Texas Woman Goes Viral for Giving Birth at 51, Says Pregnancy Was Planned After Meeting Husband Later in Life (Exclusive)

Grace Collins says in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE that she entered into her third pregnancy at age 50 — and it was very much planned

A South Texas woman is going viral for sharing her story of getting pregnant at 50 — and giving birth at 51.

Grace Collins says in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE that she entered into her third pregnancy with "mindfulness," ensuring she was healthy enough before undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments.

"I wouldn’t say [I entered into pregnancy with] hesitation — but a mindfulness toward it," says the mom of three, who has a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old and now, a 1-month-old.

She continues: "I made sure I had a healthy baseline such as getting a mammogram, colonoscopy, pap, echocardiogram, bloodwork, etc. I also made sure I was a healthy weight and active. I have two other children and all my pregnancies have had their hurdles — but overall, I can honestly say it’s become easier with each pregnancy."

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"Maybe my body just figured out how to cope, or maybe having children keeps me young," Collins adds. "I felt like I was more tired when I was pregnant at 44 than I was when I was 50."

On TikTok, Collins has shared the details of her third pregnancy, and often answers questions about getting pregnant later in life.

In one video, Collins says that she often receives comments of "sheer terror" from women who "are scared this will happen to them."

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"I want to tell you that this wasn't a spontaneous conception," she adds. "I tried very hard to get pregnant for a very long time. It is very hard to get pregnant at my age."

Collins adds in the video that all of her pregnancies were the result of IVF, and were very much planned in advance.

"I didn't meet my husband until I was 40 years old, so I kind of got a late start. Because I had never been pregnant before, I knew I had some infertility issues, possibly," she says in the video. "Plus, my age. So we just jumped right into IVF."

She had her first child — a daughter — at age 44, and another daughter at 46. Then, at 50, she got pregnant again.

Speaking to PEOPLE, she acknowledges, "I know it’s not the most common thing to have babies this late in life, but I wanted to give hope to women of all ages who might be struggling to have a family."

Collins adds that, while celebrities often make headlines for having children in their 40s and 50s, she is "just a normal everyday woman who happened to have children later than most."

Sharing the details of her pregnancy on TikTok allowed her to "show there were a lot of positive aspects to having children later in life," she says.

And while she has fielded some "downright mean" comments, Collins says she tries not to pay attention to the negativity.

"Most people have been very supportive and just curious ... A lot of women have reached out to thank me because I have given them hope."

As for any advice she has to offer to other women who, like her, may have opted to have kids later in life, Collins says, "If you can, freeze your eggs before 35. It really does make things easier later on."

"Also: find a reputable fertility clinic that you feel at ease with," she adds. "Do your research — not all fertility clinics are created equal. And of course take care of yourself physically."

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Read the original article on People.