51-Year-Old Mom Is ‘Happy’ to Give Birth to 7th Baby despite Being Deemed ‘Too Old'

When a woman turned to TikTok to document her mom's journey to parenthood, she didn't know the feedback she would receive. A slew of negative comments followed soon afterward, with many accusing her mom of being too old to get pregnant.

Kayla Caldwell from St. Louis, Missouri, was an avid user of the popular video-sharing platform, TikTok. She often shared glimpses from her personal and family life on her profile, and many of her video clips garnered views and comments from people far and wide.

But when Caldwell used her TikTok account to share that her mother had welcomed another child nearly 35 years after giving birth to her first baby, she couldn't have anticipated the kind of reaction that would follow.

Reversing the Operation

Kimberly Chasteen, Caldwell's mother, had already welcomed her first three kids when she tied her tubes at 20. But when she turned 30, she reversed the procedure to embrace parenthood again. At 34, she had another tubal litigation but ended up reversing the operation again in 2019 after meeting a young guy.

The St. Louis resident responded to the critics, telling them that her mom was happy and content after embracing motherhood.

Welcoming Her Son

While Chasteen's relationship didn't last long, she still harbored the desire to have another baby and began making efforts to become pregnant. By that time, she was already a mother of six grown-up children; however, that didn't deter her desire to be a mother again.

For almost three years, Chasteen, a nurse assistant, tried her best to fulfill her dream of welcoming a bundle of joy. Despite having a breakup in her 40s and an incredibly tough journey, Chasteen became a mother for the seventh time on March 17, 2022, when she welcomed an adorable baby boy, Tyrique.

Documenting Her Mom's Journey

Caldwell shared a series of videos, shedding light on her beloved mother's parental experience after a long time. She posted a 14-second clip of Chasteen using her mobile phone while in her hospital bed. The in-lay text read, "Being 51 and pregnant."

The video also showed a couple of negative remarks from people, such as "Selfish," "this is sad," "poor baby," and "too old." In another video, Caldwell shared glimpses of her sweet mom and her new baby brother, Tyrique. "My 51 year old mom's pregnancy journey," said the in-lay text.

Sharing More Videos

As Caldwell's videos continued to gain traction, she kept sharing more, with a third one showing Chasteen feeding her baby boy from the bottle. "When your mom doesn't take her grandkids and then decides to have a baby at 51," said the in-lay text. Caldwell wrote in the caption, "Where you at mom? haha repost because it's funny (sic)."

The proud older sister couldn't help but dote on her lovely mother and shared another video where Chasteen held baby Tyrique in her arms. "My 52 year old mom with my baby brother. Who said you can't have a baby when your 50 (sic)," read the in-lay text.

Happy to Be a Mother

A few of Caldwell's video clips garnered millions of views, inviting negative feedback from people who reportedly accused her mother of being too old to have another baby. The St. Louis resident responded to the critics, telling them that her mom was happy and content after embracing motherhood. She stated:

"To all the haters of my mom having a baby at 51... She is so happy (sic)!"

Negative Feedback

Many of the comments that netizens shared were extremely rude and judgmental; while some said Caldwell's mom was out of her mind and too old to welcome a baby, others criticized her for having a child at 51 after going through menopause. Here are a few negative remarks that people shared:

"idk what to say poor kid (sic)."

— (@sanliliey) April 24, 2022

"Why do people do this don't they realize they aren't going to live much longer to be there for there child (sic)."

— (@que_lani2013) August 16, 2022

"Selfish."

— (@444holz) April 25, 2022

Positive Comments

In addition to the swathe of hateful comments, several netizens rallied in support of Caldwell's mother and shared messages of encouragement:

"she is amazing to have a baby at 51 almost 52 (sic)."

— (@dunjatosic5) August 26, 2022

"As someone struggling with infertility this gave me hope so much hope congratulations (sic)."

— (@uma_ma4) June 2, 2022

"Wooow, a healthy mom... Delivered a healthy baby, God is good all the time..(sic)."

— (@noway09871) May 30, 2022

Conceiving through IVF

Chasteen said she spent about $35,000 on her IVF treatment and had massive support from her older children, who showered baby Tyrique with tender love and care. She explained that she had to go to the hospital at 32 weeks after experiencing placental abruption.

Despite the swathe of negativity and hatred, Caldwell continues to advocate for her mother. In an eight-second video clip featuring Chasteen with her baby boy, the Missouri woman asked her mom a pertinent question that appeared as in-lay text, "When I asked my 51 year old mom how much did ivf cost (sic)."

What are your thoughts on this story? Would you support the mother's decision to have a baby at 51? Click here to read another story about a single woman who embraced motherhood for the first time at 50 despite her family being against her decision.