50-Year-Old Utah Mom of 8 Served as Surrogate for 25-Year-Old Daughter: ‘The Greatest Gift’

“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

Utah Mom, 50, Serves as Surrogate for 25-Year-Old Daughter: ‘The Greatest Gift’ 
Chalise Smith Kaitlyn Munoz
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Credit: E.Lee Photo

A woman from Utah welcomed her granddaughter in a very special way — by giving birth to the baby as her daughter’s surrogate.

Kaitlyn Munoz, 25, was told she could not carry any more of her own children “due to some health issues,” she previously shared on Instagram.

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.

Still, Munoz had two frozen embryos left following an IVF cycle that led to her giving birth to her previous child, son Callahan, according to KSL.

Her mother Chalise Smith, 50, stepped in and offered to carry and deliver for her this time around.

“I saw Kaitlyn go through the IVF process, and I know what it entails. There’s all the shots and so many emotions that are involved with it, and I told her that I understood the risks, and that I had been praying about it for three weeks,” Smith, who is mom to eight children, told the outlet. “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! As I have reflected on my surrogacy journey this past week, I have been reminded of many things I experienced along the way. Many emotions and feelings played a role in the journey. 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.”

[via]