A woman has given birth to her own grandson after her daughter was born without a uterus.
Maree Arnold has become a surrogate to Meagan White who at 17-years-old was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH).
It is a disorder that meant she was born without a uterus and therefore could never become pregnant with a child.
Maree, 54, discovered she could be a surrogate to her own daughter which makes her the oldest in Australia.
Now 28 and with a background in nursing, Meagan feared her dream becoming a mother would never come true after their baby girl, carried by a Canadian surrogate, died at 21 weeks.
But after doing research, Meagan’s mum Maree Arnold, 54, discovered she could be a surrogate for her daughter - and has now given birth to her own grandchild Winston last week.
Meagan, from Lilydale, Tasmania, Australia, said: “Having Winston in our arms is a dream come true.
“When we first saw him, it was love at first sight. He has filled out hearts in a way we never knew possible.
“The C-Section was planned months ahead and the birth went entirely to plan. We arrived at the hospital at 7am and had him in our arms at 9am, it was perfect.
“We were both present for the birth. Not nervous but just excited, our doctor was fantastic, informative, and calming.
“Winston is thriving, he is relaxed, alert and pure perfection.”
Meagan said she knew something was not quite right when all the girls at school had started their periods, except her.
She explained: “I was waiting around to start my menstrual cycle and it never happened.
“Mum and I went to see a doctor and discovered I had MRKH, which means I was born without a uterus and therefore would never have a period.
“It also meant I could never carry a child; however I did have working ovaries so I could have a biological child with the help of a surrogate.
“Of course, as I was just a teenager at the time, I didn’t think about it much. But after meeting my now-husband Clyde, 28, in 2015, I knew I wanted to start a family and be a mother.
“We looked into surrogacy and found a volunteer overseas in Canada through an agency named Allison in January 2019.
“We got to know her virtually for nine months, before flying over there in September 2019 to meet her in person.
“Shortly after returning home to Australia, we went ahead with the first transfer which failed, but the second was successful and Allison got pregnant in December 2019.
“But in March 2020, doctors told us our baby girl had not developed kidneys and would not be viable with life.
“Everyone was heartbroken, and after that I just felt like giving up. Then once the pandemic began, overseas travel was prohibited, so everything felt impossible.”
Maree said she was heartbroken watching her daughter suffer but never imagined she could volunteer to be a surrogate, as she believed she would be deemed ‘too old’ to be allowed to carry a child.
But after extensive research, legal advice, medical screenings and psychological assessments, doctors deemed that it would be possible.
With Maree already having gone through menopause, she was given medications to reverse the process and thicken her uterus lining to prepare for pregnancy.
Mum-of-five Maree, who runs her own farm, said: “I always just assumed I’d be too old to do something like this, but it just goes to show you always need to ask questions.
“It is such a special experience for me and I’m over the moon to be able to help my daughter.
“I think there are different ways people get pregnant these days, and this is just another option.”
After three failed embryo transfers, Meagan and Maree said they both began to feel a bit defeated and thought perhaps the process was not going to work.
But thankfully, the fourth transfer was a success and little Winston was welcomed into the world in January 2022, weighing
She said: “I know that I was obviously older with this pregnancy, and I ddi get a bit more tired than when I was last pregnant 22 years ago.
“But I was still up and about, mowing the lawns and doing this around the house. I felt great.
“Now that it’s all over I think I’m relieved it all went so well and just amazed at this little human we have made.
“My first cuddle was super special and one I will never forget.
“Little Winston is everything we could ask for and more. He has made our family. It’s just wonderful to see Meagan and Clyde so happy.
“I just hope our story will encourage someone else to take the same journey as we did.
“It’s a very rewarding thing to do, and if I had my time back, I would definitely do it all again.”
Maree could possibly be Australia's oldest surrogate to date, with Antonietta Di Maggio, from Sydney, making headlines back in 2015 for giving birth to her grandson for daughter Claudia Luca at the age of 53.
Mum and daughter both agreed that this experience has made them closer than ever.
Meagan added: “Mum and I are so close; we talk every day. I can’t even put it into words how grateful I am for her.
“Our relationship is so special. There is nobody else I’d rather have gone through this with.”
