She says: “When I was pregnant and I was walking down the street, everyone was looking at me.” They could not believe their eyes: an old woman was expanding. Her conditions were distressing, but nothing could take away the joy she felt in being expectant.”

She continued: “At 72, I had waited long enough. My marriage to Mohinder occurred in 1970. The marriage was premeditated, but it was happy. I suffered three miscarriages after our wedding and was completely devastated. Even our own relatives said that I was ‘crossed’ and that my spouse should remarry because we couldn’t have a child.

Fortunately, he was compassionate and supportive, assuring me that he would always adore me. But I felt a deep sense of loneliness because she was not a mother. Watching my friends’ children mature into adults broke my heart. Some days I could bear the agony, but others I couldn’t leave the house. Regardless of how I felt, Mohinder and I decided to stop trying to conceive. Three miscarriages were enough to cause anguish.

I resigned myself to the thought that I would never have a child as India, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, was sorely lacking in support and counselling. Then, in 2012, I saw an advertisement on TV for the National Fertility Center and Test Tube Babies in Haryana, North India, an IVF clinic. I had never heard of IVF before I told Mohinder we should try it and he agreed.

The doctor I saw was hesitant because of my age and warned me that getting pregnant would put my life in danger, but I begged. He ran tests, and when the results were positive, he agreed. However, she did not have eggs, so donor eggs and sperm were used.

At just over £2,000 per IVF cycle, it wasn’t cheap. Mohinder is a farmer and landowner so we are financially secure, but the cost of treatment drained our resources.

The two initial attempts, in 2013 and 2014, failed. Then, in July 2015, 20 years after menopause, the doctor told me that she was pregnant. Mohinder and I shed tears of joy. Friends and family told me that it was wrong to get pregnant at my age, that I was too old to care for a newborn, and that I would die before my son reached adulthood. But I discarded them.

Even if we weren’t there, the baby’s love would be enough for a lifetime. Obviously, I had my reservations. I wasn’t sure my health would allow me to carry the baby for nine months, but my desire to have a child outweighed all other considerations.

I really enjoyed my pregnancy and there were no complications. On April 19th our son Arman Singh was born via planned C-section, weighing 4lbs 4oz. Holding him was the most exquisite feeling in the world.

I am breastfeeding and like all new mothers I am struggling with insomnia. Due to my decreased mobility, I require physical therapy to relieve knee joint discomfort caused by lifting Arman as a result of lifting him. I wouldn’t change a thing though, and I’m sure I’ll be around to see him grow. Our family finally feels complete.”