This woman’s mother-in-law was her surrogate
Kayla and Cody Jones were beyond ready to start a family. However, Kayla had a partial hysterectomy back when she was a teenager, leaving her unable to carry children. The Texarkana, Arkansas, couple had been searching for the right surrogate since they got married in 2012.
A Unique Offer
After a few options didn’t work out, they accepted an offer from Cody’s mom, Patty Resecker, who volunteered to carry their baby.
That’s right—the baby’s grandmother was going to be the gestational carrier. (It’s important to note that gestational carrier is the correct term in a case like this, where a woman carries a baby made from another woman’s egg. A surrogate is someone who carries a baby made from her own egg for another couple.)
Not The First Grandma Surrogate
“At first I thought the doctors may think we were crazy, but as I researched I found other grandmothers who had been surrogates,” Kayla, 29, told Love What Matters. “After much testing, my mother-in-law was cleared to carry our baby!”
After undergoing an in vitro fertilization egg retrieval in October 2016, the couple had an embryo transferred into Resecker’s uterus in March 2017, but it didn’t take. They transferred a second embryo in May 2017, and this time Resecker became pregnant—at age 50.
To make the experience even more special, Kayla and Cody were able to do the initial at-home pregnancy test themselves.
“The day we found out was the second best day of my life (the first best day was the day Kross was born!). Patty left a urine in a specimen cup on her porch before she left for work,” Kayla said. “I picked it up and my husband and I tested at home. I cannot describe the feeling of seeing two pink lines!”
Welcome, Baby Kross!
The pregnancy went well and baby Kross Allen Jones was born on Dec. 30 via cesarean.
Resecker said carrying her own grandchild for her son and daughter-in-law was a “privilege” and one of the most rewarding experiences of her life.
“This is something that has blessed not only me and my family, but also Kayla’s family,” she said. “A child is a lifetime commitment and I knew there weren’t two more deserving people than them. To see them with Kross and see the parents they’re already becoming thrills my soul.”
At just over a month old, baby Kross is thriving and the family reports that Resecker recovered well from her pregnancy and surgery.
To read more about this family’s incredible story, check out their Facebook page, Creating Baby Jones. Congratulations to this happy family.