Voices: The damaging lie about having a baby in your forties

I always had an image of how I would celebrate my 40th birthday: surrounded by friends, in some Jane Austen-esque country pile, doing some of my finest karaoke renditions in front of a loving audience. The reality was that I was at home, four weeks away from giving birth – and we still hadn’t bought a car seat or a babygrow.

Turning 40 and having a baby was a monumental moment in my life. It felt like the greatest transition and gift, albeit one that was utterly exhausting, unrelenting and one you definitely can’t return.

There is a lot of criticism – not to mention the pressure that. Yes, there are increased health risks, but there is also a staggering awareness those risks. I did everything I could to be across all aspects of my pregnancy to ensure that it went as smoothly as possible – and I was lucky, it did. Childbirth is dangerous for women – whatever your age.