A 66-year-old woman has given birth to her 10th child. Alexandra Hildebrandt, director of the Checkpoint Charlie Museum in Berlin, Germany, gave birth to a son named Philipp, on March 19, 2025. Like many of her other children, Philipp was delivered via a cesarean section.
According to German news agency DPA, Alexandra welcomed the majority of her children after she turned 53. She is mom to Svitlana, 46; Artiom, 36; Elisabeth, 12; Maximilian, 12; Alexandra, 10; Leopold, 8; Anna, 7; Maria, 4; and Katharina, 2, Today.com reported. Eight of her children were delivered via C-section.
Of course, because fertility declines with age, conceiving at age 66 is quite rare. Alexandra told DPA, however, that she did not rely on any reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization to conceive. She told the German news outlet Bild that she has prioritized her health. “I eat very healthily, swim regularly for an hour, walk for two hours, don’t smoke or drink and have never used contraceptives,” Alexandra said.
The terms “advanced maternal age” or “geriatric pregnancy” are usually used to refer to people who become pregnant after age 35. These pregnancies come with increased risk for complications such as preeclampsia, premature birth, and low birth weight, per Cleveland Clinic. Additionally, getting pregnant at an older age also increases the risk of having a child with Down syndrome or other genetic disorders.
In spite of these risks, Dr. Wolfgang Henrich, her OB/GYN, said Alexandra’s pregnancy “was a largely uncomplicated pregnancy.”
In an email to Today.com, Alexandra spoke highly of having a big family. “A big family is not only something wonderful, but above all, it is important for raising children properly,” she wrote. The 66-year-old mother added that when she shared her pregnancy news with friends and family, she “only received positive feedback.”
