UPDATE
Annegret Raunigk, a 65-year-old German grandmother, has delivered quadruplets, making her the oldest mother in the world to do so. The newborns, named Neeta, Dries, Bence and Fjonn, now make her a mother to a grand total of 17 children (and seven grandchildren).
The babies were born prematurely at 26 weeks, and are all currently being kept in incubators at a neonatal ward in Germany.
Previously The Weekly reported:
A 65-year-old woman is about to become the oldest woman to ever give birth to quadruplets.
German Annegret Raunigk is 65 years old, a mother to 13, and 21 weeks pregnant with quadruplets.
The pregnancy, which was achieved through artificial insemination using donor eggs and sperm, reportedly left Raunigk “shocked” when she found out.
“After the doctor discovered there were four, I had to give it some thought to begin with,” she says of the pregnancy.
Raunigk underwent IVF treatments for over 1 year and a half before having the four embryos implant successfully, a decision she says was spurred after her youngest daughter, 9, requested another sibling. Raunigk’s eldest child is 44.
Despite the criticism of both her age and her already sizable family, Raunigk says she is happy with the pregnancy and has defended her decision, saying, “I think one needs to decide for oneself and not listen too much to the opinions of others.”
If Raunigk’s quadruplets are born safe, the Berlin schoolteacher will take over the record from Merryl Fudel, who was 55 at the time of giving birth.
Raunigk is set to retire this year, after which she will begin filming a TV documentary about her life.
Annegret Raunigk
