Actress Cláudia Raia Gave Birth at 56, After Doctors Told She Was Ovulating Again and Needed to Be Careful If She Didn’t Want to Get Pregnant
Cláudia Raia, the renowned Brazilian actress and dancer, made headlines recently for her remarkable achievement of giving birth naturally at the age of 55. Defying conventional expectations, Raia’s story has inspired many, challenging societal norms surrounding motherhood and age.
The private life of the actress has been quite eventful. She’s now married for the 3rd time. Her first husband was actor Alexandre Frota, but they got divorced three years later. Five years after that, she got married again to Edson Celulari. They had two children, a son, Enzo (25 now), and a daughter. Sophia (20). Their marriage lasted 16 years until they got divorced in 2010.
Cláudia’s third husband is Jarbas Homem de Mello. They started dating soon after she got divorced and have been together for more than 10 years. The couple married in 2018. Jarbas doesn’t have kids from previous relationships, so they had discussed the possibility of having a child together.
When Cláudia was talking to doctors about conceiving a baby, she found out she was already in menopause, which had started when she was 50. There was no hope to have a child naturally, so they decided to try IVF.
After this failure, Cláudia decided it wouldn’t happen and stopped taking hormones. But three months later, doctors told her she was ovulating again and needed to be careful if she didn’t want to get pregnant again. Raia thought her 55-year-old eggs were no longer viable, so she didn’t change her lifestyle. She went on a trip with her kids, swam in the sea, and dyed her hair.
When she returned from her trip, she went to the clinic, and her doctor recommended that she do a pregnancy test. The actress couldn’t believe it. “When the doctor asked me for a beta, the pregnancy blood test, I said, ‘Baby, you’re really crazy. Where did you get this from? I’m 55 years old.’” But she did the test and turned out to be 10 weeks pregnant.
When Cláudia learned the news, she was very surprised but also happy. She felt a surge of strength because she and her husband had wanted a child so badly. In September 2022, she shared the news with her fans on social media. However, not everyone took it well. The actress faced a wave of criticism and pleaded for more empathy. But she did not allow herself to be affected by such comments.
During the whole pregnancy period, Cláudia never stopped her dancing and sports activities. She was doing her ballet classes, but in the water, and shared her routine: “Day of doing ballet class in the pool with mom”.
On February 11, 2023, Cláudia gave birth to a baby boy. The happy parents decided to name him Luca. Despite the risk of complications due to the mother’s age, both she and the little son are doing well.
Today, after 8 months after the birth, the family is doing great. Both parents spent a lot of time with a baby boy and share some touching moments on their social media.
Proud dad, Jarbas Homem de Mello, often express his deep love to his family and little son. Pointing out, that his baby is the best gift in their lives: “When longing tightens, I get lost in this smile and everything is fine!”
Cláudia’s journey exemplifies resilience and determination, serving as a testament to the power of embracing life’s possibilities at any stage. With her newborn, Raia’s radiant spirit continues to shine, symbolizing a celebration of life with children and the limitless potential of the human spirit.