You can learn more about Barb Higgins and her incredible story on the full episode of Mom at 57. Stream this episode and all of our shows for free on the Very Local channel. 

In March of 2021, Barb Higgins became one of the oldest people in the country to give birth.

The story of how Barb Higgins became a mom at 57

Behind this decision is a story of love, loss and resilience. For Higgins, it’s all just part of her unique journey.

“Have a baby,” the voice said.

At 57 years old, she first chalked it up to menopause or mourning. She did, after all, suffer a momentous loss shortly before the dreams started. Her 13-year-old daughter, Molly Banzhoff, died due to a ruptured, undiagnosed brain tumor.

But the voice became more insistent. So Higgins made an appointment with her doctor, but it didn’t go how she hoped it would.

“This particular doctor thought that was a terrible idea, gave me a bit of grief about it, yelled at me a bit. ‘That’s insane. That’s crazy thinking and that’s grief,’ and really, really sort of let me have it, and it took me back a bit,” she describes of the appointment.

As time passed, the dreams, and the voice, grew more insistent.

“I’d wake up hearing a voice, ‘Barbara you have to have a baby.’ So I was driving home one day from coaching and that was when I heard the voice the loudest. So I pulled the car over and called my doctor who ended up treating me throughout my whole pregnancy,” she said.

“There’s just no middle ground for me. And what I’ve come to learn through all the amazing things I’ve gone through, and all of the horrifying things I’ve gone through; there isn’t anyone in the world that can tell you how to do it because they aren’t you and it’s not their experience,” says Higgins. “Well, here I am. I have to take the next step. And how can I do that in the best way for me?”

Looking for more heartwarming stories? 

Head over to the Very Local channel to watch our series Stitch to see more stories of amazing people and pets.