A mother in India who had her first baby aged 72 has admitted her health has suffered since she gave birth.
Daljinder Kaur, 73, from Amritsar, in Punjab, northern India, delivered her first child on April 19, last year, but since the birth she has suffered with a high blood pressure and weakening joints.
Her son Armaan is now crawling, which is taking its toll on his elderly mother who stopped breastfeeding the youngster at three months.
Daljinder Kaur, 73, poses for a picture with her newly born baby boy, Arman Singh, outside her residence in Amritsar city of Punjab, India
Mohinder Singh Gill, 80, poses for a picture with his wife Daljinder Kaur, 73, and their newly born baby boy, Arman Singh
Daljinder Kaur, 73, said having a baby at her age has come at a price, but she has no regrets
She said: ‘My blood pressure has suffered and I get tired very easily now. I’ve seen several doctors but they just give me medicines and a diet plan.
‘I’m worried for Armaan. I have to take care of my health but I have to care of Armaan too.
‘Since he’s been crawling I’m on my hands and knees and it’s hard. My body can’t take it. It’s been harder than I thought.’
Daljinder delivered her first child after 46 years of marriage.
Her husband Mohinder Singh Gill, 80, agreed to have IVF treatment following several failed attempts at having their own child.
Dr Anurag Bishnoi, 43, who runs the National Fertility Centre, in Hisar, India, decided to help the couple become a family.
Husband Mohinder Singh Gill, 80, (left) agreed to have IVF treatment following several failed attempts at having his own child with his wife (right)
Armaan Singh, who will be one next month, weighed just 3lbs 9oz at the time of birth but still only weighs 15lbs.
‘He’s still underweight,’ she said. ‘He’s quite thin and even diapers of his age don’t fit him.
‘He could possibly be thin because I didn’t feed him properly. I stopped breastfeeding him at three months as my milk wasn’t developing well.
‘We’ve asked doctors if there’s any medicine we can give him to increase his weight but they said let him gain weight naturally.’
Daljinder feels that her age has made motherhood difficult.
She added: ‘I feel exhausted easily and the only time I get to rest is when he falls asleep.
‘My husband and I fall ill frequently due to our age but we have to cope as we have to take care of our son.
Album picture of Daljinder Kaur with her husband Mohinder Singh Gill at the wedding ceremony of her brother-in-law in the 1970s in Punjab, India
‘I do most of the work but his father contributes in whatever way he can.
‘So, we collectively have taken the responsibility of raising our child in whatever way we can.’
But Daljinder has no regrets.
‘No matter where I am,’ she said, ‘he’ll come crawling to me. I love him.
‘He is a friendly child and smiles at everyone.
‘This makes things very easy for me because I can be at ease when someone is around.
‘I spend all day with him. We decided not to get any help. He loves his father a lot.
‘He’s always in his arms if I’m busy cooking or doing house work.’
When Armaan turns one, on April 19, Daljinder and Mohinder plan to take him to the Golden Temple, in Amritsar, to seek blessings from God.
She said: ‘We do not want a party. He has been a blessing from God so we’ll continue to respect that and take him to the Golden Temple for blessings for his good health and bright future.
‘We also need blessings; we need as many good blessings as possible for our good health.’