In 2021, Barbara Higgins became a new mother and the oldest woman in the United States to give birth after welcoming her newborn son at the age of 57.
Barbara, a teacher from New Hampshire, gave birth to her and her husband Kenny Banzhoff’s son Jack on Saturday, after three hours of labour.
Who is the oldest birth mother?
According to the couple, they decided to try for another child after losing their daughter Molly when she was 13 from an undiagnosed brain tumour.
Following their daughter’s death in 2016, Higgins told NBC Boston that she became “consumed” with the idea of getting pregnant again.
According to Higgins, although the cut-off for in-vitro fertilisation is usually around the age of 55, her doctors were confident that she was healthy enough to handle a pregnancy at her age, which she credited in part to being a lifelong athlete and having good genes.
Speaking to The Patch, she said that, throughout the process, she was pleasantly surprised by the support she received from her doctors.
