Woman, 58, to give birth to her own GRANDCHILD after becoming surrogate for her daughter

Grandmother Cathy has already gone through the menopause, but said she had wanted to be the surrogate despite the health risks
Daughter Shannon can't have children due to scarring of her uterus
Cathy, who is six months pregnant, admits she doesn't know how she'll feel when she has to give up the baby

PUBLISHED: 05:56 EST, 16 November 2012 | UPDATED: 09:03 EST, 16 November 2012

A woman in her 50s will give birth to her own children after becoming a surrogate mother for her infertile daughter.

Cathy Donnelly, 58, is six months pregnant and will welcome her seventh grandchild into the world when she gives birth to her - before daughter Shannon Fischer raises the baby.

Mrs Fischer and her husband Jamie had been trying for two years when they discovered they couldn’t conceive due to scarring in her uterus.

So Mrs Donnelly mother of three and a grandmother of six, volunteered to be a surrogate mother for her daughter.

Cathy Donnelly (red top) is six months pregnant with her own grandchild. Her daughter Shannon can't have children due to scarring on her uterus

Mrs Fischer said: 'The day I came home from my surgery mum said "I'll do it". She didn't hesitate.'

Mrs Donnelly, from London in Ontario, Canada, said: 'I felt bad for them - I just thought what’s nine months of my life? They are going to have a child for the rest of theirs? It's not like I'm busy doing anything.'

Michael Murray, specialist at the Northern California Fertility Medical Center, says though there have been cases of mothers acting as surrogate for their daughters before it is typically something the medical community does not advise.

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He said: 'Usually it’s a close friend or a sister that acts as the gestational carrier - women who are over 45-years-old are not normally in good enough health.

'Pregnancy for older women is much riskier. The most common complications are high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and premature child birth.'

But they were risks Mrs Donnelly was willing to accept and while she admits her pregnancy hasn’t been easy, she has had no complications so far.

'It was long process and involved a heavy dose of fertility drugs for both of us but in the end it all paid off.

'I was standing in line for a coffee when I got a call from my doctor confirming I was pregnant. I was just bawling - people must have thought someone close to me died.

'But it has been challenging. Now I’m showing I make sure people aren’t staring or looking at me because they’re probably thinking ‘look at that old lady.'

Mrs Donnelly said she did question whether she was doing the right thing and if everything would work out okay until she started to feel the baby move. Now her only concerns are about how she will feel once she has given birth.

'I don't know if I'll feel like I've lost her, I don't know how I'm going to feel,' Mrs Donnelly said.

Shannon plans to name her daughter Zoey Hope Catherine after her mother. And for her the whole experience has made her cherish their mother-daughter relationship even more.

She said: 'It just changes your relationship 360 degrees. We were close before but it’s just on a whole new level. I want to be like she is to my own daughter, that caring and willing to do stuff for her.'

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just seems a little bit wrong. But whats more concerning is its my guess that this child will never really be given up and passed on to the daughter, i fear some forseable battles of wills and arguments as to how each of them wants to bring up this child. not as simple as it seems im sure.

- madcat , north wales, 17/11/2012 06:17

Click to rate Rating 2

Weird and wrong.

- Reubenene , Victoria, Australia, 17/11/2012 04:14

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These stories are becoming very commonplace, sorry but true. Just do your thing, and keep it to yourself and your family.

- DD , USA, 17/11/2012 03:21

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So beautiful

- mya , New York, 17/11/2012 02:12

Click to rate Rating 4

What happened to acceptance? accepting that in this life you can't always have what you want. Trouble is everyone expects to get everything they want just wrong and totally against nature in this case.

- Jan , Devonshire, 17/11/2012 00:23

Click to rate Rating 3

I love my children so Much. They still are children but I would never do anything to Prevent myself not to have children just in case they are not able to do so. Even so I may need to have a child for bone marrow purposes. I don't want any more children but will always be there for the children I have if worse come to worse!

- Rebecca , Leicester UK, 17/11/2012 00:05

Click to rate Rating 6

I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

- LOL , Reality, United States, 16/11/2012 23:38

Click to rate Rating 16

She said: 'It just changes your relationship 360 degrees". Another brain trust spawning. Le sigh.

- JK , Expat NC USA, 16/11/2012 23:34

Click to rate Rating 3

Utterly revolting and totally selfish! What the hell is wrong with these people???? I pity the poor kid is years to come googling its family and coming across this article . Urgh!

- Just Saying , Lincolnshire, 16/11/2012 22:53

Click to rate Rating 21

This is sinful at its best. These are the kind of things that make Baby Jesus very angry. You can expect to feel his full wrath once you pass away; let this be a lesson to all you other weirdos.

- Red Arrow Man , London, United Kingdom, 16/11/2012 22:17

Click to rate Rating 57

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