Mother, 57, reveals she’s often mistaken for her nine-year-old son’s GRANDMOTHER after IVF helped her have a baby with her new husband at 48
- Karen Wilton,57, from Norfolk gave birth to nine-year-old Kaleb at 48 after IVF
- Grandmother-of-one says she has a ‘thick skin’ when it comes to critics
- Karen and her husband Ian have four grown up children from another marriage
- Decided they wanted a child of their own and went to Spain for fertility treatment
A mother of a nine-year-old boy has revealed she’s mistaken for her son’s grandma when out and about after giving birth at 48.
Karen Wilton, now 57, from Norfolk has previously been asked if she is her son Kaleb’s grandma due to her age and grey hair.
Karen and her husband Ian Wilton, 48, have four children between them from previous marriages but decided they wanted a biological child of their own.
After some consideration the couple flew an IVF clinic in Alicante, Spain in 2013 when Karen was 43.
After five years of trying different clinics and three rounds of IVF, she finally fell pregnant with Caleb who was born when she was 48.
Karen Wilton, now 57, from Norfolk, with her husband Ian, 48, and their son Kaleb, nine, who the couple welcomed thanks to IVF in Spain when she was in her 40s
Karen with her husband Ian Wilton when she was 48-years-old and pregnant with her son Kaleb. She said that despite the risks, she found the pregnancy ‘easy’
Karen smiles at a newborn Kaleb, who was conceived after five years and three rounds of IVF in Spain
Karen has always struggled with fertility and her four previous children Bailey, 33, twins Keenan and Savanna, 30, and Zak, 26, were conceived with the help of fertility drugs, so she wasn’t optimistic about the outcome of an IVF procedure in her 40s.
The specialist clinic in Spain weren’t hopeful about the result either, and it took Karen five years to finally fall pregnant after clinic shopping.
The couple tried another clinic, and said the process in Spain is ‘a lot more relaxed about older women getting pregnant’.
After three rounds of IVF, Karen was pregnant with Kaleb and said she had a ‘nice’ pregnancy, despite the risks of being a geriatric mum.
The mother-of-five and grandmother-of-one, pictured with her husband Ian, is often mistaken for Kaleb’s grandma and says most of the comments come from people online but she doesn’t let critics get to her
Family outing: Karen admitted that strangers have asked if she’s Kaleb’s nanny or grandmother when they’re out and about
With an 18-year age gap between Kaleb and her youngest son Bailey, Karen had to re-buy baby clothes and equipment, revelling in the advanced technology that wasn’t around 30 years ago.
However, she has had to develop a think skin due to comments made towards her, but says she wouldn’t change a thing about being an older mum because she is ‘a lot more relaxed now.’
She is also blasted by people who say it ‘must be nice not having to work’ but retorts with ‘people forget I’ve worked my whole life.’
The mother-of-five and grandmother-of-one, who is now retired from full time work to be a stay at home mum-now works in an estate agency on weekends to satisfy her passion for property, whilst refurbishing a property with her husband who is a developer.
Karen with baby Kaleb. She says she felt ‘young again’ during the pregnancy with all the extra hormones flowing through her system
Karen said: ‘I have been asked if I am Kaleb’s nanny a number of times but over the years, I have developed a thick skin towards some of the comments that have been made.
‘I think when I tell people I am his mum they are a lot more embarrassed than I am.
‘I know I don’t look like the other mums but it doesn’t faze me. I’m at a very different level of my life even though we all have something in common of having a child the same age.
‘It does make me sad to think I may not see all of my grandchildren, but I try to not let it bother me.
‘It definitely doesn’t bother him, although I do feel bad that he doesn’t have any other siblings around his age.
Karen with Kaleb as a toddler. She said it’s challenging being an older mother but she’s ‘much more relaxed’ this time around
Karen with Kaleb on a beach outing as he was growing up, She says sometimes using pogo sticks and jumping on trampolines need ‘caution applied’
‘Most of the negative comments are made online by strangers.
‘Keyboard warriors are the ones who will attack you. I hate seeing people being negative about older mums so I do fight for it.’
She said: ‘I met Ian just before my 40th birthday, he loved being a stepdad to my four children but we decided when I was 43 to start looking into options of having our own child.
‘I have always struggled with fertility issues, so my four previous children were conceived fertility drugs, and Kaleb was through IVF.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH RISKS OF A LATE PREGNANCY?
- Greater difficulty in initially conceiving a child, with the personal and psychological difficulties that this can cause.
- Increased risk of complications for both mother and infant during pregnancy and delivery (although the actual size of the risk may be small).
- Greater risk of general maternal health problems, such as high blood pressure, which can contribute to complications.
- Higher risk of miscarriage in women above the age of 35.
- Higher risk of having twins or triplets, which is itself associated with higher risk of complications.
- Increased chance of having a baby with a congenital abnormality, such as Down’s syndrome.
- Increased risk of pre-eclampsia.
- Increased risk of complications during delivery, such as prolonged labour, need for assisted delivery or Caesarean section, or stillbirth.
Source: NHS
‘However at 43, the specialist clinic I went to weren’t very optimistic about my pregnancy and I struggled to get a successful result.
‘We decided to try a sister clinic in Alicante, and in Spain it is a lot more relaxed with being older and getting pregnant.
‘On the third round, three embryo’s were transferred and Kaleb was born when I was 48.
‘I had a really nice pregnancy and I was filled with loads of hormones, as I had lost a few, and I definitely felt young again!
‘I was classed as very high risk due to my age, I don’t even think you could class me as a geriatric mum, more of a pensioner, but I was so happy to be having another baby and I had a great pregnancy.
‘It isn’t good on the body, you aren’t designed to carry a baby at that age but overall I found the pregnancy easier.’
She’s also found motherhood a different experience than she did when she was younger.
‘I think you are in a better position in life in your 40s, you’re a lot more financially stable and you tend to have stronger relationships,’ Karen said.
‘Kaleb is definitely living the life now. He’s been on lots of holidays already and I am a lot more relaxed as well, with Kalebs friends’ parents being shocked at my laid back attitude.
‘Don’t get me wrong. It’s exhausting having a nine-year-old, but it’s a lot of fun and he lives a very good life.
‘Although when he wants me to go on the trampoline or pogo sticks it can be challenging, I have to make sure I have the right precautions!
‘I did like to travel a lot, and I didn’t take that into consideration when wanting another child, but now we can just bring him with us.’
Kaleb now, a happy healthy, nine-year-old with a very ‘luxury life’ Karen stays at home during the week and works part time during weekends at age 57
Having her son at 48 Karen realised how much baby rearing had changed over the years.
She said: ‘I loved buying new baby products. There were so many new things that weren’t around 30 years ago, definitely no battery operated things.
‘I sound old when I say I tut at all the new enforced guidelines but I really do. I never did any of these new guidelines on feeding and putting the baby to bed and my children turned out fine.
‘You are a lot more aware of how you parent your child in today’s world.
‘Even the schooling has had a huge changed to before, I also never considered the school run again when I was wanting another baby, and I had to homeschool him during covid as well, so we were both learning during lockdown.
‘It was easier 30 years ago when mothers wouldn’t work, people were a lot more understanding, but now people make comments saying how much easier it is for me not having to work.
‘I think they forget I have worked my whole life and I am now retired.
‘I am definitely in a very fortunate position to not have to work full time, although I work in an estate agents at the weekends but that is more because property is a passion of mine.
‘My older children adore Kaleb, I actually feel sorry for them as I was a single mum with them and now Kaleb has a very luxury life.’
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