Home / Birth / Birth Stories This rockstar mama gave birth at 57 Barbara Higgins/Facebook The New Hampshire woman was weightlifting until the day she went into labor! By Jamie Orsini March 25, 2021 Barbara Higgins/Facebook Rectangle Just call her mama. 57-year-old Barbara Higgins gave birth to a healthy baby boy over the weekend, making her one of the oldest women in the United States to give birth. Higgins labored for three hours before delivering her son Jack. The teacher credits good genes and an active lifestyle to having a healthy pregnancy with baby Jack. She told NBC10 in Boston that she was lifting weights until the day she went into labor. “All that crazy CrossFit stuff that you hear about,” she said. Higgins and her husband Kenny Banzhoff began discussing having a third child following the 2016 loss of their daughter, Molly. They found an IVF clinic in Boston that agreed to treat a woman in her 50s and with their help, became pregnant with Jack. Higgins and Banzhoff say that her age didn’t factor into their decision to have another child. “Nobody gives birth to a baby and know with any certainty that they will be alive to see that baby grow up,” Higgins said. Barbara Higgins/ NBC Boston “I don’t know how I will be in 10 years, but how will you be in 10 years? And why should Jack not get to be alive because I’m old?” the new mom added. We love that attitude! Look, more women are choosing to start or add to their families later in life. It’s a beautiful thing! There’s no right way to become a mother or parent. It’s about what works best for you. We support you, mama, however you choose to grow your family. Related Stories Parenting After an IVF mix-up, two moms raised each other’s baby—here’s what happened (and how to protect your family) Birth Why every mom deserves a doula (and how Texas is stepping up to help) Birth ‘You kept me calm’: Michigan mom delivers baby in ambulance with help from heroic first responders The latest Birth Am I really done having babies? Parenting After an IVF mix-up, two moms raised each other’s baby—here’s what happened (and how to protect your family) Birth Black Moms are being told to ‘speak up’ during birth—but they deserve better, too Birth Why every mom deserves a doula (and how Texas is stepping up to help)