London, Feb 26 : A 57-year-old woman has given birth to her own grandson to become the oldest surrogate mother in Britain.

Pamela Butler carried her daughter Nichola's baby in her womb because the latter was not medically fit.

Butler gave birth to healthy 5lb 12oz Josef by Caesarean section in August, at last giving Nichola and her husband Mathew Pagett the baby they longed for.

It took four heartrending attempts at IVF treatment—in which eggs were harvested from Nichola and fertilised with her husband's sperm before being implanted into Butler's womb.

Butler said she had been worried about her age, but never hesitated to help her daughter.

"It was the greatest gift I could have given her. It's wonderful to watch her being a mum now," the Daily Mail quoted her as saying.

"It didn't feel like he was my baby but it was just that I was carrying him for Nichola. I babysit for him sometimes and he's just a wonderful little lad," she said.

It began in April 2006, when experts at the clinic assessed Butler's fitness and decided, despite her age, she was healthy enough to go through with the pregnancy.

Local government quality assurance officer Nichola said: "Mum may have been 57, but I always trusted her completely. She knew that she was the best person for the job."

Nichola's whose husband is a mechanical engineer, said: "We just thought it was going to work first time, and none of us could understand it when the treatments failed.

"We were all devastated, especially Mum, who was just desperate to help us. We had all gone to her house the second time to carry out the pregnancy test and it was so emotional when we found out it hadn't worked," he said.

Butler said, "Now Josef is six months old and he's such a great baby, he's always happy and smiling. All our family and friends know that Mum carried him for me, and they are all just so pleased for us." (ANI)

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