Mother of Twins, 57: It Was Like Destiny
Nov. 13, 2004 -- -- Aleta St. James, who recently became one of the oldest women in the United States to give birth to twins, says she feels like she was destined for the experience.
"About two or three years ago I had this compelling feeling that that's really what I wanted to do, and it was almost like [the twins] wanted to come in to the world through me," she told ABC News' Diane Sawyer.
"It's almost like I didn't have a choice to not do this thing," she added.
Sawyer interviewed St. James for a story that will air on "Good Morning America" on Monday.
The self-described emotional healer and life coach gave birth to a 5-pound, 12-ounce girl named Francesca and a 5-pound, 3-ounce boy named Gian on Tuesday. She turned 57 on Friday.
St. James says her desire to get pregnant came out of contentedness rather than desperation.
"I didn't want to have children out of a void. I wanted to have children out of something I could give back. I felt I could give so much to these children that I'd learned over the years," she told Sawyer.
"I did everything I wanted to do in my life. I explored myself. I got to a certain point where I felt a place of joy and calm."
St. James says she never thought there was going to be a problem, because her mother was born when her grandmother was 53.
"My mother grew up fine," she said. "My grandmother lasted a long time in her life, and I didn't think that was a big problem."
Francesca and Gian were conceived through in vitro fertilization using implanted donor eggs. Their biological father is St. James' former boyfriend, who will not be part of the children's lives, St. James said.
The children were delivered by Caesarean section.
Despite her confidence, St. James also prepared diligently for her pregnancy. She says she "dealt with all the spiritual and emotional things first."
For example, she meditates daily. She also visited the ancient Aztec ruins at Machu Picchu in Peru and meditated there, to draw "energy" and "fertility."
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