A mum has spoken out about attitudes towards pregnancy age after she was made to feel old having a baby at 42.
Lucy Baker shared her dismay after Stacey Solomon was shamed by online trolls after announcing she's pregnant with her fifth child, aged 33.
The mum-of-three was classed as a 'geriatric mum' - the medical term for those going through a pregnancy over the age of 35 - when she fell pregnant with her son Rocky.
Read more: Stacey Solomon drops hint on baby's gender amid row over unborn child's face
And she says comments aimed at celeb mum Stacey have really struck a chord.
"Myself and my husband, Dan, were really positive about it when we found out we were pregnant, but everyone around us made us feel quite negative," Lucy told Grimsby Live. "All the comments do make you change your mindset and make you wonder if you're doing the right thing.
"It made us think whether or not we were taking a big risk too. When I went to register with the local midwife and I told her my date of birth, she gasped and some of our friends and family were the same.
"When we went to book a holiday and I told them I was pregnant they even asked me if it was planned."
A comment about Lucy being 'the oldest mum at the school gates', is one that has stuck with her ever since.
"You can't un-hear that stuff," she said. "It makes you think more about what you're doing and comments like that were a real kick in the teeth. All the comments just made me feel like maybe I was too old and it was really upsetting, to be honest."
Now 46, Lucy's daughters Nancy and Ivy are 12 and 10, with Rocky, now three.
She decided to share her own experience after reality TV star Stacey received a backlash, despite only being in her early 30s.
"As soon as she released the news, people jumped on her," said Lucy, from Louth. "I felt sorry for her when I saw it and couldn't believe people thought they had the right to comment on those things."
In her 'geriatric mum' blog she spoke about what she was going through and how other mums were feeling the same, something that stopped her from becoming negative about her pregnancy. In turn, this has also led to her becoming a confidence coach to help others who are struggling.
Now, Rocky is a happy and healthy four-year-old and Lucy says this time round has been much better for her. "I've had more time to know what to do and I'm not stressing half as much as did with the other two.
"I think that's helped Rocky too. He's really relaxed and calm and the fact I'm not panicking, I'd like to think, is rubbing off on him."
The best advice she would give to anyone else in her position is to ignore those criticising you and carry on as you were.
"Ignore what people say and stick to your own intuition," she said. "Get advice from the people who have been in these situations and talk about how you're feeling."
Did you face any comments over the age you had a baby? Were you criticised for being too young, or too old? Let us know in the comments here.
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