pregnant.

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Friday we went to check up on our little baby. Sadly my husband can’t attend many appointments because of the new rules with the virus, but we always try to take pictures and video of everything. ⁣ ⁣ We got this awesome picture of our little one in 4D!⁣ AND we know the gender!!!⁣ ⁣ Do you think this babe is a sweet little boy or girl!?

A post shared by Breanna Lockwood (@ivf.surrogacy.diary) on Jun 15, 2020 at 11:51am PDT

“Even when we got the positive pregnancy test result we couldn’t jump for joy yet because we’d had so many losses and so much trauma,” Breanna said. “Just now, halfway through the pregnancy, we’re starting to get excited and shop and plan.”

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Since they learned of the pregnancy about a week before COVID-19 restrictions were put in place, Loving took a leave of absence from her job at a grocery store.

Breanna has been able to attend most of her mother’s appointments, though she says for some of them she has to “really beg,” and since Aaron isn’t allowed they record everything on their phone for him.

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⁣⁣ 20 WEEKS!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Half way there!! Last week we went to a suburb of the city to a place called The Belly Factory! It’s a place where you can get a few extra sneak peaks of your little one on ultrasound! ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ We had a great experience and the tech was super cute and explained every little detail and took her time. A sweet friend called ahead and bought us a bear that they put a recording of her heartbeat in! ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I held it together inside but when i got to the car the waterworks began. Cried and just let it out, it felt so good to see her little face and fingers and toes. Mama was being a mom to me again, rubbing my back consoling me. Good to know moms are moms no matter how old you get. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Forever there for their babies, just like i plan to be!⁣ ⁣ Raw and real, but happy tears!

A post shared by Breanna Lockwood (@ivf.surrogacy.diary) on Jun 25, 2020 at 1:10pm PDT

Loving, who is due November 12, said the family plans to tell her granddaughter her unique story when she’s young, but old enough to understand.

“The biggest supporter in my life is giving us our biggest blessing. My beautiful mama is carrying her first grandchild, Aaron and my biological child, as a gestational carrier!” Breanna wrote on Instagram.

Congratulations! What an honor for Julie to carry her grandchild, and what a special moment for Breanna to have her mother carry her first child.

Share this story on Facebook to give this family your blessings.

The post 51-year-old mom carries her first grandchild after daughter struggles with infertility for years appeared first on Happy Santa.



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