by The Surprising Truth About Becoming The First Mother At 51 And She Want To Try For Twins At 56
The number of births to women aged over 50 is soaring. But what’s the real story behind the rise? A mother talk about the joy of finally having a baby long after it would once have been possible.
Susan Rufrano-Waitzman spent most of her working life as a singer and dancer on cruise ships, and never found the right time or person to have a child with. However, this all changed when she fell in love with her now-husband Josh Waitzman, after meeting him at the age of 44.
She said“I never wanted to be married and have children when I was younger but when I met Josh, we both knew we wanted them together.”
After a year of dating, the lovebirds started to plan their wedding and trying for a baby, and around the same time, Susan switched her jobs to become an entertainment director in the US. Josh, who also worked on cruise ships, was forced to make dashes back to land to see Susan as they tried to make the most of her ovulation cycle. In 2012, the Florida-ʙᴀsᴇᴅ ᴘᴀɪʀ ᴅᴇFɪᴇᴅ ᴏᴅᴅs ᴛᴏ Fᴀʟʟ pregnant naturally when Susan was 46.
She said: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the two solid lines.” However, their joy was cut short when Susan ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ at nine weeks.
The couple didn’t give up hope, however, and began I.V.F ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ and the ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏ Fʀᴇᴇᴢɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇss a few months later.
When the first two rounds of I.V.F failed, Susan was asked by her fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟɪsᴛ if she wantes to ɪɴᴠᴇsᴛɪɢᴀᴛᴇ the ᴏᴘᴛɪᴏɴ of ᴅᴏɴᴏʀ ᴇɢɢs or sᴘᴇʀᴍ to better her ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇs. However, she wasn’t ready to give up on having her and Josh’s own ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ children just yet. Her persistence eventually paid off and three years after her first attempt at the age of 50, Susan fell pregnant on her third I.V.F cycle.
Susan enjoyed a ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏn-free pregnancy, but when it came time for the birth, she ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴀʟʟ-ᴛᴏᴏ-ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏsɪɴɢ the baby she had desperately waited years to bring into the world. Despite the ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀᴛɪᴄ delivery, Susan and Josh’s baby girl, Morgan, arrived in perfect health in October, 2016. With their little girl four years old and Susan aged 56, the couple are now hoping to try for their second child with one of their Fʀᴏᴢᴇɴ ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏs.
She said: “I always wanted twins, so if I had them in our next round I would be satisfied – but I would like Morgan to have a sibling either way.”
While there are those out there who have criticised Susan and Josh for having children so late in life, the energetic and committed couple are adamant their daughter and any other children they may have in the future are lucky to have them as parents. I try to put the whole age and number thing out of my sight. I want to be a champion for all the women out there who are trying to have a baby in their 40s and 50s and say, ‘Don’t give up!’”
