April 12, 1997
By: The Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A 58-year-old woman gave birth to her own grandson
after becoming a surrogate for her son-in-law and daughter, who could
no longer carry her own child.
Shawn Erik Kihn was born at University Community Hospital Friday, weighing in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces. Both Ugenti and the baby are fine. ``It's not something you can ever repay,'' said Donna Kihn, the baby's biological mother and Ugenti's daughter.
The baby owes its life to his mother's egg, father's sperm, and his grandmother's womb. ``I'd hate to use the term medical miracle, but it was a genuinely good thing that this happened.'' said Dr. Jeffrey Angel, a high risk specialist involved in the birth.
Doctors had initial reservations about Ugenti's age and the fact she was long past menopause, but after months of tests that mimicked pregnancy she was fine.
Ugenti took estrogen and progesterone hormones for several months to condition her atrophied uterus so it could carry a pregnancy. ``They deserved a good, healthy baby and they got one,'' Angel said.
The family got the idea of a mother carrying her daughter's baby ten years ago from a Newsday article about a woman in Africa who carried another woman's baby through in-vitro fertilization. Then, it was a startling medical breakthrough. They thought if this could be done in Africa it could be done in the United States.
Kihn and her husband, James, had always wanted more children since the birth of their son, Jim, 12 years ago. An infant son, Erik, died when was ten days old. Because of a vascular condition in which her body attacks the blood vessels going to the fetus, Kihn suffered 10 miscarriages. She was devastated by the fact she couldn't have another child. Her son wanted a sibling and she and James had always wanted a big family.
After a 12-hour delivery, Shawn was born at 9 a.m. Friday. He has his mom's nose, his dad's eyes and dark brown hair like his brother.
Shawn will call Ugenti ``Granny'' and will be told of her contribution to his life when he is old enough to understand. Ugenti is among the oldest in the world to be a surrogate mother.
The first woman to carry her grandchildren was the woman in South Africa who gave birth to her daughter's triplets in 1987 and gave Ugenti and her daughter hope.
A 42-year-old librarian in South Dakota became the first woman in the Unites States to give birth to her own grandchildren. Arlette Schweitzer, who gave birth to twins, carried them for her daughter who was born without a uterus.
The oldest woman who ever gave birth was a 62-year-old Italian woman who became the center of debate over the ethics of post-menopausal mothers. similar procedure for a newspaper article ten years ago
Copyright 1997. The Associated Press.
© 1997 The American Surrogacy Center,
Inc.
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