Angel Hebert’s little son Madden is just like any other healthy two-week-old baby. The story of how he was born, however, is anything but ordinary.
Angel’s 49-year-old mother, Linda Sirois, from Maine in the US, gave birth to her own grandson after Angel was told it was too dangerous for her to go through with a pregnancy, due to a heart condition.
Linda had long suspected her daughter may have problems due to her condition, and for years had told Angel that if she was unable to carry a child, she would be a surrogate for her.
'It was all pretty simple as far as I was concerned," Linda told the Portland Press Herald.
"I just saw it as I was babysitting for a few months."
Angel, 25, and her 29-year-old husband, Brian, were told last year by doctors that it was unsafe for Angel to give birth.
“It was pretty disappointing and we were pretty upset about it,” Angel said “But we kind of had an idea that it was a possibility and, all along, my mother was saying, 'I'm here and I can carry for you.' I guess we didn't really take her seriously."
Angel says after getting the bad news from doctors, she called her mum to ask if her offer to be a surrogate was still on the table, and Linda immediately began calling fertility clinics.
After finding one that would help them, Linda was successfully implanted with her daughter’s egg, which had been fertilised with her husband's sperm.
From there, everything ran smoothly, with Linda saying it was the easiest of all of her pregnancies with no morning sickness or complications.
Baby Madden Hebert was born on August 13 via C-section, with Angel standing by her mother’s side.
Linda says it is not unusual for a grandmother to be a surrogate for her own grandchild.
“I just saw it as I was babysitting for a few months," she said. "It was their child all along. It was just a room for rent.”
Video: See more of Angel and Linda in the video player above.
