- A 59-year-old woman in China gave birth to a baby boy via cesarean section
- She conceived last year through IVF with specialised prenatal care due to her age
- The baby weighed 2.2 kilograms and was born at 33 weeks and 5 days gestation
A 59-year-old woman in China has given birth to a baby boy, fulfilling her long-held wish of having another child. She and her husband had felt lonely as their adult daughter lives abroad, which led her to make the decision to become a mother again, reported the South China Morning Post.
A baby boy was born via cesarean section on January 9th at Zhangjiagang No. 1 People's Hospital in eastern Jiangsu Province. The baby weighed 2.2 kilograms at birth.
According to the local news portal jsnews.org.cn, the woman, surnamed Zou, has become the city's oldest woman to conceive.
Zou said she was overwhelmed with emotion and joy upon seeing her newborn and hearing his cries. She said she never believed her dream of becoming a mother again would come true.
She already has an adult daughter, and according to her, the idea of becoming a mother again came to her mind two years ago.
Zou explained that her daughter lives abroad, and over time, she and her husband often felt lonely. This is why they decided to have another child.
After making the decision, she began focusing on improving her health to conceive.
Last year, Zou conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Due to her advanced age, the hospital doctors developed a specialised and detailed health plan for her prenatal care.
Guo Huiping, a senior obstetrician at the hospital, explained that at 59, Zou was considered a high-risk pregnancy, as the risk of pregnancy-related complications and fetal abnormalities increases significantly at this age.
Zou said that the doctors regularly sent her messages to check on her health and provide necessary advice. She said she felt as if the doctors were taking very special care of her.
As her pregnancy progressed, she faced several serious health problems. Her blood pressure became uncontrolled, her albumin and uric acid levels increased, and she developed kidney problems. Furthermore, she also developed significant swelling in her legs.
Given all these problems, doctors decided to perform a cesarean section at 33 weeks and 5 days of pregnancy. Guo described Zou as a courageous mother for accepting such a difficult and risky challenge.
The report did not share any information about Zou's husband or daughter. Stories of women becoming mothers at an older age are often discussed on mainland Chinese social media.
