Trenton, New Jersey - A 60-year-old woman became a mother, twice over, when
she delivered a pair of boys Tuesday. Frieda Birnbaum gave birth to "Baby A" at
12:44 pm and "Baby B" a minute later by Caesarean section at Hackensack
University Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Nancy Radwin said. The twins
each weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces, she said.
In this handout photo
provided by Hackensack University Medical Center, newborn twin boys are
held by Dr. Abdulla Al-Khan, center, who delivered them, while their
parents Kenneth and Frieda Birnbaum look on at Hackensack University
Medical Center in Hackensack, N.J., Wednesday, May 23,
2007. [AP]
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"The mom is in recovery, and she and
the babies are doing really well," Radwin said, declining a request to speak
with the mother.
Hospital officials believe Birnbaum may be the oldest woman to give birth to
twins in the United States, Radwin said.
Birnbaum, a psychologist from Saddle River, underwent in-vitro fertilization
last year in Cape Town, South Africa, at a center that specializes in older
women. She and her husband, Ken, a New York attorney, have been married for 38
years and have three other children -- sons ages 6 and 33 and a daughter,
29.
Birnbaum told Fox News she wanted her younger son to have siblings closer to
his age and wanted to remove some of the stigma attached to older women giving
birth.
Coincidentally, Tuesday was the birthday of twins born one year ago to a
59-year-old woman -- also to a New Jersey woman. Lauren Cohen gave birth to
Gregory and Giselle on May 22, 2006, at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia.
Cohen said Birnbaum contacted her after seeing her name in a magazine and
that the two quickly became friends.
"We talked about babies; I suggested things that would be helpful when you
try to feed two babies simultaneously," Cohen said.