Denise Lewis says having her son Troy aged 46 has made her a more 'experienced' mum.
The Olympic star appeared on Lorraine, where she spoke about the surprise of finding out she was pregnant in her mid-forties.
'He was a huge surprise,' she admitted. 'Having had three children, we thought we were past going for another. I thought I was entering menopause and, lo and behold, there he was!”
Denise and husband Steve Finan O'Connor, who share two sons Ryan, 12, and Kane, nine, welcomed Troy in December 2018. Denise is also mum to daughter Lauryn, 16, from her previous marriage to Patrick Stevens.
Speaking today, the athlete said she felt the pressure of getting pregnant later in life.
'I was a bit concerned about being older, about any potential complications about his health, my health and my mum was really worried about whether my body could go through [it] – it is a traumatic experience, pregnancy can be very, very difficult,' she admitted.
'The pregnancy was difficult. During the labour, it was very challenging towards the end. My contractions were almost disappearing… that made the health professionals get quite anxious about him. Any time I did have a contraction, his heart rate was dropping massively so there was alarm bells. At one stage I thought I was going to have an emergency C-section. But I just wanted to get him out safely.'
Luckily, since his arrival things have gone swimmingly – and her older children have adapted to having a baby in the house.
'They were delighted but they were unsure of how their position and how they would be affected,' she revealed. 'But you realise how much love you have to give to each of them in a different way.
'He couldn’t have come at a better time for me in my own life. There are moments in our life when you have to pause and take time, and enjoy the moment and he’s given me that. Because you can rush around. Parenthood can be difficult with older children. But he’s made me focus again.
'Not just being an older mum, I’m an experienced mum and that’s given me a lot of confidence so I don’t get flustered. I don’t panic.'
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