Mother is oldest surrogate in Britain

Published on Saturday 26 February 2011 12:55

A 57-YEAR-old woman has given birth to her own grandson to become Britain's oldest surrogate mother.

Pamela Butler underwent four rounds of IVF treatment at a cost of 11,000 after doctors told her daughter she was unable to conceive. Butler gave birth to baby Josef last August, giving daughter Nichola and her husband Mathew Pagett the child they wanted.

"It was the greatest gift I could have given her", Butler said. "It's wonderful to watch her being a mum."

Surrogacy UK recommends women over 35 consider becoming a surrogate carefully, but in an interview Butler said she did not hesitate in offering her services to her daughter.

Pagett's eggs were harvested with her husband's sperm and then implanted into Butler. The process failed three times between June 2007 and September 2008, after which the couple said they were "devastated". However, after a fourth attempt Butler fell pregnant in December 2009.

Pagett said: "Mum phoned me and said she had done a test and she could definitely see a positive line. I ran straight around to her house and I looked, and there it was, the blue line. None of us could believe it."

Despite early concerns over her age and some bleeding, the pregnancy progressed smoothly. The child was delivered 11 days early by Caesarean as doctors did not want to risk putting Butler through labour.

She added: "The doctors were wonderful and very reassuring. Luckily it was an easy pregnancy and it was the most wonderful moment when Nichola held her son for the first time.

"It didn't feel like he was my baby, but it was just that I was carrying him for Nichola. I babysit for him sometimes and he's just a wonderful little lad."

Pagett found out that she could not have children herself at the age of 18 when told her womb had not developed properly.