Page 10 | Blimey! Victoria Coren Mitchell has had a second baby at 51

Sidebeforeself · 2023-11-01T19:29:56+00:00

Congratulations to her. I caught up with OC last night and thought she looked pregnant but dismissed it when i remembered she’s around my age. Then i saw the announcement today. I’m knackered just thinking about it!

Alopeciabop · 01/11/2023 22:42

icewoman · 01/11/2023 19:38

never heard of the woman, but this was my first thought too. I had an aunt get pregnant at 51 - total accident. She decided against an abortion, but was well aware of the risks to herself and her child. Very luckily, they both survived the actual birth in good health, but predictably he became motherless in his teens.

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How is this predictable? If he was twenty she’d be 71 right? Seventy one isn’t “the age people die by”. In fact it’s 83 on average for women in the UK.

Stomacharmeleon · 01/11/2023 22:46

@TwigTheWonderKid I am sorry for what you are going through. Am going through similar and wanted your comment to be acknowledged and a hug sent.

TooBigForMyBoots · 01/11/2023 23:02

adriftabroad · 01/11/2023 22:41

Suddenly everybody on MN is fertile at 51 and it is completely normal.

It is very funny.

But it's not true. No one has said that.

Woof12345 · 01/11/2023 23:05

Great to see .why must all mother be under the age of 35 and when past 40 alalm bells start ringing .she happy and well so be happy for them .

Falzarega · 01/11/2023 23:09

moetmoet · 01/11/2023 19:32

I didn't even know it was possible to carry a baby at this age?! Crikey.

She will have used donor eggs. The chances of her own egg giving a successful pregnancy at that age are incredibly low.

Nonamesleft1 · 01/11/2023 23:34

Falzarega · 01/11/2023 23:09

She will have used donor eggs. The chances of her own egg giving a successful pregnancy at that age are incredibly low.

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You can’t know that.

a natural pregnancy is possible, it’s not completely unknown for women to have babies this late.

it’s not usual for many reasons, many women will be menopausal, others will simply not want a baby in their 50’s.

doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

MissedItByThisMuch · 01/11/2023 23:43

adriftabroad · 01/11/2023 22:41

Suddenly everybody on MN is fertile at 51 and it is completely normal.

It is very funny.

Don’t be ridiculous. No one has said that. However being fertile at 51, while unusual, is certainly within the spectrum of normality.

MissedItByThisMuch · 01/11/2023 23:44

Within not weighing 🙄

Applebottomjeenz · 02/11/2023 00:29

Erm, we check for pregnancy in hospitals until 55....good luck to them, a lovely story, none of our business if they had a little help along the way

Applebottomjeenz · 02/11/2023 00:30

grottyb · 01/11/2023 22:27

My opinion is that it is selfish to have a baby at 51. That's it. My 'problem' with it is that I believe it is selfish because the child has a much higher probability of growing up without a parent or having to take on caring duties - emotional or physical - early on in life. I'm sorry you didn't get that from my previous posts.

And my opinion is it’s different when the parents in question are millionaires. The child has a higher probability of their parents living longer & living healthier longer. Health inequality does exist. I’m sorry you didn’t understand my posts.

Absolutely

PastorCarrBonarra · 02/11/2023 00:32

Lovely news - such a great couple.

80sMum · 02/11/2023 00:37

icewoman · 01/11/2023 19:38

never heard of the woman, but this was my first thought too. I had an aunt get pregnant at 51 - total accident. She decided against an abortion, but was well aware of the risks to herself and her child. Very luckily, they both survived the actual birth in good health, but predictably he became motherless in his teens.

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Why "predictably"? Is it usual for women to die in their mid 60s?

Brunts12 · 02/11/2023 02:57

@Sidebeforeself thank you, for starting such a kind and nonjudgmental thread 🙄

BarbaraofSeville · 02/11/2023 03:29

Applebottomjeenz · 02/11/2023 00:29

Erm, we check for pregnancy in hospitals until 55....good luck to them, a lovely story, none of our business if they had a little help along the way

It occurred to me after I had my first routine mammogram recently that the radiographer hadn't asked if I could be pregnant but I didn't know if that was because they assumed I was post menopause, which I probably am as I haven't had a period for well over a year or because the procedure can be safely undertaken in pregnancy.

icewoman · 02/11/2023 04:45

Ifeellikeateenageragain · 01/11/2023 21:47

Predictably? So we're expecting to keel over in our 60s? Jesus. I didn't know that was a given.

Give over. Snide comments like these are ageist.

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how is it agist to say an older person is more likely to die in the next 20 years than a younger person?

Dogpoodogpoolovelylovelydogpoo · 02/11/2023 04:57

PonteMinchi · 01/11/2023 20:08

Yes, I don’t get it either. I’m 51, fit and well, ran a marathon this year, regularly do fairly strenuous hillwalking, am still ovulating, come of pretty long-lived stock — my parents are both fit and active in their 80s. If I were able to conceive and carry a pregnancy now, I wouldn’t be expecting to die before that child reached adulthood.

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Nobody healthy expects to die. But it happens. A friend collapsed and died this summer at the age of 60. She was seemingly healthy, in good shape, active. Her body had other ideas.

MeinKraft · 02/11/2023 05:51

GrittyTunnocks · 01/11/2023 20:37

I saw this in the Times this morning, there can't be many 8 year old Barbaras in the UK!

I bet they are great parents, congratulations to them.

Envy is often dressed up as criticism I find...

I don't think most people are really criticising them, just sort of surprise that this was possible and that they could be bothered. MN usually loves Victoria and David. I am definitely envious of her, she's beautiful, clever and as rich as Croesus, with a very funny and devoted husband.

Anyway good luck to them all. Barbara and June are great names!

Soontobe60 · 02/11/2023 06:24

CobwebsAndCauldrons · 01/11/2023 19:46

Yeah - odd that David is only a couple of years younger than VCM and no one is commenting on his age.

Congratulations to them both.

Edited

His body didn’t have to go through pregnancy and childbirth though, did it?

MattDamon · 02/11/2023 06:31

Woman at work just had her first at 46. She'd only been seeing the guy for a few weeks. She's very comfortable financially due to her age and career progression and is going part-time after her mat leave.

EmmaWRen2013 · 02/11/2023 06:33

I had my first at 44. I am also knackered just thinking about it as well haha . One is more than enough for me . Congrats to her though I think there's no problem with being an older mum ..

EmmaWRen2013 · 02/11/2023 06:34

Very true

LizzBurg · 02/11/2023 06:51

Dogpoodogpoolovelylovelydogpoo · 02/11/2023 04:57

Nobody healthy expects to die. But it happens. A friend collapsed and died this summer at the age of 60. She was seemingly healthy, in good shape, active. Her body had other ideas.

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If we all worried about dying unexpectedly we wouldn’t do anything. And I say this as someone who had two friends die unexpectedly within three months of each other, both mid 40s, both seemingly fine one day and gone the next.

Original poster

Sidebeforeself · 02/11/2023 07:06

@Brunts12 where am I being judgemental? I’m really pleased fir them both

OP posts:

PiIIock · 02/11/2023 07:48

grottyb · 01/11/2023 22:27

My opinion is that it is selfish to have a baby at 51. That's it. My 'problem' with it is that I believe it is selfish because the child has a much higher probability of growing up without a parent or having to take on caring duties - emotional or physical - early on in life. I'm sorry you didn't get that from my previous posts.

And my opinion is it’s different when the parents in question are millionaires. The child has a higher probability of their parents living longer & living healthier longer. Health inequality does exist. I’m sorry you didn’t understand my posts.

Health inequality exists but It doesn't make you immortal. If you have a condition that is fatal or results in a serious decline in your functioning, no amount of money will help.

To can only access with your money what is already there.

How often do we hear on BBC that So and so (celebrity, renowned famous person) has died at the age of 67. Or at 77. Or 87.

Again, it's just truth. Age brings health risks. Why the need to pretend it doesn't exist? If you have a child quite young (say 15-20), you risk outliving your own child - fact!

Why must everything older parents do be magically validated as perfect, without any disadvantages?

If 51 is the perfect age, maybe we should all be having babies in our 50s?

SurferRona · 02/11/2023 09:06

LeonBlack · 01/11/2023 20:14

It’s not really about how long you hope to live. I hope to make old bones and both my parents died in their 90s. But they were over 40 when I was born and I was always aware I had ‘old’ parents. They were at least 10 years older than any of my friends’ parents’. It mattered to me as a child.

Mine too. And didn’t matter to me at all. In fact, I was a bit judgmental and felt sorry as a child of those children who had been born to young mums as my parents were more stable, established and secure. That mattered very much to me as a child.