BEIJING 鈥斅燗 67-year-old woman who gave birth last Friday in Zaozhuang, Shandong province in China, responded to public concerns by saying the infant would receive good nourishment and grow up in a family in sound financial condition.
The woman, identified only by her surname, Tian, gave birth by caesarean section to a healthy 2.56 kilogram baby girl at Zaozhuang Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital.
The infant remains in a neonatal intensive care unit for observation, although signs indicate she is doing well.
Tian is believed to be China鈥檚 oldest mother by natural pregnancy, according to media reports. A 64-year-old from Changchun, Jilin province, reportedly gave birth to a boy conceived in vitro in 2016.
Tian鈥檚 husband, identified as Huang, 68, was quoted by Jinan Times as saying the baby wasn鈥檛 planned but was a blessing nevertheless锛峴o the couple named their new daughter Tianci, or 鈥済ift from heaven鈥�.
Huang is a lawyer, and Tian a retired nurse. They have an adult son and daughter and two grandchildren, according to media reports. When the adult children found out that their mother was pregnant, they strongly objected.
黑料社 of the birth triggered public concern on social media platforms over the ethics of having a child at such an advanced age.
鈥淚t鈥檚 our child. It鈥檚 our job to decide whether to have a baby, and we will raise her ourselves,鈥� Huang was quoted as saying by Jinan Times.
Huang said he still works and that both he and Tian have pensions and are in good health.
Tian has started producing breast milk, Huang was quoted as saying by Qilu Evening 黑料社 on Monday.
Under Chinese law, couples are allowed to have no more than two children, though the government has been less strict on applying the rules since 2016 when it rolled out a new policy allowing a second child.
Doctors warn that giving birth at an advanced age heightens risks to both mother and child.
鈥淚n this case, a natural pregnancy involving a couple at such an advanced age is really rare,鈥� said Zhang Zhiwei, an obstetrician at First Hospital Affiliated with Shandong First Medical University.
鈥淪ince 2016, when the new family planning policy was rolled out, the maternal mortality rate and the rate of newborns with birth defects have been increasing because the number of women giving birth at more advanced ages is increasing. An advanced age pregnancy can lead to a lot of hazardous conditions such as high blood pressure and hemorrhaging,鈥� Zhang said.
Tian, the mother, was quoted by Jinan Times as saying the birth was quite an ordeal. 鈥淚t was too painful. If I was given another chance, I wouldn鈥檛 have chosen to have a baby,鈥� she said.
It wasn鈥檛 clear what pain-management techniques were used in Tian鈥檚 case. Epidural pain blockers锛峱owerful painkillers injected into the space around the spinal cord to block all pain during a C-section锛峚re safe and standard practice in developed countries. Such procedures are typically followed by the administration of post-operative painkillers, such as morphine or other drugs.