63-year-old expat delivers baby
My family and I am thrilled with this birth, mother of girl born in Dubai hospital says
At 7.30 on Sunday morning, a healthy 2.25kg baby girl was born to a 63-year-old woman in Dubai. Both mother and baby are doing well, hospital sources told Gulf News.
“My family and I am thrilled with this birth,” the mother, a Sri Lankan national, told Gulf News yesterday, while choosing not to reveal her or her husband’s name.
Dr Jagaud Nirmala, specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist at Thumbay Hospital, said this was the first time she had a patient older than 60 for this type of case.
“The patient consulted the hospital in the 32nd week of her pregnancy after undergoing In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) in India. I was very confident of handling the challenge as both the mother and child seemed fine after the initial examination.” This is not the first time a 60plus woman has decided to bear a child. In May 2016, a 72-yearold childless woman, Daljinder Kaur, gave birth to a healthy baby boy after undergoing IVF at a clinic in Haryana, India.
Late pregnancies through IVF are not unusual anymore, said Dr Nirmala. “Couples going in for IVF usually use donor eggs as the quality of a woman’s egg declines after the age of 30. I cannot comment on this case as the mother came to me only at 32 weeks of pregnancy.”
n what is being claimed as a first in the UAE, a 63-year-old woman has given birth to a healthy girl in Dubai, a hospital said yesterday.
The baby was born at 7.30am on Sunday weighing 2.25kg and both the mother and baby were reported to be doing well.
Dr Jagaud Nirmala, specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist at Thumbay Hospital, said this was the first time she had such a patient older than 60. “The patient consulted the hospital in the 32nd week of her pregnancy after undergoing In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) in India. But I was very confident of handling the challenge as both the mother and child seemed fine after the initial examination.”
The parents of the baby — the Sri Lankan mother and her 61-year-old husband from Chennai, India — declined to disclose their names or other details. However, the woman said both she and her husband were overjoyed with the birth of their daughter. “My family and I am thrilled with this birth,” she told Gulf News yesterday.
Hospital sources added the woman who had two grownup children from a previous marriage, had her last child 13 years ago. After getting married the second time, she underwent IVF to have this baby. The woman’s husband works in Ras Al Khaimah.
Dr Nirmala said: “It was a precious pregnancy for the couple. The expectant mother had gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia [hypertension during pregnancy] and placenta previa [wherein the placenta blocks the neck of the uterus making normal delivery impossible]. In addition, the baby was in a transverse position when she came to us in the 32nd week. I decided to let her keep the baby until the 34th week after which we were to conduct elective caesarean surgery on February 20. However, the patient was admitted on February 18 with bleeding so we decided to carry out the caesarean procedure on February 19.”
The newborn was shifted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the hospital and was doing very well. “I think the baby is doing well as she had a good birth weight and no lung immaturity. My patient, the mother, is absolutely fit and can be discharged anytime,” added Dr Nirmala.
How do late pregnancies work?
Late child births are controversial as it raises many ethical issues. However, this is not the first time a 60-plus woman has ventured into this area. Last year in May, a 72-yearold childless woman Daljinder Kaur gave birth to a healthy baby boy after going through IVF at a clinic in Haryana, India.
Talking about late pregnancies, Dr Nirmala said it was not unusual anymore.
“Couples usually going in for IVF use donor eggs as the quality of a woman’s egg declines after 30 years. I cannot comment on this case as the mother came to me only at 32 weeks of pregnancy.”
A woman undergoing IVF is given supplements and hormone replacement injections to have her reproductive system up and running. “There are always high risks of gestational diabetes, hypertension etc with age but that can be monitored.”
Asked about high risks of developing breast cancer owing to HRT, Dr Nirmala said that the risk was not as high.
“We are talking about an expectant mother undergoing treatment for nine months unlike women who go through HRT for years where there is a risk of cancer. One has to weigh the pros and cons and take a calculated risk,” the doctor added.
It was a precious pregnancy for the couple. The expectant mother had gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia [hypertension during pregnancy] and placenta previa [wherein the placenta blocks the neck of the uterus making normal delivery impossible].” Dr Jagaud Nirmala | obstetrician and gynaecologist