Following years of struggling to conceive, Ethiopian woman gives birth at 56.
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHFormer Ethiopian immigrant has baby at 56 at Kaplan Medical Center.(photo credit: Courtesy)
A 56-year-old Kiryat Malachi woman gave birth at the age of 56 to her first child -- a healthy 3.01-kilo baby boy.The new mother came on aliya from Ethiopia during Operation Solomon in 1991.Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot reported on Monday that the woman was kept in a hospital bed for a month to protect the fetus from movement that could endanger the birth, which was carried out by cesarean section.The woman, Tami, has nine brothers and always dreamed of having her own child, but she and her husband did not succeed. After a long, supportive talk with her niece, who urged her not to give up, she discovered she was pregnant. She thanked the hospital staff for their devotion and support. “I am so excited that I am now able to hold this stota (“gift” in Amharic) in my arms,” she said.Prof. Zion Hagai, head of obstetrics at the hosptial, said that “the Kaplan medical staff honor the will of women who want to become a mother even at an advanced age. There is no doubt that there are risks posed by pregnancy and during a cesarean section at an advanced age. But at the same time, the risks vs. benefits are considered, especially for a first birth... In this case, Tami gave birth to a healthy baby.”
