Woman gives birth to grandson after daughter told she can't get pregnant

Megan Barker with her grandson, Gus. Photo / Park Avenue Photography

Exhausted but ecstatic after giving birth, 48-year-old Megan Barker clutches little baby Gus.

She is older than most mothers in the maternity ward in Chico, California.

But there is something even more unique about Megan's situation: Gus is not her son - he is her grandson.

Megan's daughter Maddie was just 14 when she was diagnosed with a cervical condition called Mayer Rokitansky Küster Hauser Syndrome.

It meant her cervix and uterus did not fully develop, meaning she cannot carry children.
As they left the appointment at Stanford Hospital in tears, Megan promised Maddie she would carry her child when she eventually wanted to start a family.

Megan's daughter Maddie was just 14 when she was diagnosed with a cervical condition called Mayer Rokitansky Küster Hauser Syndrome. Photo / Park Avenue Photography

And true to her word, 10 years later on October 22 this year, Megan delivered Maddie's first child with husband Tyler Coleman, conceived through IVF.

Speaking to People, Maddie said she thought it was "totally weird" when her mum suggested the idea years ago.

But in 2015, when she was 23 years old, engaged to Tyler, Maddie's doctor discovered a benign tumour where her uterus should be.

Before operating to remove it, the doctor suggested retrieving her eggs.
And suddenly Megan's offer did not seem so radical.

"From the start, I knew it was the right thing," Coleman, who now lives in nearby Orland, told The Chicoer earlier this year.

"She's my mum, and she's my best friend. I think it's amazing that a mother would do this for her child."

Baby Gus was born weighing 3.5kg on October 22. Photo / Park Avenue Photography

At first, they looked into other options, primarily surrogacy. But it was far more expensive - upwards of $75,000.

So the family immediately embarked on IVF, to fertilize Maddie's eggs with Tyler's sperm, then implant them into Megan.

To their astonishment, it was a success the first time round.

Megan told The Chicoer: "I told Maddie that it's not that she would never have a biological baby, just that she would not be able to carry the baby.

"She is physically and medically unable, and I made the decision nine years ago that if Maddie couldn't become pregnant, I would help her."

They had to sit down Megan's two daughters, aged 11 and 13, to explain the unusual situation.

But they insist everyone was incredibly supportive.

Maddie and Tyler do all the parenting, while Megan helps out like any other grandmother - though she also provides breastmilk. Photo / Park Avenue Photography

As the due date neared, Maddie admitted she was being very hands-on with her mother.

'I text my mum every day, more than once. I want to be sure she's taking care of herself and eating right,' she told The Chicoer.

Gus was born weighing 7lb 7oz on October 22.

Now, Maddie and Tyler do all the parenting, while Megan helps out like any other grandmother - though she also provides breastmilk.

Beaming in an interview with WAFB, Megan insisted she was more than happy to let Gus go.

"The attachment for me was not an issue as people have predicted, because in my mind it was biologically their baby," she said. "I was just a deluxe Easy-Bake Oven."

Family photographs courtesy of Park Avenue Photography.