In a case that has sparked controversy in Germany, teacher Annegret Raunigk – who has already had 13 children – gave birth to the quadruplets by Caesarian section after travelling to Ukraine for fertility treatment with anonymous sperm and egg donors.
The three baby boys and a girl, who weighed between 655 and 960 grams (1.4 to 2.1 pounds) at birth, were described by Buehrer as “absolute high risk” cases. Two of the newborns had to be given help breathing, and two had to undergo surgery.
Remarkably, Raunigk’s pregnancy was free of major complications and all her babies weighed more than five pounds when they were born. However, two of her newborns had to be given breathing support and two had to undergo surgery after their birth.
Raunigk said she was not afraid for her health or the health of her children during her pregnancy. The 65-year-olds other kids are ages 10 to 44 and now she’s considered the world’s oldest mother of quadruplets. Raunigk also has seven grandchildren, which means her quadruplets are actually younger than her grandkids.