I had my babies 25 years apart, they even arrived on exactly the same day
MOONA Flinders, 44, is a teacher and lives in Arundel, West Sussex, with her husband Marc, 39, and children Kye, 25, and Storm, four months.
Here, she opens up on giving birth to her second child 25 years after her first after spending more than £40,000 on IVF.
“FaceTiming my son Kye from hospital, I angled the camera so he could see the baby in my arms. ‘Happy birthday, big brother’, I said, unable to quite believe I’d become a mum again 25 years to the day.
A quiet, studious teenager who got good grades, no one expected me to get pregnant at 18. I’d only had one boyfriend and was on the Pill, so when I missed a period and discovered I was pregnant, I was terrified, but certain I wanted to keep my baby.
For 17 weeks, I managed to keep it a secret from my family. My boyfriend David knew, but like me, he was scared and felt too young to have a child. When I revealed the news to my family, they were so supportive.
I was able to sit my A levels as planned, and I gave birth to Kye on August 19, 1997, days after getting an A, B and C in my exam results. Holding my baby in my arms for the first time, I couldn’t stop smiling, I was so happy.
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David and I moved in together and got engaged on my 21st birthday, but eventually decided we were better as friends and co-parenting. I put Kye in a creche while I studied for a degree in media studies, before training to be a teacher. Kye and I loved going to parks and swimming, and I was content reading bedtime stories, even though my friends were out having fun.
I wasn’t interested in finding love, but in May 2011 I met Marc in a pub. He won me over when he offered Kye, then 14, tickets to the go-kart track where he worked. We began dating and quickly fell in love. Marc wanted kids and I couldn’t wait to become a mum again, so as soon as we married in April 2013, I stopped having the contraceptive injection.
For the next couple of years, we let nature take its course, but my heart sank each time I got my period. We had tests, but no problems were found. By then, I was in my late 30s, which – coupled with already having Kye – meant I wasn’t eligible for IVF on the NHS, so we ploughed our savings into treatment.
For four years, we suffered heartache. I became pregnant via IVF three times, but each ended in miscarriage. Kye was there for me during all of it. He was working at a tile shop and living at home, and we remained best friends, even clubbing together.
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In summer 2021, Marc and I decided to have another go at IVF. We’d already spent £40,000, but we didn’t want to give up. When I became pregnant that November, aged 43, I hardly dared feel hopeful, but at the scan we got to hear a heartbeat. I was scared to tell anyone at first, but as the weeks passed I decided to embrace my bump.
Kye was over the moon when I told him. He insisted I rest, as he knew this could be my last chance to have a child. Marc and I treated ourselves to a pregnancy photo shoot and a baby shower, where I had to laugh when a friend’s husband mistook Kye for my partner!
My due date of August 5, 2022, passed with no labour twinges. And while I knew Kye’s 25th birthday was getting close, I never imagined I’d give birth on the same date.
I even threw myself into planning a big bash for Kye, thinking I’d be able to introduce everyone to the baby.
Then, the night before his birthday, I went into labour, and Storm was born by emergency C-section on August 19 – 25 years since I’d last given birth. I FaceTimed Kye at his party and could hear shouts of disbelief and cheers as he announced the news.
He was our first visitor the next day, and Storm’s face lights up every time she sees him now. He lives just 10 minutes away, and is always helping with bathtimes. Seeing their bond, despite the age gap, makes me so happy.
As for me, I’ve been a teen mum and a geriatric mum, a single mum and a married mum, had an accidental pregnancy and been through miscarriage and IVF.
Every day with Storm is a gift, especially when I see her snuggling in her big brother’s arms, with whom she’ll always share her birthday.”
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BTW
For the past two decades, September 26 has proved to be the most popular day for births.*
In 2019, there were 14,857 conceptions in women aged 18 and under in England and Wales.*
- Source: *ONS
- Follow Moona on Instagram @oldmum_youngmum