A 60-year-old woman gave birth at Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot Tuesday after doctors performed emergency surgery to save the lives of both her and her baby. The mother, a resident of Israel's coastal region, was hospitalized last Thursday for a caesarian section due to severe pre-eclampsia, which doctors said presented a serious risk to both the woman and her baby. Within an hour, an extensive medical team that included two gynecologists, two pediatricians, a midwife and three nurses, successfully delivered a healthy baby girl weighing 2.2 kilograms (4.85 pound) and stabilized the mother's condition. Both are still hospitalized in Kaplan's maternity ward and are doing very well, the doctors said. A statement by the hospital said the woman, the oldest to ever deliver a baby at Kaplan, was treated by Dr. Ilya Barr at the Fertility Medical Center in Ramat Aviv. The complex care the fetus received included surgery to remove a growth that had developed inside the woman's womb. Barr said the woman's case was proof it was possible to have a successful pregnancy and delivery at an older age, despite the many difficulties and challenges involved. Dr. Yael Naaman, an obstetric specialist at Kaplan who delivered the baby along with obstetric specialist Dr. Moshe Gilor, explained that "the woman was given medication throughout the surgery, and thankfully the baby was delivered healthy and alert, and received follow-up care from a neonatal physician. The mother is recovering with the help of the attending medical team and she's with the baby whenever possible," she said. The mother expressed her gratitude to the dedicated medical staff for saving her and her baby's lives. "As soon as I was taken into the operating room, a large medical team, the likes of which I had never seen before, was waiting there for me. They calmed me down. The nurse sat next to me throughout the entire surgery and talked to me, wiped my face with a cloth and encouraged me. Everyone was smiling. And my life's greatest joy was when the staff showed me my baby girl, who I have waited so many years to have," she said. This woman, however, was not the oldest to ever give birth in Israel. In May 2016, a 65-year-old woman from Bnei Brak gave birth to her first son at Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba. In 2003, a 64-year-old woman gave birth at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. Ofra Balaban, who heads the CHEN Patient Fertility Association said, "This case illustrates how critical a woman's age is. Pregnancy at this age could put the woman's life in immediate danger. We want a happy family in the end. We must make people aware that technology is good and well but must be tailored to the woman's age. On a personal level, I congratulate her and wish her all the best with raising her child. For other women, this case serves as a warning."
