IVF Helps 72-Year Old Woman Give Birth: ‘God Heard Our Prayers’
A 72-year old woman has done the “impossible” and given birth to a beautiful bouncing baby.
Pregnancy is not usually something which happens to pensioners, but IVF treatment has thrown out the rules and transformed the ballpark when it comes to sowing the seeds and reaping the rewards of parenthood.
One plucky lady taking full advantage of being able to give birth at a ripe old age, is 72-year-old Indian woman Daljinder Kaur.
Prior to her new arrival of unbounded joy and giggling delight, Mrs. Kaur was a motherless lady.
And if left to the wit and wisdom of mother nature, that’s probably exactly how the lady in question would have ended her days.
Yet along came a scientific savior in the shape of IVF, and Mrs Kaur was saved from a cold and barren twilight, devoid of the screams of hungry babies, the petulant cries of demanding infants, the taut tiredness of broken sleep and early mornings, and a responsibility so big it can dwarf planets.
Sky News reports that, following two years of treatment at a clinic in the northern state of Haryana, Mrs Kaur has given birth to a beautiful bouncing baby weighing in at two kilograms (4.4lbs).
Despite being a little on the small side, the baby is said to be both “hearty and healthy” according to the National Fertility and Test Tube centre.
Mrs Kaur had said that despite her advanced years and critics calling her actions “selfish”, she is not too old to be a first-time mother and the birth has made her life complete.
The 72-year-old explained that she and her 79-year-old husband Mohinder Singh Gill, whom she has been married to for 46 years, had almost given up hope of ever having a child they could call their own.
In India, where infertility is often seen as a curse from God, Mrs Kaur and her husband had often faced ridicule for not being parents.
Yet using their own egg and sperm, the adventurous couple began IVF treatment and hey presto, a baby was born. One which Mrs Kaur insists she is still well enough and fit enough to look after adequately.
“When we saw the (IVF) advert, we thought we should also give it a try as I badly wanted to have a baby of my own.
“God heard our prayers. My life feels complete now. 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.”
Because many people in India do not have birth certificates, they often knock off or add a few years to their age. Although Mrs Kaur told the IVF clinic where she received treatment, that she was 70, they discovered her age was actually 72.
The manager of the fertility clinic, Dr Anurag Bishoni, confessed he was initially unsure about giving the green light for treatment to a lady of such a rare vintage, but added that tests revealed she would be able to carry the unborn baby for the full term.
“I first tried to avoid the case because she looked very frail. Then we made her undergo all the tests and once all the results were okay we went ahead.”
Somewhat bizarrely, India has previous pedigree when it comes to pensioners getting pregnant. In 2008, another 72-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh state received IVF treatment and was in for a dose of double trouble when she reportedly gave birth to twins.
Mrs Kaur will raise the baby, who is named Armaan, on her husband’s farm outside Amristar.
Armaan’s father, Mohinder Singh Gill, is unconcerned by critics who have slammed his and his wife’s decision as a perfect example of selfishness in an overcrowded country like India, where high levels of poverty have led to many thousands of orphaned Indian children living on the streets. Children, which the couple could have adopted.
He also remains unruffled by accusations of “playing at God” and believes the almighty will watch out for his child after he and his wife pass into the great beyond.
“People say what will happen to the child once we die. But I have full faith in God. God is omnipotent and omnipresent, he will take care of everything.”
(Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
