For Midwife, 71, Delivering Babies Never Gets Old

Up All Night Working, Even At 71

Sometimes you can't retire even if you want to. For Dian Sparling, a certified nurse midwife in Fort Collins, Colo., there's no one to take over her practice. But at 71, she's finding that staying up all night delivering babies is harder than it used to be.

Sparling founded an obstetrics and gynecology practice called Womancare 31 years ago. During her career, she has delivered around 2,000 babies. Last year, she decided she'd retire from that part of her job, though she continued to see patients in the office. She didn't miss being on call -- the person who's awakened in the middle of the night when a patient goes into labor.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot