A mum of four teenagers was left completely stunned when she discovered she was pregnant with her fifth child at the age of 46 - after she dismissed her symptoms as the start of the menopause.
Rachel Hodgson, now 47, didn't bat an eyelid when her periods stopped as she thought she was just going through the start of the menopause, but a chance visit to the doctors told her she was actually five months pregnant with her fifth baby, an impressive 20 years after welcoming her first.
The mum, from Melbourne, Australia, and her husband Paul, 48, welcomed their youngest daughter Peggie Jean into the world in November 2020, where she joined a family of four siblings including three sisters and a brother.
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Rachel and Paul, who have been married for 24 years, now call Peggie their little miracle - even if Rachel was "devastated" when the little one was first born.
The mum said: "I was 46 when I gave birth to Peggie. We were decades past nappies and night feeds, our baby days were long over - we thought the next stage would be grandchildren as we had four teenagers.
"I was 19 weeks pregnant when doctors told me but I didn't look or feel pregnant. I simply assumed my periods had stopped because I was 45 and entering menopause. I never for a second thought I could be pregnant.
"I've been open and honest about our initial feelings - I was devastated at the time. We never thought it was the direction our life was going in."
Rachel and Paul share their "older parent" highs and lows online, and the mum-of-five has admitted she "cried a lot" when she first realised she would be a mum again at 46.
"I was modelling, wearing my usual sized clothes, working full time, and we were loving having a more independent lifestyle," Rachel added, "I cried a lot at first, but we decided it was meant to be and I accepted it."
And now, the mum would change her family for the world as Peggie, now 16 months, fits right in with her siblings - Isabella, 22, Molly, 20, Olivia, 17, and Will, 15.
Rachel said: "Peggie is our change of life baby, she certainly keeps us young and in the end, it's been the best thing in the world for us.
"Our friends were so shocked but supportive. No one could believe I was pregnant. We were the couple with teenage kids and child-free weekend breaks.
"The kids were very accepting and excited for a baby sibling."
Peggie was born during lockdown, and Rachel made the emotional decision to allow her eldest daughter Isabella be her birthing partner, as she was studying to be a midwife at the time.
And while the family is happier than ever with their new addition, Rachel admits she is worried about how the age gap will impact Peggie when she grows up.
She said: "I'm always doing the maths, working out how old will I be when she is at school. I've not yet been mistaken for her gran, but I'm waiting for it."
However, the mum-of-five is hoping that her story can help bring "hope" to older women who may be trying to conceive.
She added: "I would like my story to be a message of hope to older women, those trying to conceive and a voice of reason to those with an unexpected, later in life pregnancy.
"Having Peggy at 46 is a reminder to me that age is just a number. She is our little miracle and she has taught me that everything happens for a reason. She is my greatest lesson in life."
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