As more women than ever welcome babies over the age of 40, mum-of-two Caroline Morgan, who gave birth to her twins at 51, has shared her story of refusing to let her age limit her
15:00, 05 Apr 2026Updated 15:25, 05 Apr 2026
Caroline Morgan always knew she wanted to be a mum(Image: Paul David Drabble)
The moment she fell in love, Caroline Morgan naturally started thinking about having a family.
But she was 44 when she met Richard Burnett, a fellow music-loving Northerner and when, a year into their relationship, they decided to start a family, she feared it might never happen. She’d met Richard, then 50, a company CEO, online, while working for the BBC in London.
Both bright and healthy, they saw no reason not to become parents. The couple, who moved to South Derbyshire a few years ago, failed to conceive naturally and, discovering that their IVF options were limited on the NHS, they decided to go privately.
Caroline, now 53, says: “Women under 40 might be offered three cycles if they’re eligible. Between the ages of 40 and 42, you’re only offered one cycle, and that really depends on where you live. It’s like a postcode Lottery.” Going to Spain, where fertility treatment is cheaper and clinics have an excellent reputation, she was heartbroken when she had three chemical pregnancies – when very early miscarriage is detected by a hormone test – and a miscarriage at eight weeks, aged 49.
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Sparks flew after Caroline and Richard’s first date, and a year later, they began making family plans(Image: Paul David Drabble)
She says: “I just felt really flat, because I’d wanted this for so long.” An auntie for the first time aged nine, she’d always wanted to be a mum one day, but now she doubted if it would ever happen.
Traumatised by her experience, she wondered if she could go on. But with Richard’s support, she tried a further four IVF cycles. On her sixth IVF cycle, when she was 50 and Richard was 57, the couple were overjoyed when Caroline discovered she was pregnant.
And that wasn’t all. Caroline recalls visiting a private stenographer in the UK in September 2024, saying: “I went to the stenographers and they said, ‘do you realise you’ve got two babies?”
Her pregnancy joy came with an unexpected surprise – twins(Image: Paul David Drabble)
But her joy was mixed with anxiety. She says: “I was so scared of losing the babies, so I was having scans every week. “I was nervous about my bump and didn’t want anyone to come near me. I was huge.”
Carrying twins, aged 50, made Caroline’s pregnancy high risk. She was more likely to experience potentially life threatening complications like preeclampsia, or gestational diabetes than younger women and recalls doctors “scaring the hell” out of her.
She recalls reciting the mantra: “This is a healthy pregnancy, I’m having a healthy pregnancy.” Caroline also felt judged at antenatal appointments, saying: “I felt a bit judged in terms of my age. Even the look you get from ‘what’s your date of birth?’ Then they go, ‘oh’.
“Even the doctor would say, ‘is it IVF or is it natural?’ What does that have to do with you?” But Caroline’s pregnancy continued without a hitch until her waters broke at home in bed around 9:30pm on 18 April, 2024 – 30 weeks in.
While the mum-of-two has faced criticism, she doesn’t let it bring her down(Image: Paul David Drabble)
With maturity, Caroline now has more ‘patience’ and ‘gratitude'(Image: Paul David Drabble)
And on April 19 at 10:03 and 10:04am her babies were delivered – first a 4.5lb boy and then a 4lb girl – by c-section at Royal Derby Hospital. Seeing them for the first time, she says: “In that moment, I felt like I was dreaming.
“But I felt like they were meant to be with me. Almost like, ‘why have you taken so long to get to me?’ They were the cutest little babies.”
After three days in hospital, they went home and family life began. Caroline, who’s worked in everything from mental health to singing on cruise ships, but is now a stay-at-home mum, says despite their joy at being parents, it was a tough adjustment.
Her friends were becoming empty nesters, as she was starting her family, so she was slightly isolated. She says: “A lot of friends were happy for me, but I think there may have been a few raised eyebrows over how late I was having children.
“My friends and family were supportive, but people online were very negative.”
And she started experiencing troubling hallucinations, because of sleep deprivation, dealing with newborn twins. She says: “I was terrified. Since having the babies, I’d had no sleep at all. I was constantly worried about if they were breathing, had I laid them right, had their blanket fallen off?
“I was also worried about being on my own if Richard travelled for work. It was frightening for me.” When her anxiety became so severe that she started imagining people standing outside her house, wanting to take her twins away – meaning she became virtually housebound for three months – she sought help from the Twins Trust charity.
Life as an older mum comes with plenty of highs and lows(Image: Paul David Drabble)
She says of the Twins Trust: “I joined for free and they helped with courses and webinars on how you breastfeed twins, as well as cots and safe sleeping. They also helped with how to be alert on choking, bottle feeding and how to handle reflux. Really helpful advice that I needed.”
When her twins reached 12 months, determined to stay positive and also to help other older mums, Caroline started the podcast Motherhood In Stereo, where she chats with fellow parents and experts, covering topics such as the very real physical realities of being post-partum in your 50s.
She says: “Not only are you going through an up and down emotional rollercoaster after you’ve had your babies, you’ve got perimenopause as well. So, that cocktail on top of emotions, I don’t know where one finished, and one started”.
Sadly, as well as inspiring older women to become mums, Caroline has been cruelly trolled on social media, with vile comments like ‘you might die before your kids even go to college’ and “It’s sick to be able to do that at this age”.
But she keeps fit, stays healthy and says her twins are “thriving.” People do ask what will happen in 10 years time, when she is in her 60s and her kids are still at school, but she hopes to live until she’s 100 and refuses to listen to negativity.
Caroline, whose twins are now two, also insists there are advantages to being an older mum. She says: “I have more patience, and I’m more present because I’ve lived my life and I’ve had many lives in terms of my career. I’ve had a lot of success.
“So, I feel very confident, I feel very comfortable, and life feels meaningful. I really appreciate all the really small moments.
“I have a lot of gratitude. I don’t take motherhood for granted.Everything I do now, I do for my kids. I’m more settled in my own life financially. I have a home, I have my finances in check. I know who I am as a person, I know who I am as a woman.”
Determined to inspire other women to follow their dreams, she continues: “Don’t let people stop you because of your age. With parenting, what matters most isn’t the age of a parent, it’s the environment the child is raised in. Loving, responsive, emotionally available parenting will always matter more than the number on someone’s birth certificate.”
Shauna Leven, Chief Executive of Twins Trust, a charity that supports families with twins, triplets and more, said: “We’re here for our families as they navigate the journey of parenting multiples. We understand the challenges they face, from pregnancy to birth and beyond. We tailor our services to our families’ needs. We offer support and information to parents and professionals, raise awareness, invest in research and campaign for the best possible outcomes for our families.
“Our families tell us how much the Twins Trust online communities mean to them, as they share advice and find others who face the same obstacles they do.
“However people come to have twins or triplets, whatever their age or stage, we so often hear that we’re their ‘village.’”
Twins Trust is the only UK-wide charity dedicated to improving the lives and wellbeing of families with twins, triplets or more. Find out more at www.twinstrust.org
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com
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