Surprise gift from God at 47

Susan and Ambrose Samulski used fertility treatments to help conceive their three children.

So it was a bit of a surprise when, 12 years later, they found out they were pregnant with a fourth.

I thought I'd gone through menopause, says Susan, who was 47 at the time.

I went to the doctor and had a list of all the things that were bothering me.

He said, Could you be pregnant? and I said, No way.
I made him test me twice – I just didn't believe it.

It was a total shock, agrees Ambrose – he had worried his wife had a terminal illness.

As for the children, My son said something like, 'You crazy kids,' Susan recalls. But we were all thrilled.

Their baby was born Dec. 23, 2007, in Calgary where the family lived for a short time before moving back to Brooklin in Durham Region.

It was a 21-hour labour. I thought the fourth one would just fall out, Susan jokes. Because there were more than 12 years between babies, it was like giving birth for the first time.

For Ambrose, that was a short-lived retirement. He returned to work after they learned they were having a baby. That expression Freedom 55? he jokes, It's turned to Freedom 75.

This Pregnancy Over 40 story was found on TheStar.com
Read more: Baby name: Surprise 'gift from God'
Originally posted on September 20, 2009.

Photo credit: TheStar.com
All rights reserved

---

TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:

Unsung Lullabies: Understanding and Coping with Infertility
by Martha Diamond, David Diamond and Janet Jaffe

-- For people experiencing infertility, wanting a baby is a craving unlike any other. The intensity of their longing is matched only by the complexity of the emotional maze they must navigate.

With insight and compassion, Drs. Janet Jaffe, Martha Diamond, and David Diamond-specialists in the field of Reproductive Psychology who have each experienced their own struggle with infertility-give couples the tools to:

 • Reduce their sense of helplessness and isolation
 • Identify their mates' coping styles to erase unfair expectations
 • Listen to their unsung lullabies--their conscious and unconscious dreams about having a family -- to mourn the losses of infertility and move on.

Ground-breaking, wise, and compassionate, Unsung Lullabies is a necessary companion for anyone coping with infertility.

Paperback: 304 pages
Click to order/for more info: Unsung Lullabies

Start reading Unsung Lullabies on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

---

Category: 47