87 yr old new mother

[WannaBRN4]

I only heard bout this but I was shocked beyond belief when I heard this. My nursing instructor brought it up in class today. An 86 year old woman was on good morning america last wekk and she had a one yr old child that she gave birth to (natrually). I idn't think that women at this age could still have children. I would have thought that she would have gone through menopause. She is the oldest woman to ever give birth. I really don't know if this is true but I can not see my instructor lying about this. Someone may have already started a thread on this. If so Sorry to reiterate. I just heard about it.:uhoh21: :imbar

[Jo Dirt]

66 y/o having a baby....ewwww.

[vloho]

Biblically Speaking: Amen

[Jay-Jay, RN]

My parents were an older couple who had been trying to have kids, then finally adopted me when they were in their 40's. They both passed away within 10 months of each other...Dad was 89, and Mom was 92! (In case you can't do the math, that means I'm in my 50's now....) So, who's to say?? The child could have a pretty decent upbringing, if mom keeps her health.

An online friend of mine is in her 60's and undergoing treatment for Ca. of the breast. Her daughter-in-law was killed in a tragic accident, and her son is a hopeless crack addict who's been in and out of jail. She is raising her 2 grandchildre, 10 and 12 years of age, because they have no one else. More power to her! Life doesn't always work out the way we think it should, but those kids are FAR better off with her than with their daddy.

[gr8rnpjt, RN]

:chuckle I'd worry about making the kid mad when they were teens and having them commit you to a nursing home!

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[galenight, BSN, RN]

I was a later in life baby. I believe I missed out on some vital activities due to the physical limitations of my parents (they were in their 40's). My mother's health in particular was poor and that of course played a big part, probably bigger than her age in and of itself. I think many factors need to be considered. She died in my early 20's and so I have been deprived of a mother's guidance in rearing my own children. My father is distant. Of course this is a family dynamic issue again, not an age issue. But these issues become even more relevant with advancing age. It stays with the children forever. I remember vividly a child once asking me if my mother was my grandmother.. it was a painful feeling. My half siblings are also a great deal older than I am and so we are not close. I would never begin to tell someone when they have to stop reproducing, it is their decision, lets just hope they make it with their minds and their hearts.

[ZootRN]

I think it's inappropriate for us to decide what's inappropriate for other people.

I think it is inappropriate for senior citizen women to give birth to children.

[RazorbackRN, BSN, RN]

I think it's inappropriate for us to decide what's inappropriate for other people.

I couldn't agree with you more. It's not for us to decide what is or isn't appropriate for this lady. Everything happens for a reason and evidently God has a reason for this.

[mstigerlily]

My dad was 40 when I was born and he seemed so OLD to me.

I very much wanted to be done having kids at 35 and I was. I find the idea of older women past menopause having babies to be strange.

That said, I take care of lots of older moms in their late 30's, even late 40's having their babies and that is their choice.

Yes, lots of grandmas raise babies and of course an attentive older mom is better than an irresponsible young one but I think all things being equal, our fertility starts to decline in our 30's for a reason - because a woman's body was not meant to carry and birth a child in her 50's or beyond.

I was a later in life baby. I believe I missed out on some vital activities due to the physical limitations of my parents (they were in their 40's). My mother's health in particular was poor and that of course played a big part, probably bigger than her age in and of itself. I think many factors need to be considered. She died in my early 20's and so I have been deprived of a mother's guidance in rearing my own children. My father is distant. Of course this is a family dynamic issue again, not an age issue. But these issues become even more relevant with advancing age. It stays with the children forever. I remember vividly a child once asking me if my mother was my grandmother.. it was a painful feeling. My half siblings are also a great deal older than I am and so we are not close. I would never begin to tell someone when they have to stop reproducing, it is their decision, lets just hope they make it with their minds and their hearts.

[mstigerlily]

I couldn't agree with you more. It's not for us to decide what is or isn't appropriate for this lady. Everything happens for a reason and evidently God has a reason for this.

I think when a 66 year old woman gives birth, it didn't have much to do with God, but had more to do with the fertility doctors and procedures she underwent.

[Drysolong]

I would much rather have a mom for a short period of time who loved me and wanted me with all her heart then a lifetime with a mom who didn't. Just my two cents. And of course their are other issues involved. But the rest are just details.

Elizabeth Latham

I agree. However, at age 55, I can remember myself at age 10 and my children at age 10. It would have really been hard on me as a active child to have parents in their seventies. Love is extremely important to a child, but so is ability to interact physically with them. My grandparents were that age and I cherish the love and attention I received from them. But my parent's role was different and better handled by younger people. (Also, my mother is 30 years older than me, so she wasn't a spring chicken when I was born)

[fergus51]

I think when a 66 year old woman gives birth, it didn't have much to do with God, but had more to do with the fertility doctors and procedures she underwent.

Amen:roll

Personally, I would never dream of stopping a woman from having a child, but my own personal opinion is that this is wrong and selfish. If she lives that long, she'll be 84 when the child finishes high school. Yes, a 40 year old parent could die when her kids are in high school, but logic tells us it's a lot more likely if mom is in her 80s.

There is a difference between being an older mother (my mom was in her late 30s when I was born, I see a lot of moms having kids in their early to mid 40s) and being so old that your body couldn't possibly be able to have children without medical science intervening.

[LydiaNN]

I'm surprised that your nursing instructor would think a woman in her 80s giving birth wouldn't have warranted more extensive media coverage, were it true. The 66 year old got plenty of press herself. I can't imagine what the stress of carrying a child to term and then delivering would do to a woman in her late 80s. I have trouble fathoming a woman of that age even being able to conceive. I wonder what is the oldest recorded age (if such records are kept) of a woman undergoing menopause. I hope that if I make it to age 86, menopause is about 3 decades behind me. I hesitate to put any exact age or apply any moral judgment concerning how late is too late to have babies, since people age so differently. I do know that I'm not 50 yet, but I wouldn't want to chance having a baby now, knowing what I do about the increased risks that my child would face. OTOH, a cousin who is my age had a baby last year and so far so good.