I Was Wrong To Have A Baby At 57, Admits IVF Mom
Susan Tollefsen caused a controversy back in 2008 when she became a first-time mom at the age of 57. Tollefsen used IVF treatment to conceive and, at the time, critics claimed she was too old to have a baby. She ignored the naysayers and is now mom to a healthy 3-year-old girl named Freya. But here’s the thing: Tollefsen, 61, has since had a change of heart and she’s now claiming that 50 should be the cut-off limit for having children.
“[Having Freya] was without a doubt the best thing I have ever done in my life,” she told the Daily Telegraph. “[But] with the benefit of hindsight I recognize that perhaps some of my critics were right… I get a great emotional feeling when I look at her and a sadness when I realize that time’s running out. If I could change just one thing I would wish to be younger so I could enjoy watching Freya grow up, get married and have children of her own.”
Tollefson, who lives in Britain, conceived Freya with a donor egg and sperm from her then-partner Nick Mayer, who’s 11 years her junior. The couple has since split; in fact, she told the Telegraphthat the “shock” of having a baby is what led to the breakdown of her relationship. “He didn’t want his life to change at all, even though mine had changed completely,” she said.[tagbox tag=”IVF”]
While Tollefson said that having her daughter was “without a doubt the best think I have ever done in my life,” she admits her age has made it difficult. “It’s so true that you only learn by your own mistakes, and my mistake was not to have had her sooner.”
She also addressed feeling somewhat isolated as a mom, given her age. “One thing I didn’t realize I would encounter is the difference between myself and some of the other mums at the school gates,” she said. “They are nice people but we are so different – we are from different generations. I have little in common with most of them. Sometimes I envy them, their youth and infinite chances.”
(Photo: dailymail.co.uk)
