-
Pregnant Mom, Forced to Give up Baby After Being Implanted with Wrong Embryo (IVF Blunder)
- Sep 24, 2009 at 1:55 AM
- By
- Comments (9) Total Views (193) Everyone can see this journal post.
Pregnant mother, implanted with wrong embryo, to give up baby after IVF blunder
A pregnant American woman, Carolyn Savage, will be forced to give up her baby after an IVF blunder meant she was mistakenly implanted with another couple's embryo.
By Andrew Hough
Published: 8:29AM BST 22 Sep 2009
The 40 year-old, who is 35 weeks pregnant, and her husband Sean, will have to give up the baby boy to his biological parents when he is born in about a fortnight.
The religious couple have decided not to terminate the pregnancy but return it to the boy's parents, who have not been named.
Related Articles
-
IVF embryologist who blew whistle on hospital's blunders a 'broken record'
-
Hospital surgeons operated on wrong patient
-
IVF embryo mix-up couple may try for another baby
-
IVF blunders set to rise
-
IVF baby given to wrong woman was an 'accident waiting to happen'
-
IVF couple's last embryo given to wrong mother by mistake
The mother of three, from US city Sylvania, in Ohio, described her anguish after being told the baby she was carrying was not actually hers.
"The hardest part is going to be the delivery," Mrs Savage, told the US Television network NBC's Today programme.
"I remember communicating with the mother of this child as to what I was envisioning and hoping for. I said, ‘We want a moment to say hello, and goodbye'.
"We've been rooting for the baby the whole time."
She added: "We moved from a position of shock to a realisation that this was actually going to happen.
"We needed to put the needs of the pregnancy and the child first.
"It's just been difficult, but we feel we made the right decisions on how to handle it.
The couple already have two sons aged 15 and 12 and an 18 month-old daughter, who was also born using IVF.
She learned she was pregnant with a boy in February after deciding for another child using the last of her frozen embryos.
Mrs Savage had been having trouble getting pregnant and she was told by doctors this was the last child she could have.
The couple, who met at university, said the trouble started after Mr Savage received a phone call at work, before returning home to deliver the bad news.
"I was upstairs in my bedroom and he came to the door and said ‘I have some really bad news'," she said.
"(He said) you're pregnant, but they transferred the wrong embryo."
"(I said) you're joking."
But when she looked at her husband, he was "white as a sheet".
Despite the difficulties, the couple said they felt they have done the right thing.
The boy's biological parents have expressed their gratitude to the couple, Mrs Savage said.
"We felt strongly that we needed to give every embryo that we created a chance at life," Mrs Savage said.
"What we expressed to them is that we know they did not ask for this. They were at home with their family minding their own business. We are not going to impress ourselves into their lives.
"Of course, we will wonder about this child every day for the rest of our lives. We have hopes for him, but they're his parents, and we'll defer to their judgment on when and if they ever tell him what happened and any contact that's afforded us.
"We just want to know he's healthy and happy."
The couple's lawyers were working to ensure the fertility clinic that made the mistake "will accept full responsibility for the consequences of their misconduct".
Comments:
OMG that poor woman. I would freak out. It's wonderful that she is going through with the pregnancy for the other couple. I hope that maybe they'll return the favor since she was told this was her last chance perhaps the Bio mom of this child would be willing to be implanted with her embryo? I can only the imagine the war that would've ensued had she wanted to have a abortion! This is a awesome gift she is giving her and what a wonderful woman she must be. I hope that maybe the Bio parents will send her e-mails or cards every so often to let her know how the boy she carried for 9 months and gave birth to is doing. They also need to sue the ass of that place that screwed up!!!
Yeah, I really hope there is something wonderful that will come from this.
The strength and faith that this couple has shown in the face of great adversity is an inspiration. God Bless them!
Oh my gosh, she is a strong woman. I would be a mess.....the last time she could get pregnant and it was just taken away. My gosh.
I don't know what I would do in her case. Its so unfair! I hope she is greatly compensated.
OMG, I wish that they would have been aloud to adopt this child instead, for all they are going through! very sad. what amazing people they are, personally based on the whole senario, they sound like the better parents to me (I don't mean to bash the other parents but this is amazingly loving of them)
Oh wow. I read the other day that she volunteered to give the baby to the other couple, not that she was forced.
How very sad.. to be a surrogate after trying so hard for a baby of her own.
Depressing.
Already a member? Click here to log in
Videos
Bio-Identical Hormones and Synthetic Hormones - Suzanne Somers Breaking Through
Suzanne Somers Breaking Through
Suzanne Somers talks to her gynecologist Dr. Prudence Hall, and Dr. Abe Morgentaler [author of 'Testosterone for Life'] about synthetic hormones, bio-identical hormones, and how these hormones affect our bodies in different ways. Bio-identical hormones can be incredibly helpful in treating, and potentially eliminating, the many side effects of menopause. Find out more in this episode, and don't forget to subscribe to see a new episode of Suzanne Somers Breaking Through every Thursday!
Watch More Videos from CafeMom Studios ››
Wow.. that is really an amazing gift they are giving, but I feel very sad for them.
- KnoxvilleDoula
Message Friend Invite (Original Poster)