I never really ever felt that I was done with having babies. I could never commit to any permanent method of birth control (much to Ian's delight because that would have meant a vasectomy for him!! He is a little protective of his testicles!!) Each new arrival did not bring that feeling of closure, and I never thought my family was complete. That was until Freddy's birth. He seems to have given me that sense of completeness that I never felt before.
Being 40 and pregnant meant I was faced with the prospect of genetic counselling and the offer of tests to check to see if the baby was "normal". I declined all such intervention, refusing even the routine bloodwork which calculates the probabilty of having a baby with Downs Syndrome or Spina Bifida. My committment to my child started at conception, and regardless of my high risk status, this baby had my support. As soon as a saw a developing brain and a beating heart on the first scan, that was confirmed!
Thankfully, we were incredibly blessed and despite a scare on the 20 week scan (that turned out to be nothing more than human error on behalf of an over eager and under trained sonographer) we had an absolutely perfect baby boy!
Our family is girl heavy. At the time of Freddy's birth my grandparents had 11 grandchildren of which only 2 were boys! My own son Joe was 21 and had always longed for a baby brother. I had given him 3 sisters! Freddy's arrival delighted him, even though he had left home to live with his girlfriend just weeks before he was born. Having my baby boy seemed to give a beautiful symmetry to my family. The girls were also thrilled with Freddy. He brought a whole new dimension to our home. Boys' toys litter the living room floor. Fred is a bundle of energy and full of mischief. He is a very different creature to his sisters. He loves balls. He loves throwing things. He is funny, affectionate and cheeky. He is an absolute joy!
My family feels complete now. I look at my children and feel so proud of each and every one of them. I never thought I'd be a new mum again at 40, but it proving to be an exciting journey and I am loving the ride!
