This is truly a medical miracle.
This is truly a medical miracle.
Nebraska couple Matthew Eledge and Elliot Dougherty were looking for ways to have children.
Eventually, they were presented with an unorthodox option: Eledge’s mother, Cecile Reynek Eledge, who is 61-years-old, carried their daughter, Uma Louise Dougherty-Eledge, as a gestational surrogate.
Eledge told WTVR:
"When you are gay and married and want to have a kid, you go into it with the knowledge that you are going to have to create a family in a special way. There are creative, unique ways to build a family."
Cecile wasn't the only woman to help bring Uma into the world: Dougherty’s sister, Lea Yribe, contributed the egg to be fertilized by Eledge's sperm.
Eledge explained that all of the other conception options felt "too corporate" for the couple, who preferred to make this a family affair.
"I had a lot of people in college say they would (carry and deliver a child), but when push comes to shove, that’s a huge commitment."
Uma Louise was born Monday at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, healthy and weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces. Eledge told WTVR, "more than anything, we feel lucky to have women selfless enough to do this."
He also posted on Facebook:
"What an honor it is to have these two women in our life. Life is a dream."