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A 52-year-old Ukrainian defender from Kryvyi Rih gave birth to a daughter after meeting her husband on the front lines and serving until her 30th week of pregnancy, the UNBROKEN Ukraine rehabilitation center reported on Nov. 10.
At the start of the full-scale invasion, Nataliya owned a sewing business in Kryvyi Rih, but a Russian shell destroyed it. The woman chose not to rebuild and joined the army at age 48.
Nataliya handled evacuations of the wounded and provided pre-medical aid to brothers-in-arms in the Separate Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Presidential Brigade.
Serhiy was a driver-mechanic in another brigade. He met Nataliya in 2023. During service, Serhiy was wounded twice and underwent rehabilitation at the UNBROKEN center. In spring 2024, Nataliya and Serhiy married.
They had adult children from previous relationships but decided to have a child together, and at 51, Nataliya chose to get pregnant.
"I think there's no need to fear," Nataliya said.
“If I went to war knowing I could die, I certainly was not afraid to get pregnant and give birth. It's every woman's choice, but life is always worth fighting for.”
In March 2025, the couple learned they were expecting. Nataliya transferred to another unit and served until the 30th week of pregnancy. She was under the care of obstetrician-gynecologist Nadiya Chaplinska at St. Anne's Hospital, delivering at 36 weeks via cesarean section with doctor Nataliya Sheketa.
"Our patient wanted this child so much that, understanding all the risks, she consciously took them," obstetrician-gynecologist Nataliya Sheketa said.
“In mature age, pregnancy is often complicated for both mother and child. But Nataliya said: 'Yes, I'm taking all these risks.' The horrors of war, wounds — it all only strengthened them as a couple and gave the push to have a child together. We doctors did everything to ensure the pregnancy went without complications and the baby was born healthy.”
The couple welcomed daughter Solomiya, weighing 2,500 grams and measuring 48 cm. Despite the mother's age, the baby scored 8/9 on the Apgar scale, indicating strong health. At birth, Nataliya was 52.
Recently, Nataliya's older son joined the defenders, and the child's father Serhiy returned to service as an instructor after rehabilitation. Nataliya will wait at home with Solomiya for their defenders.
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