Pamela Butler with daughter Nichola and grandson Josef
Pamela Butler has more reason than most grandmothers to think the new addition to her family is extra special.
Because her daughter Nichola was medically unable to have a child, the 57-year-old carried baby Josef in her own womb – in the process becoming the oldest surrogate mother in Britain.
Mrs Butler gave birth to healthy 5lb 12oz Josef by Caesarean section in August, at last giving Nichola and her husband Mathew Pagett the baby they longed for.
The Pagetts are relieved to finally have their own baby
It took four heartrending attempts at IVF treatment – in which eggs were harvested from Mrs Pagett and fertilised with her husband’s sperm before being implanted into Mrs Butler’s womb – for Josef to be born.Last night Mrs Butler said she had been worried about her age, but never hesitated to help her daughter, adding: ‘It was the greatest gift I could have given her. It’s wonderful to watch her being a mum now.
‘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.’
The organisation Surrogacy UK advises that because the risks of pregnancy increase with age, women over 35 should consider carefully before deciding to become a surrogate mother. A spokesman said of Mrs Butler: ‘We are not aware of anyone who even comes close to this age ever having been a surrogate in Britain.’
In total, Mr and Mrs Pagett, both 35, of Blackwood, South Wales, spent £11,000 on treatment at Midland Fertility Services in their quest for a child.
It began in April 2006, when experts at the clinic assessed Mrs Butler’s fitness and decided, despite her age, that she was healthy enough to go through with the pregnancy.
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