60-year-old N.J. woman delivers twins - UPDATE: She defends her decision to have kids at 60...

[sws4420]

TRENTON, N.J. - A 60-year-old woman became a mother, twice over, when she delivered a pair of boys Tuesday.

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.

“The mom is in recovery, and she and the babies are doing really well,” Radwin said, declining a request to speak with the mother.

Hospital officials believe Birnbaum may be the oldest woman to give birth to twins in the United States, Radwin said.

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 and have three other children — sons ages 6 and 33 and a daughter, 29.

Birnbaum told Fox News she wanted her younger son to have siblings closer to his age and wanted to remove some of the stigma attached to older women giving birth.

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.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18817248/

[Venus]

Thank-God I am done with bearing children. I can't imagine being a mom to a baby at the age of 60.

[sws4420]

Women like this are the most selfish people on the planet. I think it's disgusting.

[MedicCook]

I could not imagine having to be the parents of a newborn at the age of 60. Most likely the kids parents will be dead before they ever graduate from high school.


Women like this are the most selfish people on the planet. I think it's disgusting.

It is not just her but her husband also since he had went along with it.

[sws4420]

Agreed. I think they're both ridiculous. These kids are never going to know their siblings, and they're going to be without parents pretty early in their lives. It's disgusting.

[sws4420]

Update:

Woman defends decision to give birth at 60
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/070524/tdy_morales_twins2_070524.300w.jpg

Those who believe it is wrong for older women to bear children need to get in step with a society that is living longer, a 60-year-old woman who gave birth to twins this week said Thursday on TODAY.

“It's wonderful. It's wonderful,” Frieda Birnbaum, who delivered healthy baby boys on Tuesday, said during a live interview from a New Jersey hospital. Birnbarm is believed to be the oldest woman ever to give birth to twins in the U.S.

“I think those people need to get ready for what's coming up in our society. Whenever there's anything new, people cannot comprehend or have difficult getting comfortable," she said. "There are a lot of middle-aged women [having babies] — 40s, 50s, now I just turned 60. That's going to be acceptable. They have to just keep up with what's going on with society.”

Birnbaum and her husband of 38 years, New York attorney Ken Birnbaum, traveled to South Africa last year to a center that specializes in in-vitro fertilization of older women. The procedure was a success. It surprised no one more than Birnbaum's obstetrician, Dr. Abdulla Al-Khan.

“ ‘Wow!’ was my reaction. I had a little difficulty believing she was pregnant, until we confirmed it with ultrasound,” Al-Khan told TODAY anchor Meredith Vieira.

Birnbaum's adult children had trouble believing it, too. Alana Birnbaum, 29, told the New York Daily News that she was against her parents' decision to have another child so late in life.

“She's youthful for her age but I don't think it's good,” Alana Birnbaum told the tabloid. “She should be going to the gym and taking time for herself — not taking on more stresses and responsibilities ... Am I happy at all about this? No. I'm not,” she said.

Her choice
Asked about her daughter's comment by Vieira, Frieda Birnbaum said the decision was hers and her husband’s to make, and she hopes someday her daughter — and others — will realize how much freedom modern women have and feel empowered by it.

“I hope I'm a role model for my daughter, that when she gets older she can make her own decision based on who she is, rather than what society dictates,” Birnbaum said.

The boys, who tipped the scales at 4 pounds, 11 ounces each when they were delivered by C-section within minutes of each other at the Hackensack University Medical Center, are doing well. The couple named them Jake and Jared.

The Birnbaums also have two other sons — ages 33 and 6. Frieda told Fox News that part of the reason for her decision was that she wanted her younger child to have siblings closer to his age.

Al-Khan cautioned that having children late in life is risky for mother and child. He recommended that anyone considering it consult a physician first, become informed and seek out counseling to make sure late-life motherhood is what they really want.

“I can't be judgmental about that. This has taught me to be very open-minded,” Al-Khan said.

Earlier this year, a woman in Spain delivered twins at age 67, believed to be a world record.

Birnbaum and her sons are scheduled to leave the hospital on Saturday.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18841574/

[Donna]

to each her own i guess.........i wouldn't wanna be doing that crap at 60.......

[sws4420]

Assume they both die at a reasonable age, like 70ish. Where do the kids go then? Her adult kids? It's just incredibly selfish.

[Donna]

Assume they both die at a reasonable age, like 70ish. Where do the kids go then? Her adult kids? It's just incredibly selfish.

I agree completely........

[Crystal]

They definetly don't look like there in there 60s, especially the husband. I agree that it's a selfish act to. Not only are they going to lose there parents at a young age, but really how energetic is a 60 year old to actually spend time with these children, and do things like ride bikes, go roller skating and all the other fun stuff children need.