A 58-year-old Utah woman is set to give birth in a few weeks — to her first grandchild. Julia Navarro is serving as a gestational surrogate for her daughter and son-in-law after the couple struggled with fertility problems. Navarro's daughter Lorena McKinnon said she began trying to have a baby with her husband, Micah McKinnon, three years ago. The 32-year-old Provo woman said she's had about a dozen miscarriages, with the longest pregnancy lasting 10 weeks. After several tries, the couple began looking for a surrogate. McKinnon said a friend and sister both considered carrying her baby, but ultimately decided against it. That's when her mother offered to step in. "As a family, we have to help each other," Navarro told The Salt Lake Tribune . Navarro had to undergo hormone shots for three months before an embryo fertilized by her daughter and son-in-law could be implanted. Because of her age, doctors had warned there was only a 45 percent chance the implantation would be successful. But the procedure was a success, and Navarro said she's had a smooth pregnancy carrying a developing baby girl. As with other surrogacy arrangements, the couple and Navarro needed three months of counseling. "The psychologists wanted to make sure we knew what we were getting into — that we were mentally prepared," McKinnon said. "Mostly, surrogacy contracts are with people you don't know. It was weird to have a contract with my mom." |