PHOTOS : WOMAN GIVES BIRTH TO HER OWN GRANDCHILD

Special delivery.....little Emily has so much to be thankful for.

A grandmother has given birth to her own daughter's baby girl-after cancer forced the young would-be-mother mum to seek a surrogate.Cindy Reutzel,53 delivered the healthy tot,named Elle last week.Her daughter, Emily Jordan and husband,Mike had
given up all hope of having their own kids after Emily was diagnosed with cervical cancer just over two years ago.Click on  read more below to continue....

Then 29,Emily was about to undergo a radical hysterectomy when she was told she was pregnant.Faced with saving her own life or
their unborn child's,the young couple made the excruciating decision  to go forward with her surgery.It meant losing the baby
and forfeiting any chance to become parents.Emily's mum had heard of older female surrogates so when doctors shared the good
news that they were able to save Emily's ovaries,she immediately
made the offer,in Chicago,USA.



Precious gift.... Cindy helps her daughter know the joy of motherhood

 What if I carried your baby for you? she asked.Emily and Mike 
didn't take it seriously at first.''We didn't really think that was
a realistic option'' says Emily who works in hospital administration.
But after a process that included psychological evaluations and 
hormonal manipulation to prepare their bodies,the doctor
eventually implanted Cindy's uterus with an embryo created with
an egg from Cindy and Emily's sperm.



Proud parents....Emily and Mike pose with their beloved baby 

 As Cindy's bump grew,people started asking about ''her baby'' but
she was quick to tell them the unlikely  story that this was not her
baby; she was Grandma.Admittedly,she says she worried about
the physical toll pregnancy might take though her body handled it
better than she expected.She also worried about how well she
would bounce back from a caesarian section.That's how she had
delivered Emily and her older brother,but that had been three
decades ago.Still,she reassured Emily and Mike through out the
pregnancy that the baby was fine,she was fine,everything was fine.




Grateful...Emily pats her mum,Cindy's bump  

Last week,a few days after Emily's 32nd birthday,daughter sat
next to mother,holding hands in the delivery room and Elle Cynthia Jordan was born.''She looks just like you,she looks just like you!
Emily shouted running from the delivery room to introduce their
new born to Mike.Cindy is now recovering and even says,she'd
consider doing it again.When I watch both of them hold that baby
and look into her face,it's like everything I could have imagined   wanting for them-better than I could have imagined,she says,her
eyes filling with tears. ''This is what it was all about for me''



Routine...Emily and Elle are now settling into life together after her unusual birth



Happy to help....Cindy and Emily discussing before the birth in August