HACKENSACK, N.J., May 24, 2007
60-Year-Old Woman Gives Birth To Twins
N.J. Psychologist Says She Wants Women To Feel Empowered To Pursue Goals Despite Age
-
Play CBS Video Video 60-Year-Old Woman Gives Birth Frieda Birnbaum delivered twin boys at 60 years old, making her the oldest woman to give birth in the U.S. She tells Hannah Storm that she hopes her experience empowers other women.
-
Frieda Birnbaum, with husband Ken, who at age 60 delivered twin boys, appearing on The Early Show. (CBS)
-
Quiz Bundle Of Joy Can pregnant women change cat litter? And is it safe for them to drink diet soda? Take Dr. Mallika Marshall's quiz and find out.
-
Interactive Twins: Separated At Birth Find out more about the similarities and differences of twins separated at birth.
Frieda Birnbaum gave birth to "Baby A" at 12:44 p.m. and "Baby B" a minute later by Caesarean section at Hackensack University Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Nancy Radwin said. The twins each weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces, she said.
Birnbaum told CBS' The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm that age and longevity were not considerations for her. "I didn't know I was that old. And then I'm looking at the media and seeing '60-year-old woman.' I said, 'That's me?' Because I don't know what age means, you know? I feel like a 40-year-old."
"It's being defined as something incredible. I'm not doing anything incredible; my energy, my pregnancy, my delivery — there were no complications.
Birnbaum, a psychologist from Saddle River, underwent in-vitro fertilization last year in Cape Town, South Africa, at a center that specializes in older women. She and her husband, Ken, a New York attorney, have been married for 38 years.
"I suppose age has been redefined, hopefully," she told Storm, admitting that her television appearance was in part to let other women know that "if they feel like it and they feel young enough, go do whatever it is you want to do. It's about empowerment for women."
Birnbaum was not concerned by the fact that she would be 80 when her twin boys attend college. "My parents both lived on into their 90s," she said. "My father was 92; my mother was 89. They were mentally sound. And they'd both be alive [today] if not for medical negligence. So we've had no problems with that decision, as far as longevity is concerned."
She said she and her husband wanted their 6 ½-year-old boy to have siblings of a comparable age. (They have two older children — a son, 33, and a daughter, 29).
Coincidentally, Tuesday was the birthday of twins born one year ago to a 59-year-old woman — also to a New Jersey woman. Lauren Cohen gave birth to Gregory and Giselle on May 22, 2006, at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia.
Cohen said Birnbaum contacted her after seeing her name in a magazine and that the two quickly became friends.
"We talked about babies; I suggested things that would be helpful when you try to feed two babies simultaneously," Cohen said.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More From Health
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- next
See all 74 CommentsThis husband is probably not even the biological father of these boys just as his wife is obviously not the biological mother.
http://how-old-is-too-old.blogspot.com/
Those who preach as Mormonman1 does with his self righteous attitude, usually have many skeletons in their own closet. You made an excellent point about Polygamy! Now we know why he's the way he is. Wonder how many of his wives are minors....EEEEKKKKK! Run while you can ladies! :-)
Cheap Shot vs. Intelligence: Oh, was I mistaken? Are you all now giving MORE than 20% of your income to the Mormon Church? My bad! That%u2019s not so cheap! As far as intelligence goes on your part: You are making it completely obvious to everyone that you are just another Bible Thumper passing judgment on others when you can%u2019t even make sense of your own statement by DARING to compare a couple%u2019s decision to have a child through medical science with %u2018whacko%u2019s%u2019 who would defend marrying a goat? That has got to be the most ridiculous thing I%u2019ve heard on this comment site. Your close-minded, ignorant attitude sure does sounds as if you have not been out much in the modern world, unless it%u2019s your own guilty conscience about what your personal fantasy is with goats!
Posted by angelachevy
MORMANMAN1's Quote from today:
You can always tell when you're right when people start taking cheap, personal shots at you, because they don't have anything intelligent left to say. =)
Cheap Shot vs. Intelligence: Oh, was I mistaken? Are you all now giving MORE than 20% of your income to the Mormon Church? My bad! That%u2019s not so cheap! As far as intelligence goes on your part: You are making it completely obvious to everyone that you are just another Bible Thumper passing judgment on others when you can%u2019t even make sense of your own statement by DARING to compare a couple%u2019s decision to have a child through medical science with %u2018whacko%u2019s%u2019 who would defend marrying a goat? That has got to be the most ridiculous thing I%u2019ve heard on this comment site. Your close-minded, ignorant attitude sure does sounds as if you have not been out much in the modern world, unless it%u2019s your own guilty conscience about what your personal fantasy is with goats!
Cheap shots??? YOU are the one who took a cheap shot by saying "All the other whackos here trying to justify using I.V.F, petri dishes, injected hormones, ect. to artificially conceive at a grandmother's age are the same people who would defend someone's decision to marry an goat or legally adopt a monkey as a child." You said people who think this others shouldn't have kids through petri dishes etc etc are the same people who advocate marrying a goat...THAT is a cheap shot.
"You can always tell when you're right when people start taking cheap, personal shots at you, because they don't have anything intelligent left to say. =) Posted by mormonman1"
You don't think having the internal female organs of a 13 year old, when you are 34, is a good thing, or do you?
"So she gave birth to 3 healthy children. Then what's the problem? I know plenty of people that are health nuts and id perfect physical condition but are unable to have 1 child. So since she was able to give birth to 3 she doesn't sound like she has much of a problem."
Posted by Phoenix1218 at 09:36 AM : May 25, 2007
I'm well aware of what pregnancy can do to a child's body. I wasn't advocating DOING it. I was making a historical point about the social norms of what constituted the correct age of motherhood. In this case, is a mother outside the traditional ages, based on health and medical advances, an anomoly or becoming more the norm?
So she gave birth to 3 healthy children. Then what's the problem? I know plenty of people that are health nuts and id perfect physical condition but are unable to have 1 child. So since she was able to give birth to 3 she doesn't sound like she has much of a problem.
:-).
Yes, you are absolutely right about HUNDREDS of years ago that 12 year old girls got married, and some even had kids at the age of 13 & 14, but what YOU do NOT know is that having a child at that young of an age can mess up your female organs inside your body. I know it still goes on now in this day and age in some countries, it doens't make it right. I have an ex-SIL who was molested & got pregnant at the age of 13. She had the baby and gave it up for adoption but she had so many difficulties carrying and delivering my 2 nephews because of having a child so young. Her internal female organs forever remained the size of a preteen girl. She went on to have my 2 nephews with GREAT difficulty but she can have no more children. Is this right, to have children at THAT young of an age, knowing what we know about what can happen to the young girl?
The following are the definitions of Chimera.
~Chimera~
1)a mythological, fire-breathing monster, commonly represented with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.
2) any similarly grotesque monster having disparate parts, esp. as depicted in decorative art.
3) a horrible or unreal creature of the imagination; a vain or idle fancy: He is far different from the chimera your fears have made of him.
4) an organism composed of two or more genetically distinct tissues, as an organism that is partly male and partly female, or an artificially produced individual having tissues of several species. (This is the one found in humans...people that have 2 strands of DNA in their one body...wierd, but it DOES happen)
Posted by Phoenix1218 at 03:39 PM : May 24, 2007
Just to play devil's advocate for the sake of discussion - couple of hundred years ago (if even that long ago), 12 was the age of marriage; most were mothers at 13-14. The average "old age" was around 40.
So, for the sake of argument, is the older mother less an anomoly and more of the upcoming "normal" for our society, as the young mothers were back then, based on medical advances and health care?
She'll be 81 when they graduate college.
The first time they play peek-a-boo, she'll probably have a stroke.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- next
See all 74 Comments