Haryana woman gives birth to son after 10 daughters

Dubai: A 37-year-old woman in Haryana has given birth to a baby boy after having ten daughters, drawing renewed attention to maternal health risks and the enduring preference for male children in parts of the country, media reports said.

The woman, married for 19 years, delivered her 11th child at Ojas Hospital and Maternity Home in Uchana town of Jind district. Doctors classified the delivery as high-risk, and the mother required three units of blood. Both she and the newborn are now stable, hospital officials said.

“It was a high-risk delivery, but the mother and the baby are doing well,” said Dr Narveer Sheoran, who oversaw the case.

The woman was admitted to the hospital on January 3 and gave birth the following day. She was discharged soon after and has since returned to her village in neighbouring Fatehabad district.

The child’s father, Sanjay Kumar, a 38-year-old daily wage labourer, said the family had hoped for a son. Married in 2007, he said most of his daughters are currently in school, with the eldest studying in Class 12, and that he is trying to educate all his children despite financial constraints.

“This is my eleventh child, and I already have ten daughters,” Kumar told PTI. “With my limited income, I am doing my best to provide a good education for them. Whatever has happened is God’s will, and I am happy.”

The family came into the spotlight after a video circulated on social media showing the father struggling to recall the names of his ten daughters, prompting a wider discussion online. Kumar denied facing any external pressure to have a son and said girls today were equally capable of succeeding in all fields.

The case has once again put focus on Haryana’s sex ratio, which, despite recent improvements, continues to lag behind the national average. In 2025, the state recorded 923 women per 1,000 men, reflecting progress but also underlining the persistence of deep-rooted social attitudes.