German Grandmother, 65, Gives Birth To Quadruplets
A 65-year-old German grandmother, who is already mother to 13 and grandmother to seven, gave birth prematurely to quadruplets on Saturday.
Although the babies, three boys and two girls, were born at 26 weeks, they are all alive and doing well, RTL television reported on Saturday.
The German grandmother, Annegret Raunigk, gave birth to the boys, Dries, Bence, and Fjonn, and daughter Neeta in a Berlin hospital, making her the world’s oldest mother of quadruplets.
Doctors say the German grandmother’s babies have “good chances of surviving.”
“However, the babies, in comparison with a normal birth in the 40th week, are not completely developed, so eventual complications can’t be ruled out.”
The German grandmother lives in Berlin and is an English and Russian teacher.
Woman with 13 children gives birth to quadruplets at 65 http://t.co/0JPibwIqQn pic.twitter.com/92Z99Oeeat
— Gulf News (@gulf_news) May 24, 2015
The German grandmother’s pregnancy has sparked discussion worldwide on whether someone of her age should attempt to become pregnant.
She became pregnant after undergoing several artificial insemination procedures in Ukraine, said RTL.
The German grandmother reportedly said she attempted artificial insemination because her youngest daughter, who is 9, wanted a little brother or sister.
The Bild am Sonntag tabloid quoted the German grandmother, whose oldest daughter is 44, as saying it came as a “a shock” to learn she was carrying quadruplets, according to The Observer.
German woman (65) gives birth to quadruplets http://t.co/VCEPzbLN8h pic.twitter.com/0U8OcQ42jX
— Eyewitness News (@ewnupdates) May 24, 2015
“After the doctor discovered there were four, I had to give it some thought to begin with. I’m not actually afraid. I simply assume I’ll remain healthy and fit. In matters of organisation I have enough experience, that’s not new for me.”
The German grandmother said she has no moral qualms about having children at her age.
“How does one have to be at 65? One must apparently always fit some cliches which I find rather tiring. I think, one must decide that for oneself.”
During an interview in April, the German grandmother said she was very comfortable with her decision, dismissing critics.
German granny becomes the oldest woman ever to give birth to quadruplets http://t.co/9TrCbqIL2T pic.twitter.com/tyb0oIZtUT
— The Sun (@TheSunNewspaper) May 24, 2015
“You can never know what will happen. Things can also happen to you when you’re 20.”
The German grandmother added that the decision was hers and everyone has the right to make their own decisions on such matters.
[Getty Images/Cultura Exclusive]
