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Grandma gives birth to her own grandchild

<p dir="ltr">While it might be her fifth time welcoming a grandchild, the way this US woman has done so is a first for her and her family.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nancy Hauck gave birth to her granddaughter Hannah last week, according to the <em>New York Post</em>, and did so for a special reason.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 56-year-old from Utah offered to be a surrogate for her son Jeff and his wife Cambria after her daughter-in-law experienced a traumatic birth and underwent a life-saving hysterectomy.</p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking to <a href="https://people.com/human-interest/utah-grandmother-gives-birth-son-daughter-in-law-baby-feeling-so-blessed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>People</em></a> magazine, Ms Hauck said giving birth to her granddaughter “went perfectly” and that they are feeling “so blessed to have her in our family”.</p> <p dir="ltr">She said the nine-hour labour was a “remarkable and spiritual experience”, but admitted to feeling “some sadness” since the birth.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Even though I know that the baby’s going to my son, I know there’ll be a little bit of that empty feeling,” she said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8b8cb539-7fff-98da-9dd5-146942999604"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Now, the grandmother plans to take a break from work and write a book about her experience.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkihR3cMu-0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkihR3cMu-0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Cambria Hauck (@cambriairene)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Her son and daughter-in-law were high school sweethearts and always knew they wanted a big family.</p> <p dir="ltr">“From the time I was a teenager, I knew that if I could only be one thing, I wanted to be a dad,” Jeff told <em>People</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We always had in our mind that we wanted four to six — whatever the Lord would bless us with, is what we would always say," Cambria added.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, the couple struggled to fall pregnant for six years before having two sets of twins, four-year-old Vera and Ayva and 13-month-old Diesel and Luca, through IVF.</p> <p dir="ltr">After giving birth the second time in 2021, Cambria was advised to have a hysterectomy and was unable to safely carry more children - which is when Ms Hauck stepped in.</p> <p dir="ltr">Starting hormone treatments in January this year, Ms Hauck injected herself every day for 12 weeks with the help of her husband Jason.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e9b25e37-7fff-f21e-015b-b8223b6704d8"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">A month later, a fertilised embryo created by Jeff and Cambria through IVF was transferred to Ms Hauck and she became pregnant with her grandchild.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgvWEb_LtM2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgvWEb_LtM2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Cambria Hauck (@cambriairene)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">According to the couple, baby Hannah’s name has a special meaning and is a tribute to her grandmother.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jeff said that six days after the transfer, when his mother tested positive on a pregnancy test, she was “woken up in the middle of the night, and she heard a little voice that said, ‘My name is Hannah’”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Hauck was also convinced her grandchild was a girl even before testing, and soon convinced Jeff and Cambria as well.</p> <p dir="ltr">Cambria explained that they discovered that “the name Nancy comes from Hannah” and that “they both mean grace”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I knew instantly that that was her name,” the 30-year-old added.</p> <p dir="ltr">Since Hannah’s birth, Ms Hauck and her husband have been adjusting to the idea of being her grandparents.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I hope that we won’t treat Hannah any differently,” Jason said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But we’ll always have that connection — that Nancy carried her for nine months. Just the magic of the whole experience will always be unique in our eyes.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Hauck added that she wants all of her grandchildren to know that they’re equally loved and she “would’ve done it for any of them”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fa4cd013-7fff-2175-632c-b33d2ecaa8ce"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @cambriairene (Instagram)</em></p>

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Ukrainian nurses care for surrogacy babies underground

<p dir="ltr">A makeshift bomb shelter in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv has become a temporary home for babies born to surrogate mothers whose new parents can’t enter the country to take them home.</p> <p dir="ltr">At least 20 babies - including some that are just a few days old - have been taken underground where they are well cared for by the many nurses from the surrogacy centre also stranded in the shelter, as reported by <em><a href="https://7news.com.au/news/conflict/surrogate-babies-wait-out-war-in-ukraine-c-6135483" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">With Ukrainian troops fighting off Russian forces in Kyiv’s suburbs, it has become too dangerous for the nurses to travel between the shelter and their homes.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Now we are staying here to preserve our and the babies’ lives,” said Lyudmilia Yaschenko, a 51-year-old nurse.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bb94e0eb-7fff-8a0a-386f-688930738396"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“We are hiding here from the bombing and this horrible misery.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/surrogacy.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>At least 20 surrogacy babies are being cared for in an underground bunker as the war rages on above them. Image: Getty Images</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Yaschenko said they could leave the shelter for brief periods to get some fresh air, but that they worked constantly to look after the children.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We are almost not sleeping at all,” she said. “We are working around the clock.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She also worried for her two sons - aged 22 and 30 - who were fighting to defend the country.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ukraine is one of the few countries that allows foreigners to use surrogate services, with <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60824936" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most</a> of the 2000 children born through surrogacy every year are matched to foreign couples from Europe, Latin America and China.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though Ms Yaschenko wouldn’t say how many children are still waiting to be united with their parents or how many surrogate mothers are expected to deliver soon, the nurses have plenty of food and baby supplies to continue caring for them as they wait for the war to end.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-282c8773-7fff-42b6-9767-5b052ac0d86b"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Australian woman gives birth to own grandchild

<p dir="ltr">54-year-old Tasmanian woman Maree Arnold has given birth to her own grandson after acting as a surrogate for her 28-year-old daughter Meagan White.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meagan has no uterus and was unable to conceive, so her mum suggested the idea of acting as a gestational carrier. Meagan was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome at the age of 17 after not menstruating during puberty. MRKH is a rare disorder that affects one in 5000 women, and the syndrome means that while Meagan has no uterus, she does have working ovaries, so she is able to have a biological child with the help of a surrogate.</p> <p dir="ltr">The baby, named Winston, was safely delivered following a short two-hour labour on January 13th. Ms Arnold told<span> </span><em>Sunrise</em>, “We arrived at the hospital at 7 am and by 9 am he was born, it was so quick and organised.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I feel really well considering it’s only been a week, so it’s amazing.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Arnold, who had previously appeared on<span> </span><em>Sunrise<span> </span></em>last year while pregnant, told Kochie and Nat, “If I had my time again, I would do the same thing, it worked out perfectly.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms White said she was loving being a first-time mum to Winston, who is “not giving us too much grief” and sleeping well. Of his birth, she said, “It’s hard to describe the feeling of when he was born. It was definitely a pinching myself moment.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Experts say mother-daughter surrogacy is very rare and it’s recommended that gestational carriers are under 40 years of age. However, another older mum, 51-year-old Julie Loving from Chicago,<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/relationships-love/a33013266/mother-becomes-surrogate-for-daughter/" target="_blank">made headlines</a><span> </span>in 2020 after carrying her daughter’s baby.</p> <p dir="ltr">Loving volunteered after watching her daughter Breanna Lockwood struggle with fertility issues for four years. The family welcomed a daughter, Briar, in November 2020, with Lockwood writing on Instagram, “My mom was an absolute rockstar through a difficult delivery. The sacrifices she took to bring this little slice of heaven into our world takes my breath away. Holding my daughter in my arms my heart is bursting. The feeling of how I would do absolutely anything needed for this child is radiating through me when I look at her, and reflects back on what my mom did for me.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Channel 7</em></p>

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