That's right, folks! 57-year-old Barbara Higgins from Concord, New Hampshire, gave birth to a happy and healthy baby boy named Jack last weekend. That makes Barbara the oldest woman in the United States to give birth! I really want to forward this story to my mother and say "Look Ma, I have PLENTY of time!"

According to NBCBoston.com, Barbara has been an athlete her entire life. This pregnancy is her third and it was relatively easy. She beat the odds and wants to credit her good genes and healthy lifestyle for making it happen. The article says she was lifting weights the day before going into labor. For crying out loud, Barbara, you're making the rest of us look bad!

You might be thinking to yourself, why would this Concord, NH, teacher put her body at risk like that? Giving birth over the age of 35 is referred to as a "geriatric pregnancy" so what is giving birth in your 50's considered? Well, before you go getting all judgy on Barbara, there is a really significant reason why she and her husband decided to try for a baby in their 50's.

The article goes on to explain that Barbara and her husband experienced the crushing loss of a their 13-year-old daughter Molly back in 2013. Molly had an undiagnosed brain tumor and passed away very suddenly.

After that happened Barbara had a serious urge and desire to bring another baby into this world. NBC Boston said Barbara found a clinic in Boston that would treat a woman in her 50's and she decided to go for it. Barbara is hopeful that her story will be inspiring and encourage  women who might be struggling to get pregnant to never give up.

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

LOOK: Here are the best small towns to live in across America

More From WSHK-WSAK 102.1 & 105.3 The Shark