Woman Over 70 Gives Birth For The First Time, This Is What Her Husband Of 79 Has to Say
“Woman over 70 gives birth for the first time. This is what her husband of 79 has to say. Although it may seem a bit unfair, the fact is, Lorraine, that women have a much smaller fertile window than men. Men can still happily conceive children well into their 80s, but for women, the chances of still getting pregnant naturally after 40 start to dwindle considerably.
Not everyone abides by these laws of nature, though, and today, we will see the story of one over 70 who gave birth for the first time. We’ll also tell you what her husband of 79 had to say about it, so stay tuned.
Any woman in her 30s will be faced with the question: Do I want children or not? The answer will need to be provided within the next decade because passing 40, her chances of still conceiving and giving birth to a healthy baby will rapidly decline. It may seem unfair, especially compared to the chances of men that have a much less urgent time limit placed upon them, but it’s simply a fact of nature. Or is it?
Some women seem to have defied these natural laws and had babies at a much later age, which really makes you think, are there indeed any physical limits to the wish to have a baby?
One of the most famous old mothers in the world is Daljinder Kaur. Daljinder is from the city of Amritsar in India, a country with a long history and varied cultures that all seem to have one thing in common. Though not having children is frowned upon, especially in more rural communities, becoming a mother is one of the greatest things an Indian woman can do. So, you can imagine the stigma placed on childless women.
But what do you do if you do indeed want children but are simply unable to conceive? Daljinder has been married to Mahinder Singh Gill for about 45 years already, but so far, the couple has not been able to conceive. It was hard for them both, as they really wanted to have children and also felt the pressure from their surroundings to do so.
If you don’t become parents, then what else are you supposed to do with your life?’ The small-minded community they lived in could not imagine anything else. Having children was an indispensable part of life, so Daljinder was looked at with a queer eye on the streets, and they would call her ‘the woman without children.
But hard as they may try, they failed to become pregnant so many times, and when they did, they failed to carry the baby to full term. After three miscarriages, Daljinder started to lose faith and realized she might have to come to terms with the fact that she might never have a child.
Further research made clear that Daljinder’s body was not exactly cooperating, as doctors discovered that her fallopian tubes were blocked, making it virtually impossible for a fertilized egg to travel to her uterus. Around her 50s, she entered into menopause, which meant her whole fertile cycle stopped working altogether, and her chances of still becoming pregnant naturally had now become pretty much zero. It made her sad, but she did not see what she could do to make things differently.
So, the years passed by, and Daljinder tried to make peace with the situation and ignored the whispers on the street until one day she saw an ad in the paper that changed everything. It was an ad from Dr. Anurag Bishnoi from the National Fertility and Test Tube Baby Center in Hisar, promoting IVF treatments for those unable to conceive naturally. Some call Dr. Bishnoi the ‘Fertility King,’ as he has already helped many older women to still become pregnant, although not without its controversy.
Daljinder, who was at least 70 by now, saw it as a sign of God. She approached the clinic and was determined to let them help her. Dr. Bishnoi was hesitant at first due to Daljinder’s age, but as I mentioned, they had helped other elderly women before, and it had sort of become their trademark. Dr. Bishnoi comes from a line of gynecologists and called his mother an IVF genius and the one who had started accepting old women into the clinic.
Word soon started to spread about their approach, and when in 2008, they had helped Rajo Devi, a woman 70 years of age, to get pregnant, they really became famous. Rajo Devi was the oldest mother in the world at the time, so they made headlines everywhere. Now, women from all over India come to them to still make the dream of becoming a mother a reality.
Although Daljinder did not know exactly how old she was, she was definitely at least 70 years of age. She was born in the ’40s, and in those days in India, no birth certificates were issued. So, a whole generation of people born in those times does not know exactly how old they are. Can you imagine that? Not knowing exactly how many years you have lived already, and on which day to celebrate your birthday? It is such a big part of their identity for many that it must feel strange to lack that knowledge about yourself.
But no matter the number put to her age, Daljinder was sure of one thing: If she still had a chance to become a mother, she would grab it with both hands and hold on tight.
Dr. Bishnoi first did not want to help her. He thought her advanced age meant too much risk and would cause complications. But Daljinder did not let go so easily. She kept coming to the clinic and kept asking what she had to do to be considered.
The desire to have my own child was so intense that I was prepared to take any risk. I always wanted to be a mother like any woman,’ she said. Dr. Bishnoi agreed with her that they would run a whole host of tests to see if her health was in any way a reason to not give her this treatment. But as the results all came back positive and Daljinder seemed to be in excellent condition despite her age, Dr. Bishnoi was running out of reasons to refuse her and finally agreed to start her on the IVF treatment.
‘I’d never come across a woman of her age so determined to have a child,’ he said. ‘She was always punctual and never hesitant, willing to do anything we asked or needed.’ Daljinder was over the moon with the news, as was her husband, Mohinder, who fully supported her endeavor. He was also keen to still become a father one day. But, as we will find out later, he also had other reasons for wanting to produce offspring so badly. Stay tuned.
As Daljinder’s own eggs were not viable anymore, and also her husband’s seed was not going to suffice, they needed to use both donor eggs and sperm. Unfortunately, the first attempts in 2013 and 2014 failed and were quite a trial for the couple. But they were determined, and then suddenly, as in a miracle, Daljinder became pregnant with the third IVF treatment. There was suddenly a baby growing in her belly, and it seemed like it was there for the long haul. It must have looked interesting seeing a woman well into her 70s with a big pregnant belly.
What is your opinion on these things? Do you think there is an age limit to women becoming pregnant? What about the fact that older parents might not be around much longer to see their child fully grow up?
Daljinder was, of course, monitored very closely all throughout the nine months, but it all went smoothly. On April 19, 2016, after 37 weeks, Arman was born, a baby boy weighing about four pounds. It is on the smaller side, and for the next few months, his meager weight would prove to be a concern for the medical specialists.
Daljinder and Mohinder were on a pink cloud, though, or should I say a baby blue cloud? As Daljinder put it, ‘He is a blessing from Almighty. We named him Arman because he was our only desire. I feel complete now.’ I guess this also means they won’t be trying for a second, which is perhaps a wise decision.
Now, it was Daljinder making headlines worldwide and earning the title of the oldest woman to ever still give birth to a child. Besides amazement, the couple and the doctor also received quite a bit of criticism. Dr. Hrishikesh Pai, the head of India’s Gynecologist Federation, said he totally condemns the practice. ‘With science, you can make a 90-year-old person pregnant. The question is not about technicalities; it’s about ethics.’ But the baby was born, and the facts could not be undone.
Daljinder did her best to care for little Arman as best as possible, with Mohinder there to help her as much as possible. He was also super happy with the son, but perhaps not for the reasons you were thinking of all this time. Because, as it turned out, both Mohinder and Daljinder had another good reason to be happy. They had become parents after all.
Can you guess what? Apparently, the birth of Arman settled an enormous legal battle the family had been engaged in for years already. A concern and inheritance of Mahinder’s father’s estate valued at around seven hundred thousand dollars, quite a considerable sum.
The estate would only be released if the Gill family had offspring to hand it over to in their turn. But so far, they simply had not been able to produce children. Until now, that is, and Mahinder admitted it had been the main reason they had been so determined to have a baby, so they could lay claim to the inheritance.
Wow, I did not see that one coming. It actually makes me feel a bit sad for Arman, born in such a struggle, unknowing that he was only conceived to secure a big sum of money. Will he realize that later, you think? It is quite clear his parents probably won’t make it past his 10th birthday, and they are already having quite some issues now.
Daljinder admits that only a year after the birth, she felt her joints weakening, and her blood pressure has suffered. Her milk wasn’t developing well, so she stopped breastfeeding after three months, and Arman was still very skinny, a bit too skinny for his age. She admits that she feels exhausted easily, and the only time she gets to rest is when the baby falls asleep. Also, her husband and her fall ill frequently due to their age, but they try to do their best, as they have to take care of their son.
Well, I hope they are still doing fine, and Arman has a long and happy life, still living much of it together with his parents. Give this video a thumbs up if you thought this was a fascinating story, and give us your opinion in the comments.