The birth of a brother or sister can always be tough on kids but evidently that’s especially true when those children are already middle-aged.
A 67-year-old woman, surnamed Tian, in the Shandong city of Zaozhuang gave birth on Friday to a baby girl in the same hospital where she used to work as a doctor before she retired.
While it may have been a happy day for her and her 68-year-old husband, the couple’s other two children were evidently not overjoyed to welcome their younger sister into the world, failing to visit their mom at the hospital.
Tian told reporters that her children, both in their forties, had even threatened to cut off all contact with her if she continued with the pregnancy.
It’s unclear exactly why the two were so opposed but it seems likely that they fear being held responsible for the child should their parents die of old age or be unable to handle the rigors of parenthood.
The child was reportedly naturally conceived. Tian’s husband, surnamed Huang, has explained that his wife had already gone through menopause and that they were not trying to have another kid, but that traditional Chinese medicine his wife was taking for her blood pressure had evidently caused her menstrual cycle to return.
Huang added that he is not worried about his child’s future, noting that he exercises regularly and is in fine physical shape.
The delivery was made through c-section. The child weighed 2.56 kilograms (5.6 pounds) at birth. Tian and Huang decided to name her Tianci (天赐), meaning “bestowed by heaven.” After staying at the hospital until Monday, both mother and daughter have checked out and gone home.
At 67 years young, Tian would appear to be the world’s oldest natural mother. A woman from India holds the overall record at 73 years old after getting pregnant via IVF.
Tian’s delivery comes at a time in China when some older women are also trying to get pregnant after being denied the chance to have multiple children when they were younger by China’s one-child policy. China now has a two-child policy and it’s unclear if Tian will get into any trouble for having a third kid.
