A woman who has been waiting ’20 years’ to become a mother welcomed her first child just months before her 50th birthday.
Chantel Chavez, 49, from British Columbia, safely delivered her son Nikolas in March after trying to conceive with her husband Elenilson, 50, for eight years.
Chantel, who had already gone through menopause when she safely carried their child, welcomed their longed-for son via C-section after a successful IVF egg donation.
The new mother admitted that she doesn’t care if they might look like Nikolas’s ‘grandparents’ due to their age because they ‘love him’.
She explained: ‘I have been waiting 20 years to become a mother.
‘There has been a yearning in my heart to hold my child in my arms and I still can’t quite believe this has finally happened for us.’
Chantel Chavez, from British Columbia, Canada, who has been waiting ’20 years’ to be a mother welcomed a child (both pictured with father Elenilson) months before turning 50
The childminder met her husband Elenilson online nine years ago and the couple were engaged within three months, then married and began to try for a family.
Elenilson has children in their 20s and the couple already had three young grandchildren before their son was born.
When the couple, who married in 2013, tried for a baby they knew their ages were against them, but at first Chantel was determined that it would happen naturally.
She admitted that she wasn’t aware how much the ‘odds were stacked against her’ at first, saying their journey took ‘much longer’ due to her wish to conceive naturally.
She continued: ‘We were actively trying for eight years from when I was 41 and that is my only regret.
‘Our journey took so much longer because I wanted to try naturally for too long and a natural conception at my age would be a miracle. I wasn’t really aware just how much the odds were stacked against me.
Chantel Chavez, 49, safely delivered her son Nikolas on March 5 (pictured after giving birth) after trying to conceive with her husband Elenilson, 50, for eight years
Chantel (pictured), who had already gone through menopause when she safely carried their child, welcomed their longed-for son via C-section after a successful IVF egg donation
‘I want other women in their 40s to be more realistic and not waste as much time as I did before I finally looked at other options.
‘We were always told we don’t look our age, but that doesn’t mean that our bodies aren’t our real age on the inside.’
The couple tragically suffered a miscarriage quickly after they started to try for a baby, when Chantel was 42 years old.
She explained: ‘We were beyond devastated. I truly thought we had lost our only chance. It was the darkest time of my life. I was still young and couldn’t understand what had happened. It took me years to grieve.
‘I was 43 when I saw a fertility consultant. I was told I had zero chance of IVF working with my own eggs, but I didn’t want to accept that.’
Five years later, when Chantel was 48, she finally decided to consider using donor eggs because her longing to be a mother was more importnat to her than how she conceived.
The couple decided to pay for IVF and after Chantel was given a clean bill of health, their frozen transfer worked first time – but it wasn’t without further delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chantel said: ‘We were ready, the flights were booked and then Covid hit and our clinic closed. It was another blow to our time frame but finally we were able to go in July 2020.’
Chantel knew she was a high risk pregnancy due to her age but thankfully the next months were problem-free.
When the couple (pictured with son) tried for a baby, Chantel was at first determined to conceive naturally and said she wasn’t aware how much the ‘odds were stacked against her’
When Chantel was 48, she finally decided to consider using donor eggs because her longing to be a mother was more importnat to her than how it happened (pictured during pregnancy)
Chantel knew she was a high risk pregnancy due to her age but her pregnancy was problem free, and Nikolas arrived on March 5, one month before his due date, and weighed 4lb 15oz
Her first child Nikolas arrived safely on March 5, one month before his due date, and weighed 4lb 15oz.
Speaking about her pregnancy, Chantel explained: ‘I didn’t get morning sickness, high blood pressure or diabetes. Given my age I was so lucky.
‘The beautiful thing about using donor eggs is that I get to carry my child, I still can’t believe what my body has achieved.
‘I got to carry, grow and deliver my child and that’s all I ever wished for. IVF science is incredible.’
The couple have eggs ‘on ice’ but the clinic have an age limit of 51 for mothers, meaning Chantel would have to decide in the next year whether to have another child.
She continued: ‘I understand their age limit. It is an option for us, but we would need to decide in the next year. I am a believer that things will always work out the way they should.
‘I never gave up on my dreams – I knew one day I would meet my soulmate and have a child.
‘At the end of the day you just have to put your hands in the air and have faith. There is nothing you can do to control the outcome of this journey.
‘Trying for a baby could slowly send you crazy and there were times when it would take over my life.’
Chantel said that their decision to try for a baby in their late 40s was met with mixed reactions, as she admitted that their partners were ‘concerned but supportive’.
She added that she had a ‘few shocked comments’ when she told people her age, but said she doesn’t care if they might ‘look like his grandparents’ because they ‘love’ him.
She explained: ‘Our parents were naturally concerned but supportive and we have only shared our joy with close friends.
The couple (pictured at gender reveal) have eggs ‘on ice’ but the clinic have an age limit of 51, meaning Chantel would have to decide in the next year whether to have another child
Chantel said that their decision to try for a baby in their late 40s was met with mixed reactions, as she admitted that their partners were ‘concerned but supportive’
Chantel said she has had a ‘few shocked comments’ when she told people her age, but said she doesn’t care if they might look like Nikolas’ ‘grandparents’ because they ‘love’ him
‘We have been overwhelmed with their support, they know how long we have waited for him.
‘I had a few shocked comments when I told people my age and we know when our son graduates we will be there with grey hair and walking sticks.
‘We might look like his grandparents but that doesn’t matter to us because he is loved.’
Chantel, who didn’t consider having a child until her late 20s and then didn’t find a man she wanted to start a family with, will celebrate her milestone 50th birthday this August with her five-month-old baby.
Speaking about her new family, she added: ‘Our son is our grandchildren’s uncle which may get quite complicated so we are going to call them all cousins.
‘People judge mothers if they are too young, too old, working, staying at home, not married etc.
‘I am old enough to know this is right for us and that’s all that matters.
‘We are soaking up every minute. I have wanted this for so long I don’t even mind the lack of sleep. He won’t be this little for long.’