According to the Central Intelligence Agency’s most recent available data, the average age of a first time mom in India is 19.9. Daljinder Kaur is bringing that average up: She recently gave birth to her first baby — at the age of 70. Kaur and her 79-year-old husband have been married for 46 years and had almost given up on having children. As reported by the Hindustan Times, Kaur turned to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in hopes of ending her struggles. “The woman came to me alone first in 2013, after reading about us in a paper,” said Dr. Anurag Bishnoi, embryologist and owner of the National Fertility and Test Tube Baby Center in Hisar. “Our track record handling IVF in older women has been fairly good, but not everyone is fit to conceive. In her case, she looked visibly frail too, so I had to refer her to a cardiologist to get clearance for the procedure and a battery of other tests to ascertain fitness levels.” Kaur was deemed fit to conceive, but the road to childbirth was bumpy. “We started work within two months in 2013 but the first attempt failed, which is normal. After six months, another attempt was made and that also didn’t succeed,” Bishnoi said. “Finally, the third attempt was successful.” The baby was conceived using the couple’s own egg and sperm. A baby boy was born April 19, and though he weighed only 4.4 pounds at birth, he is now “healthy and hearty,” according to the center. “God heard our prayers. My life feels so complete right now,” Kaur told AFP. “I am looking after the baby all by myself, I feel so full of energy. My husband is also very caring and helps me as much as he can.” The average age of first-time mothers has been going up in many countries, but it’s a good bet 70 years old will remain on the higher end of the spectrum. Source
