Having a baby beyond your late 30s is becoming more common as fertility treatments are now more widely available. However, conceiving a baby naturally in your 50s and beyond is incredibly impressive.
While these women might not be the oldest mothers ever, the women on this list reportedly had a natural pregnancy at an age when most women are grandmothers. In fact, several of these women were already grandmothers when they got pregnant again!
10. Brigitte Nielson
Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 54 years old in 2018
Date of Baby’s Birth: June 22, 2018
Country of Origin: Los Angeles, California, USA (Nielson is originally from Denmark)
Name and Age of Partner: Mattia Dessì, 39 years old in 2018
photo source: Instagram via Brigitte Nielson
Nielson, who was known for her looks, still looks amazing in her 50s and has remained very healthy over the years. This helped her to give birth to a healthy baby girl.
Did You Know?
Brigette Nielson has been married five times and some of her ex-husbands are also famous, including actor Sylvester Stallone and former pro football player Mark Gastineau.
9. Gianna Nannini
Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 54 years old in 2010
Date of Baby’s Birth: November 26, 2010
Country of Origin: Milan, Italy
Name and Age of Partner: Unnamed partner, age unspecified
photo source: Alchetron
Gianna Nannini is one of the only women on this list who is known for more than just being an older mother. Nannini is a famous Italian singer, who just happened to get pregnant when she was 54 years old. According to Nannini, her baby was conceived naturally, but she was taking hormone pills at the time. However, Nannini didn’t receive any actual fertility treatments.
Did You Know?
In 2017, Gianna Nannini revealed that she moved to London with her daughter, Penelope, and her partner Carla so that they could legally get married. This was the only way to make sure that Carla could take care of Penelope if something happened to Nannini.
8. Aracelia Garcia
Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 54 years in 2000
Date of Baby’s Birth: January 2000
Country of Origin: Sunnyside, Washington, USA
Name and Age of Partner: Unnamed husband, age unspecified
photo source: Sunnyside Sun
While all of the women on this list were featured in the news for having babies well past their prime, Aracelia Garcia stands out for birthing triplets! Garcia was 54 years old when the triplets were born. She was also already a mother of eight children and had 13 grandchildren, with two more on the way after the triplets were born.
According to Garcia, she found out she was pregnant after she went to the doctors after feeling tired all the time. The doctor who delivered Garcia’s triplets, Dr. Diana Smigaj, said that she had never heard of a 54-year old woman giving birth to triplets.
Did You Know?
Following her media exposure, Aracelia Garcia started taking English classes so that she could keep up with her young triplets.
7. Kathleen Campbell
Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 55 years, 4 months, 19 days in 1987
Date of Baby’s Birth: September 9, 1987
Country of Origin: Kimberley, Nottinghamshire, England
Name and Age of Partner: Sydney Campbell, 65 years old in 1987
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Tim Heaton (Town of Kimberley pictured)
For many years until Dawn Brooke revealed her story in 2007, Kathleen Campbell was known for being the oldest British mother. Campbell was 55 years old when she gave birth to a boy in 1987.
While many of the women on this list were first time mothers, Campbell already had six children, ranging in age from 16 to 22. Campbell was not only a mother for the seventh time, she was also already a grandmother!
Did You Know?
Kathleen Campbell’s doctors advised her not to have another baby because she weighed 240 lbs and had high blood pressure. However, instead of gaining more weight while she was pregnant, Campbell lost 70 lbs and became much healthier.
6. Raisa Akhmadieva
Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 56 years old in 2008
Date of Baby’s Birth: January 10, 2008
Country of Origin: Ulyanovsk, Russia
Name and Age of Partner: Rashid Akhmadieva, age unspecified
photo source: Wikimedia Commons (City of Ulyanovsk pictured)
In early 2008, Raisa Akhmadieva, at the age of 56, became one of the oldest women in Russia to give birth to a baby that was conceived naturally. This was Akhmadieva’s first child.
Akhmadieva gave birth to a healthy baby boy with a weight of 5 lbs 12 oz and a height of 19.3 inches. Like a few of the other cases on this list, the nature of the baby’s conception was not confirmed, but reported by the parents.
Did You Know?
Raisa Akhmadieva’s husband, Rashid, already had three adult children from a previous marriage, but they had wanted to have a child of their own since they got married.
5. Vera
Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 57 years old in 2008
Date of Baby’s Birth: June 13, 2008
Country of Origin: Kiev, Ukraine
Name and Age of Partner: Unnamed husband, 57 years old in 2008
photo source: segodnya.ua (Vera’s doctor, Tatyana Pehnho pictured)
A woman simply called Vera gave birth in Ukraine in 2008 at the age of 57. Vera’s story was reported by the head physician, Tatyana Pehnho, who personally attended to Vera’s birth. Dr. Pehnho and her teamed performed a Cesarean on Vera, which took about 40 minutes.
According to Dr. Pehnho, Vera’s healthy lifestyle allowed her to conceive a baby naturally. Ukraine’s Ministry of Health said that Vera is the oldest woman ever to give birth in Ukraine.
Did You Know?
Vera and her husband did have other children, a son who died when he was 20 years old, and twin boys who only survived for 10 days.
4. Natalya Alekseevna
Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 57 years old in 1996
Date of Baby’s Birth: March 14, 1996
Country of Origin: Russia
Name and Age of Partner: Unnamed husband, age unspecified
photo source: Needpix (Natalya Alekseevna not actually pictured)
Natalya Alekseevna was in the news for being the oldest Russian mother. Back in 1996, Alexseevna gave birth to a daughter when she was 57 years old! While Alexseevna’s baby was conceived naturally, she did receive Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to help increase her chances of having a baby.
Although Alexseevna’s doctors warned her that HRT at her age had many side effects, including an increased risk of cancer, she was determined to give her second husband a child because he didn’t have any – Alexseevna had two adult children from a previous marriage.
Did You Know?
One of the biggest things driving Natalya Alexseevna to have another child was the fact that her husband at the time didn’t have any children. Unfortunately, not long after Alexseevna’s daughter was born, her partner revealed that he had a secret wife and was expecting another child.
3. Dawn Brooke
Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 59 years old in 1997
Date of Baby’s Birth: August 20, 1997
Country of Origin: Guernsey, Channel Islands, Great Britain
Name and Age of Partner: Raymond Brooke, 64 years old in 1997
photo source: conceivedespiteage.blogspot.com
While Xinju Tian and Maria Rosaria Veneruso are significantly older, Dawn Brooke is widely recognized as the oldest confirmed women to conceive naturally. Brooke became pregnant when she was 58 and then gave birth after she had turned 59. For over a decade, Brooke’s story was not publicly known, but she finally told her story in 2007.
Initially, Brooke thought that she might have cancer when she started experiencing aches and pains while on vacation. Brooke was so worried that she rushed home to Britain and her tests showed that she was 16 weeks pregnant. In addition to her younger son, Brooke also has two adult children from her first marriage.
Did You Know?
According to Dawn Brooke, she kept the fact that she was one of the world’s oldest mothers secret for so long because people always assumed she was much younger than she actually was and didn’t think it was weird that she had a young son.
2. Maria Rosaria Veneruso
Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 61 years old in 2016
Date of Baby’s Birth: September 19, 2016
Country of Origin: Campania, Italy
Name and Age of Partner: Enzo Veneruso, age unspecified
photo source: The Sun UK
Like Xiju Tian, there is some skepticism over whether or not Maria Rosaria Veneruso really did have a natural pregnancy. Despite what some doctors said, Veneruso and her husband Enzo are adamant that they did not undergo any fertility treatments. Veneruso gave birth to a 7 lbs 7 oz baby boy named Elia Francesco in Campania, Italy.
Did You Know?
Maria Rosaria Veneruso’s doctor, Dr. Stefano Palmieri, backs up her claim that she conceived her baby naturally. Palmieri said that Veneruso’s good health and physical stamina helped her have a natural and peaceful pregnancy.
1. Xinju Tian
Age at Time of Baby’s Birth: 67 years old in 2019
Date of Baby’s Birth: October 25, 2019
Country of Origin: Zaozhuang, China
Name and Age of Partner: Weiping Huang, 68 years old in 2019
photo source: Dailymail UK
Due to her advanced age, Tian delivered her baby via Cesarean section. Tian already has two children, who were born before China implemented its one-child policy to curb its population in 1977. There have been no reports on whether or not Tian and Huang have face consequences for having more than two kids.
Did You Know?
Xinju Tian and Weiping Huang decided to name their Tianci, which means “gift from heaven.”
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