“My mom is a living angel and brought us another blessing earth side and we are in LOVE,” Kaitlyn Munoz wrote after her mother delivered Munoz’s daughter via surrogacy
A woman from Utah welcomed her granddaughter in a very special way — by giving birth to the baby as her daughter’s surrogate.
According to a previous Instagram post by Kaitlyn Munoz, 25, she was informed that she was unable to carry any more of her own children “due to some health difficulties.”
She was diagnosed with endometriosis, and later Sjögren’s syndrome, which is classified as an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks the glands that make tears and saliva, but can also damage other parts of the body, including the joints, thyroid, kidneys, liver, and more.
In spite of this, Munoz still had two frozen embryos left over from the IVF cycle that resulted in the birth of her first child, son Callahan.
Her 50-year-old mother Chalise Smith intervened and promised to carry and deliver the baby this time.
“I saw Kaitlyn go through the IVF process, and I know what it entails. I informed her that I recognized the risks and that I had been praying about it for three weeks because there are so many shots and emotions involved, said Smith, an eight-child mother, to the site. “Then she told me, ‘I was just sitting here thinking about who could I have carry my embryos, and you called me up.’ ”
On May 17, Smith gave birth to Alayna Kait Chalise Munoz at American Fork Hospital before 9 p.m. “She was seven pounds, 13 ounces, 21 inches long, and came out just healthy and gave her little screams,” Smith told Fox 13.
Munoz described it as “an amazing experience” in a sentimental Instagram post.
“I am at a loss of words,” she wrote alongside a set of touching photos of her mother resting in the hospital bed. She added pictures of her and her husband Miguel holding with the infant.
Continued Munoz: “My mom is a living angel and brought us another blessing earth side and we are in LOVE. When my mom offered to be our surrogate it just felt so right. My mom did so amazing through out the pregnancy and we had an amazing delivery experience. Grateful for my mom and her selflessness in this journey.”
Smith opened up about her decision as she celebrated Alayna turning one week old last month.
“Alayna is one week! This past week, as I thought back on my surrogacy experience, I was reminded of a lot of the things I went through. The voyage involved many feelings and emotions. Excitement, fear, faith, hope, anticipation, doubt, joy and undoubtedly LOVE,” she wrote on Facebook last month, sharing photos from her maternity shoot.
She said that she initially contemplated whether she should carry the embryos, wanting to “make sure I wasn’t making an emotional choice.” Smith then prayed before telling Munoz her decision.
“Never did I think I would experience something like this or have a baby at 50!” she wrote.
“As I turned to my Heavenly Father and Savior, through prayer and always pondering my choice in my heart, there were countless moments of guidance and confirmations that this path was a path for me.”
“My mom and I have always had a close relationship; she is my best friend,” Munoz said. “My mom did a lot of things for me, growing up that I couldn’t do for myself, and 25 years later she did something I couldn’t do for myself again.
“She brought me the greatest gift: Alayna.”
