Opinions, opinions, and more opinions. Everyone will have something to say about what you are doing. One woman, the highlight of our story, is facing much ridicule from the internet because she just gave birth to her 7th child at 51 years old.
Some Women are Born to Be Mothers
Most women know what they want out of life. But that does not mean that fate can’t come in and sweep you off your feet. This is what happened to Kimberly Chasteen, now 51-year old. When Kimberly was 16 years old she gave birth to her first child. It is unclear whether or not it was planned, but regardless we can understand the difficulties she must have faced as a teen mom. There are a lot of sacrifices that must take place when a child is born into this world, and of course, we don’t mean the lethal kind.
Her youngest daughter is now 35 years old and was born in 1987. Since then, she was joined by five other siblings. Her nearest in age is a sister called Kayla who is 33. Then there is Richard, 31, Blake, 20, Briar, 9-years, and Balin, who is 17. She reported that she loves being pregnant, and being a mom. She even has three grandchildren already, which is usually where other mothers draw the line on having more children.
Six Children Just Wasn’t Enough!
Regardless of our own age, what would you imagine anting to do at the age of 51? We can tell you only thing having children is not at the top of most women’s lists at that age. Menopause is settling in for most, and if not yet, it is right on the horizon.
Most women at Kimberly’s age have closed the book on having babies, but if it were to happen organically, then that is that. But Kimberly was determined to have a big family, and she simply wanted to give birth one last time. When she was 20-years old, she actually had her tubes tied. This was after she had her first three children, Jessica Kayla, and Richard. Luckily for her, this procedure can be reversed, which she had done so that she could have three more children.
You might think that she finally drew the line there at six children, and it appears that so did Kimberly, because she tied her tubes for the second time at 34 years old. But… love has a way of throwing a spanner into the works, and she ended up meeting a younger guy that she fell in love with. This inspired her to reverse the second tubal litigation.
Kimberly explained, ‘I had a younger boyfriend, and we had talked about getting married and wanting to have a child together. That’s why I decided to have the second reversal.
Read: Mom Gives Birth To 16th Baby, And Each Child’s Name Begins With ‘C’ For A Special Reason
Sadly, their relationship did not work out in the end, but her dream of having a seventh child did not die with their union. She said, ‘The boyfriend became toxic but I didn’t give up on the dream of having another child. It didn’t stop because the relationship was over, I just continued the journey.
Kimberly and her Seventh child
At 51-years old, Kimberly did not fall pregnant organically. In fact, she paid about $35,000in IVF treatments to facilitate the fertilization of her eggs, which her doctor had warned are not of the highest quality as they once were (which is to be expected). Her doctor told her that the chances of a successful pregnancy were quite low because of her age, but that did not deter her.
Kimberly told reporters, ‘It’s been a really rough journey; I’ve spent about $35,000 and went through a lot. Trying to find a doctor who would even sign off on it for my age when was hard.
But, Tyrique was born into this world at 32 weeks of pregnancy, after a placenta abruption. Kimberly was gushing with love as she told the reporters how about the relationship between her children, and how she knew Tyrique would be included.
“My kids are very bonded and love each other very much, they won’t say that Tyrique isn’t their biological brother, they’ll say, ‘he’s my brother. ‘They have a lot of love in their hearts and are really great kids, I’m very fortunate that they have each other. I’m blessed. He’s growing every day and he’s getting stronger every day, he’s my little fighter, he’s my lucky charm. I’m looking forward to bringing him home.”
Having kids after 50
Of course, having children after 50 years old comes with many risks. Pregnancy after 35 years of age, or what is known as a geriatric pregnancy comes with a higher risk of several conditions including high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, and chromosomal disorders like Downs syndrome [3]. However, an increase in risk does not mean you will definitely experience any of the aforementioned conditions, nor does it mean that your fertility “goes out the window” after 35. If you’re looking to get pregnant at all, its always best to speak to your doctor about any existing risks.
In the end, Kimberly gave birth to a lovely and healthy baby. We wish her all the best!
Keep Reading: ‘My Dad Wants Me To Be A Surrogate For Him And His New Wife – I Feel Nauseous’
Sources
- “The surprising truth about becoming a mother in your 50s – from the women who know.” The Guardian. Joanna Moorhead.
- “Grandmother, 51, welcomes her SEVENTH child thanks to IVF with a donor egg and sperm.” Daily Mail. Jessica Summers. April 1, 2022.
- “Geriatric Pregnancy” Grow by WebMD. July 17, 2020.