'I put off having kids to see the world but now I'm determined to be a mum aged 45'

Rebecca Nash in Italy.
-Credit: (Image: Rebecca Nash/SWNS)


A world traveller says she put off having kids to see the world- but is now trying to become a mum again aged 45. Rebecca Nash is determined to have a second baby after giving birth to her first after IVF abroad - aged 42.

She had previously put off having kids as she was ''too busy'' seeing the world, including China, South Korea, Japan, and Italy. The mum-of-one, who teaches English as a second language, and her husband began trying for a baby immediately after getting married in June 2018.

After a year and a half of trying, Rebecca and her husband Adam Thompson, 40, a sample technician, began looking into IVF. They travelled to Prague for treatment they couldn’t access on the NHS in August 2020.

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After just one round, their son, Benjamin Sydney Thompson, three, was born in May 2021. Just over a year and a half later, the pair decided to try for a second, but three costly failed attempts at IVF followed, including a miscarriage. Rebecca, from Cambridge, said: “I’ve always imagined having two children and I don’t think 45 is too old to have a second baby.

''I’m glad that I got to experience different cultures and that I had all that time enriching my life and getting to know the world a bit better. Having babies in your 40s isn’t ‘the norm’, but I don’t regret doing it this way at all! After three attempts at IVF, we haven’t given up hope. We would love another child and have considered adoption.''

Rebecca's journey to motherhood began with a visit to the GP after a year and a half of trying to conceive. After running tests doctors revealed Rebecca’s egg count was low.

Rebecca said: “Funding for IVF is a bit of a postcode lottery in this country - I couldn’t get funding for IVF in Cambridge. It was annoying to find this out, especially as we’d just moved from Derby, where funding was available.”

Adam Thompson with Benjamin Sydney Thompson.
Adam Thompson with Benjamin Sydney Thompson. -Credit:Rebecca Nash/SWNS

In April 2020, the couple researched their options online and decided to travel to Prague for treatment using donor eggs. Then lockdown hit and the Czech Republic closed its borders, forcing Rebecca and Adam to delay their IVF.

They had a consultation in August 2020 and picked up the medication they needed to start the IVF process. Rebecca returned to Prague in October 2020 to have the implantation. The IVF cost £2,500 with the additional cost of medication, flights, hotels, and scans.

Rebecca said: “I was lucky because my work let me teach online, so I continued working whilst I travelled. I was quite nervous but enjoyed the peace of travelling solo. Just two weeks later, the couple found out they were pregnant with a little boy in November 2020."

Rebecca said: “When I first found out I was pregnant, I was thrilled. But throughout the pregnancy, I kept thinking it was too good to be true. At the back of my mind, there was always the fear that things could go wrong.”

Rebecca gave birth to her little boy seven weeks premature on May 31, 2021, weighing 4lb 11oz. Rebecca said: “Everyone was really happy for us, and I didn’t feel any judgement for having a baby later in life. My parents are in their 70s so would have preferred a baby earlier, but they were still delighted.”

The couple quickly decided to have another baby and began the IVF process again the following year. Rebecca said: “We had two failed implantations in December 2022 and August 2023 before trying for a third time. We felt so lucky to fall pregnant again, with twins, in October 2023. But just two months later I had a miscarriage, losing the first baby at six weeks and the second at nine weeks.

“I didn’t know I’d had a miscarriage until we went for a 12-week scan in January. We had to have an MVA - a manual vacuum aspiration - to have the foetus removed. It was a very upsetting and challenging thing to have to go through.”

As well as the loss of the babies, the pair were facing financial burdens too as the total cost of the IVF treatment came to £7k. Rebecca and her husband are still hoping to expand their family through IVF or adoption.

She said: “I’m part of a Facebook group for older mums, and I’ve found a great sense of community. I’ve heard tales of some mums being mistaken for the child’s grandma, but thankfully that hasn’t happened to me yet.

“I’m glad I got to see the world before having children, and I wouldn’t change what I did. For other women going through IVF, I would encourage you to look at all your options. Choose what’s right for your family because, at the end of the day, that’s what matters most.”