Doctor reveals mother, child healthy after delivery room photos go viral

A 64-year-old woman in Jilin province is believed to have become the oldest in China to give birth on Wednesday.

The unnamed mother delivered a boy weighing 3.7 kilograms through cesarean section at the No 2 Hospital Affiliated with Jilin University.

Photos uploaded to social media on Wednesday showed the woman in a delivery room and a nurse holding a newborn. They quickly went viral.

The woman and her husband declined to be interviewed, but people close to the family said the couple had decided to have the baby after losing their first child.

Teng Hong, a doctor who helped with the delivery, said the mother went through menopause about a decade ago. She was able to conceive after undergoing in vitro fertilization overseas.

Due to her age, the woman faced a lot of health risks during pregnancy, including gestational diabetes and internal bleeding, Teng said.

"But she's very strong. She received treatment with an optimistic attitude and overcame all the difficulties to gave birth."

She said the baby is in good condition. As the woman is no longer able to lactate, the child is being fed baby formula.

"We're keeping a close eye on the mother because women of this age can encounter cardiac failure and uncontrollable bleeding during or after a C-section, which are very dangerous," Teng said. "Fortunately, her physical and mental state has been very good so far."

In recent years, China has seen several cases of older mothers having children. Although there is no official data, including who is the oldest, anecdotal evidence suggests most of the women had lost their only child.

Teng said she had a patient who gave birth two years ago at age 53 after losing a child, while in July, a 61-year-old gave birth after her only daughter died of disease at 30.

It is a risky decision to have a child so late, but also a brave and understandable one, the doctor said.

"The successful delivery on Wednesday will bring hope to others like her, letting them know that they can also have babies and find happiness again with the help of assisted reproductive technology," Teng said.