My mum's had 15 babies and now wants ANOTHER one at 58 – it's reckless & selfish… and I'm terrified it could kill her

The Sun

5 hours ago

SHE'S already given birth to a staggering 15 babies and Carole Horlock now wants to have another one at the age of 58.
But her own daughter has slammed her "reckless" plan - saying: 'Mum's being selfish and she's too old.'
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Megan Horlock, 31, who works in the NHS as an emergency worker, revealed she had a blazing row with mother Carole - the world's most prolific surrogate mum - as she fears having another baby for a childless couple may kill her.
Carole has had 15 babies in total - two daughters, Megan and her sister Stephanie, and 13 babies for nine different couples.
And she recently told The Sun she was 'broody' and was willing to defy doctor's orders to go through with another pregnancy.
But in a blistering interview, Megan, who spent her childhood seeing her mum pregnant 'almost all the time', hit back: 'Broody? I think Mum is being selfish to try to become a surrogate again. It's time she retired her uterus.
'I honestly can't believe she's trying again and is talking to doctors.
'She's too old. How many more last times can there be?
'When she announced she's coming out of retirement I was shocked and dismayed.
'As an emergency medical worker I see the best - but also the worst - outcomes in every possible type of scenario.
'I worry for mum. She wants so badly to help others, but I said to her: 'The risks are too high. Don't do it. It's time you enjoyed your amazing achievements but also your well earned retirement.
'She said 'Let me have one last try'. She wants me to support her. She has spent her whole life feeling broody so I suppose it's no surprise that hasn't gone away.
'I told her 'you've been a wonderful mum as well as an amazing surrogate and I'm scared of losing you. Please don't sacrifice our family to give someone else one.'
I'm the world's most prolific surrogate and want my 16th baby aged 58 - docs fear I could die this time but I'm not worried
'Mum told me she has unfinished business and she was sad when she didn't bond with the last surrogate family. It's her dream to have one more.'
'I replied: 'The price could be your life. This could kill you'.
Pregnant for 30 years
Earlier this month The Sun revealed Carole, who is in perimenopause, has been in touch with fertility experts in Greece and Cyprus to see if she can conceive another child using IVF.
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Doctors have previously warned her that having another baby could kill her - but Carole claims her body has never let her down.
Carole, who has the Guinness World Record for being the world's most prolific surrogate, would also become Britain's oldest surrogate if she is successful at becoming pregnant and giving birth.
The oldest known surrogate in Britain is Pamela Butler who gave birth to her grandson aged 57 in 2010.
Carole had her first surrogate baby - a little boy - in 1995.
She went on to have twin girls in 1997 for the same couple and they continue to be close to this day.
Baby four, in March 1998 was a girl for a couple who had suffered multiple miscarriages. Five was a little girl for a couple who already had a child with another surrogate.
Baby six was a little girl who completed the family for the parents of baby number four.
Baby seven was a boy for a woman who had tried to have a baby for 23 years.
When I was growing up I remember my mum being pregnant most of the time.
Megan Horlock
Next was a little girl - her eighth surrogate child - for a couple whose previous surrogate had kept the baby.
Baby nine caused a public outcry, as the little boy turned out to be Carole's and her husband Paul's - but she still gave him away.
Triplets came next, making up babies 10, 11 and 12 who were born after IVF and via a caesarean. While baby 13 was a little boy born in April 2012, again by caesarean.
Risks of birth at 58
IT is possible for a woman to give birth at 58 but natural conception is extremely rare and most women of this age need IVF, often using donor eggs due to diminished ovarian reserve.
Multiple previous pregnancies, especially with multiple births and multiple caesareans, significantly increase risks such as uterine rupture, placenta previa, and haemorrhage.
Using donor eggs from a younger woman can reduce the risk of chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down's syndrome.
But the risks of pregnancy complications – including gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, hypertension, and preterm birth – are significantly higher due to the mother's age.
There are substantial risks. Older mothers also face a higher likelihood of requiring intensive care during or after delivery. The risks increase with each successive caesarean.
NHS fertility treatment is only offered to women aged under 43. Many UK specialists may be reluctant due to the high medical risks involved but age limits may be more flexible abroad.
Dr Sami Almusawa is a Fertility Consultant at planyourbaby.co.uk
Megan said: 'My first memory of Mum being pregnant with a surrogate baby was when I was four.
'When I was growing up I remember my mum being pregnant most of the time.
'She was a single mum back then, working full time in a launderette, bringing me and Stephanie up single handedly whilst also being a surrogate.
"She was like superwoman. For a lot of the pregnancies she worked until she was literally in labour.
'We were involved in everything.
'She'd tell us: 'The lady's tummy is broken so she's borrowing Mummy's tummy.'
'In the evenings our favourite game was eating Maltesers while watching TV and we used to balance them on her belly and try to get the baby to kick it off.
'We'd follow the couples through the pregnancy journey and when she gave birth, I got to meet them and hold their child.
'Even at such a young age it was a fantastic experience because you saw each couple grow with excitement throughout the nine months.
'Then we got to see them with their baby afterwards and sometimes even watch the surrogate children grow up."
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Megan has stayed close to many of the kids her mother gave birth to.
'I have a WhatsApp group with some of them and we plan to meet," she says.
"They were like cousins, but in reality as Mum donated her eggs for some of the pregnancies, some are my half-brothers and half-sisters biologically.
'I have always thought what Mum did was so special.
'Now, as an adult I have even more admiration for what she's done and the families that she's made.'
Pain over long lost brother
Meghan was seven when Carole met her now husband Paul, now 71.
She said: 'He is my dad. He became a part of our surrogacy journey too. There was more love in our home than many families experience.
'I wouldn't say I missed out on anything. I think my life was more full of love because of my mum doing this.
'I have always said maybe after I have my own family I'd like to be a surrogate one day.
'But Mum has to know when to stop and enough is enough.'
Megan revealed she does think of one of the babies more often than others - baby nine, a little boy who turned out to be Carole's and Paul's who they accidentally gave away.
The mix-up came to light when the surrogate couple did a DNA test after the birth and discovered the child was not theirs.
Megan, who has a long-term partner and lives in Braintree, Essex, said: 'Mum and Paul did a lot of soul searching as Paul does not have biological children of his own, although I think of him as my dad. But they hadn't planned to have a child and so they decided to let them keep him.
'I do think of baby nine more than the other children, because we are estranged and he is my half-brother.
'I quite often wonder what he looks like, how he acts, the things he likes, what his personality is like. I wonder what he's up to, he might be at university. I wonder if he looks like me.
'I would love to meet him and I hope that he will make contact one day and I know Mum and Paul would love to meet him too.'
Difficult birth
Meghan revealed her concerns for her mum stem from being her birthing partner during her last labour in 2013.
She said: 'The doctors decided to induce her because of her age and the risk of pre-eclampsia, rather than there being a pre-eclampsia developing, which Mum didn't agree with.
'Her body knows what it's doing. It was very difficult to watch my mum go through the pain of being induced, a caesarean and the recovery.
'She did admit that pregnancy did take more out of her than the previous ones because of her age.
'Twelve years have passed since then and I think it's a lot later in life.
'It's going to be twice as hard as the last time and the risks to health during the labour are going to be higher.
'Having had two previous caesareans, it just increases the risk even more. It's a huge concern.
'Mum is my best friend. There is nothing she could ever do that would ever upset me enough to affect our relationship.
'As much as I have my personal views, ultimately I will support her through her decision and journey and be there for her.
'I will go with her to the hospital even though I don't agree because I know what it means to her.
'I still believe people should be able to do what they want in life and be able to live how they want.'
Last night Carole said: 'My daughter's feelings are very important to me, in fact they are everything.
'But I know my body and I'll be taking the best medical advice in the world to ensure my body can do this and see a pregnancy through.
"I know my body but I won't let a couple down - so tests will confirm if this can go ahead. I'm confident I can do this.'