Latest news with #Londoner
New York Post
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
I had my first baby at 48 — haters say I'm selfish but older moms do it better
Don't mess with this mama. A new mom has hit back at claims she's 'selfish' for having her first child at 48 – saying her age and wisdom make her better equipped to raise a baby. Rene Byrd welcomed her baby boy, Crue, late last year after trying to get pregnant for almost a decade. Advertisement 'In my heart, I always longed to hold a baby that was mine,' she emotionally told Jam Press. 'I'm more financially stable, more patient, and I've lived a full life.' 'I feel more in control, more confident,' the new mom continued. 'I've spent years around friends' kids, reading, learning. I'm in a completely different headspace.' 4 Rene Byrd welcomed her baby boy, Crue, late last year after trying to get pregnant for almost a decade. Jam Press/Rene Bryd Advertisement 4 Since welcoming Crue into the world last November, Byrd says she's lost several friends due to their outrage over her having a baby at an advanced age. Jam Press/Rene Bryd Byrday says she always dreamed of becoming a mom, but life didn't exactly go to plan. She met her now-husband, 42-year-old American attorney Demetrious, by chance in a London bar, when she was in her late thirties. Aware of Byrd's biological clock, the pair started trying for a baby in 2017. At the time, Byrd was 40. Advertisement 'We tried to conceive naturally, but my age was always a factor,' the singer-songwriter stated. 'The panic starts to set in – you realise time is slipping away.' 'It was getting me down,' she continued. 'I knew my window was closing.' 4 Early last year, the Londoner learned she was finally pregnant. Jam Press/Victoria Coolco Byrd and her beau eventually decided to to undergo IVF – a rough journey that cost her over $25,000. Advertisement However, early last year, the Londoner learned she was finally pregnant. Her overwhelming joy was quickly dulled by detractors who told her she was too old to become a parent. 'People have told me it's selfish,' Byrd explained. 'They say it jokingly, but you know they're not joking. It can make you feel guilty, but I just want to be the best mom I can be.' 4 Despite the long road to motherhood, Byrd says she wouldn't change a thing. Jam Press/Victoria Coolco Since welcoming Crue into the world last November, Byrd says she's even lost several friends due to their outrage over her having a baby at an advanced age. 'Some relationships dissolved,' the musician admitted. Despite that heartache, and the long road to motherhood, Byrd says she wouldn't change a thing. Advertisement 'You do get that twinge of guilt when you think about being older, but it's nobody's business,' she declared. 'You have to live your own life in your own time.'
Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I was almost 50 when I had my first baby, people call me selfish and I've lost friends over it but older mums are better
Rene has had cruel comments from strangers and friends alike OH BABY I was almost 50 when I had my first baby, people call me selfish and I've lost friends over it but older mums are better WHEN Rene Byrd first held her baby boy, Crue, in her arms, she felt like life was finally complete. The Londoner had spent years battling infertility before deciding to undergo IVF – a journey that cost her over £20,000. Advertisement 4 Rene Byrd was 48 when she welcomed her first baby Credit: Jam Press/Rene Bryd 4 She says she has received plenty of criticism but believes older women make better mums Credit: Jam Press/Rene Bryd But Rene's struggle didn't stop other parents from judging her for becoming a mum later in life. The singer-songwriter was met with cruel 'jokes' after telling people she'd given birth at 48. She's also lost friends since having a baby. Although the comments stung, Rene says she is determined to ignore the negativity and finally embrace motherhood. Advertisement 'I had people making [say things like], 'You'll be old when your child grows up',' she said 'People have told me it's selfish. 'They say it jokingly, but you know they're not joking. 'It can make you feel guilty, but I just want to be the best mum I can be. Advertisement 'You do question yourself – am I too old? 'Some people in my life dropped off after I had [my son] Reality TV star reveals she's pregnant with second baby just months after admitting marriage was 'lowest it's ever been' 'I have a friend I don't even see anymore. 'Some relationships dissolved.' Advertisement Rene had always dreamed of becoming a mum, but life didn't exactly go to plan. Rene met her now-husband, 42-year-old American attorney Demetrious, by chance in a London bar. Aware of her biological clock, the pair started trying for a baby in 2017 when Rene was 40. She even spent about £2,000 on Chinese herbal remedies and fertility tonics to help her get pregnant. Advertisement But after a year of trying, Rene realised that starting a family wouldn't be as easy as she'd hoped. She said: 'We tried to conceive naturally, but my age was always a factor. 'The panic starts to set in – you realise time is slipping away. 'I spent a couple of grand on different tonics overseas – anything that looked like it could help. Advertisement 'It was getting me down. 'I knew my window was closing. 'Eventually, I accepted that it probably wasn't going to happen without some assistance.' Rene and Demetrious eventually decided to explore IVF in a bid to start their dream family. Advertisement The couple spent a few years researching treatments and clinics before taking the leap. Following a rough IVF journey – Rene described the procedure as 'invasive' – she found out she was pregnant in April 2024, just a few months after the couple got married. She said: 'I didn't realise just how emotional it would be. 'There's so much uncertainty. Advertisement 'So many tests – you're constantly putting your body through it. 'I had an underlying condition that was a big factor. 'They check all your hormones, and, as women, there are so many to track. 'You have to do regular blood tests, and they expire after a certain time, so you're constantly redoing them. Advertisement 'Emotionally, it was draining, and I wasn't sure if it would even work. 'Financially, it was a huge strain – in total, it cost over £20,000.' Rene can recall the moment she learned she was pregnant. She said: They told me I needed to do a beta test – it looks at hormone levels in your blood to confirm pregnancy. Advertisement 'I went in that morning, and the lady from the clinic started crying. The struggle of choosing a baby name CHLOE Morgan, a Senior Writer at Fabulous, has revealed her dilemma on choosing a baby name... At 35 weeks pregnant, by far the trickiest part of pregnancy for me in the past few months (minus the insomnia and countless night-time wee breaks!) has been trying to decide on a baby name. The dilemmas are endless... My partner and I went for a private scan to find out the gender as early as we could - partly due to the fact we thought it would make baby naming so much easier because we'd only have to come up with a list of names for one gender rather than two. How wrong we were... I was absolutely thrilled to be told I was expecting the baby girl I'd already dreamed of, but being one of the last of my friends to fall pregnant, I've had countless conversations over the years with excited pals discussing their top baby which I wish I could go back in time and un-hear. With each friend mentioning at least 10 possible monikers, I can't help but feel like several are now a no-go even though I know it's something that none of them would mind in the slightest - it's a total me problem! The debate comes up time and time again on social media forums - can you choose the same name that was a "potential" for a friend's baby? It's a very divisive topic and opinions are always I don't want to be THAT person. While some will argue there's thousands of other names out there to choose from, others will say you need to choose YOUR all, there's no guarantee that person will even have another baby. Then there's also the issue of finding a name you to research it online and read one negative comment amongst hundreds of positives that you just can't shake off. I made that very mistake when I fell in love with a certain name (I won't reveal it because I don't want to ruin it for others!) ...only to see someone point out that it constantly gets autocorrected on a phone to something rather rude instead. So, back to the drawing board we went.. Just five weeks to go and it looks like our little one is going to be known as 'baby gal' for a little while longer! 'I thought it was bad news – but they were happy tears. 'She told me, 'You're pregnant.' 'I cried my eyes out. Advertisement 'That was just the beginning of the journey. 'I've always wanted children – the real challenge was finding the right person to have them with. 'All around me, my friends were having babies. 'I was always at baby showers and christenings. I've been a godmother to so many kids. Advertisement 'I had a vision board with a little boy on it. 'In my heart, I always longed to hold a baby that was mine.' Following a pregnancy marked by intense nausea and fluctuating hormones, Crue was born via C-section on 28 November last year. Rene said: 'They placed him on my chest for skin-to-skin contact. Advertisement 'That's when it hit me – this is real, he's here.' Despite the criticism that's come since Rene says she wouldn't change a thing. She said, 'There are so many positives to having a child later in life. 'I'm more financially stable, more patient, and I've lived a full life. Advertisement 'I feel more in control, more confident. 'I've spent years around friends' kids, reading, learning. 'I'm in a completely different headspace. 'You do get that twinge of guilt when you think about being older, but it's nobody's business. Advertisement 'You have to live your own life in your own time.' 4 Rene spent £20,000 on fertility treatment over the years Credit: Jam Press/Rene Bryd
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I was almost 50 when I had my first baby, people call me selfish and I've lost friends over it but older mums are better
WHEN Rene Byrd first held her baby boy, Crue, in her arms, she felt like life was finally complete. The Londoner had spent years battling infertility before deciding to undergo IVF – a journey that cost her over £20,000. 4 Rene Byrd was 48 when she welcomed her first baby Credit: Jam Press/Rene Bryd 4 She says she has received plenty of criticism but believes older women make better mums Credit: Jam Press/Rene Bryd But Rene's struggle didn't stop other parents from judging her for becoming a mum later in life. The singer-songwriter was met with cruel 'jokes' after telling people she'd given birth at 48. She's also lost friends since having a baby. Although the comments stung, Rene says she is determined to ignore the negativity and finally embrace motherhood. Read More on Real Lives 'I had people making [say things like], 'You'll be old when your child grows up',' she said 'People have told me it's selfish. 'They say it jokingly, but you know they're not joking. 'It can make you feel guilty, but I just want to be the best mum I can be. Most read in Fabulous 'You do question yourself – am I too old? 'Some people in my life dropped off after I had [my son] Reality TV star reveals she's pregnant with second baby just months after admitting marriage was 'lowest it's ever been' 'I have a friend I don't even see anymore. 'Some relationships dissolved.' Rene had always dreamed of becoming a mum, but life didn't exactly go to plan. Rene met her now-husband, 42-year-old American attorney Demetrious, by chance in a London bar. Aware of her biological clock, the pair started trying for a baby in 2017 when Rene was 40. She even spent about £2,000 on Chinese herbal remedies and fertility tonics to help her get pregnant. But after a year of trying, Rene realised that starting a family wouldn't be as easy as she'd hoped. She said: 'We tried to conceive naturally, but my age was always a factor. 'The panic starts to set in – you realise time is slipping away. 'I spent a couple of grand on different tonics overseas – anything that looked like it could help. 'It was getting me down. 'I knew my window was closing. 'Eventually, I accepted that it probably wasn't going to happen without some assistance.' Rene and Demetrious eventually decided to explore IVF in a bid to start their dream family. The couple spent a few years researching treatments and clinics before taking the leap. Following a rough IVF journey – Rene described the procedure as 'invasive' – she found out she was pregnant in April 2024, just a few months after the couple got married. She said: 'I didn't realise just how emotional it would be. 'There's so much uncertainty. 'So many tests – you're constantly putting your body through it. 'I had an underlying condition that was a big factor. 'They check all your hormones, and, as women, there are so many to track. 'You have to do regular blood tests, and they expire after a certain time, so you're constantly redoing them. 'Emotionally, it was draining, and I wasn't sure if it would even work. 'Financially, it was a huge strain – in total, it cost over £20,000.' Rene can recall the moment she learned she was pregnant. She said: They told me I needed to do a beta test – it looks at hormone levels in your blood to confirm pregnancy. 'I went in that morning, and the lady from the clinic started crying. The struggle of choosing a baby name CHLOE Morgan, a Senior Writer at Fabulous, has revealed her dilemma on choosing a baby name... At 35 weeks pregnant, by far the trickiest part of pregnancy for me in the past few months (minus the insomnia and countless night-time wee breaks!) has been trying to decide on a baby name. The dilemmas are endless... My partner and I went for a private scan to find out the gender as early as we could - partly due to the fact we thought it would make baby naming so much easier because we'd only have to come up with a list of names for one gender rather than two. How wrong we were... I was absolutely thrilled to be told I was expecting the baby girl I'd already dreamed of, but being one of the last of my friends to fall pregnant, I've had countless conversations over the years with excited pals discussing their top With each friend mentioning at least 10 possible monikers, I can't help but feel like several are now a no-go even though I know it's something that none of them would mind in the slightest - it's a total me problem! The debate comes up time and time again on social media forums - can you choose the same name that was a "potential" for a friend's baby? It's a very divisive topic and opinions are always I don't want to be THAT person. While some will argue there's thousands of other names out there to choose from, others will say you need to choose YOUR all, there's no guarantee that person will even have another baby. Then there's also the issue of finding a name you to research it online and read one negative comment amongst hundreds of positives that you just can't shake off. I made that very mistake when I fell in love with a certain name (I won't reveal it because I don't want to ruin it for others!) ...only to see someone point out that it constantly gets autocorrected on a phone to something rather rude instead. So, back to the drawing board we went.. Just five weeks to go and it looks like our little one is going to be known as 'baby gal' for a little while longer! 'I thought it was bad news – but they were happy tears. 'She told me, 'You're pregnant.' 'I cried my eyes out. 'That was just the beginning of the journey. 'I've always wanted children – the real challenge was finding the right person to have them with. 'All around me, my friends were having babies. 'I was always at baby showers and christenings. I've been a godmother to so many kids. 'I had a vision board with a little boy on it. 'In my heart, I always longed to hold a baby that was mine.' Following a pregnancy marked by intense nausea and fluctuating hormones, Crue was born via C-section on 28 November last year. Rene said: 'They placed him on my chest for skin-to-skin contact. 'That's when it hit me – this is real, he's here.' Despite the criticism that's come since Rene says she wouldn't change a thing. She said, 'There are so many positives to having a child later in life. 'I'm more financially stable, more patient, and I've lived a full life. 'I feel more in control, more confident. 'I've spent years around friends' kids, reading, learning. 'I'm in a completely different headspace. 'You do get that twinge of guilt when you think about being older, but it's nobody's business. 'You have to live your own life in your own time.' 4 Rene spent £20,000 on fertility treatment over the years Credit: Jam Press/Rene Bryd 4 Rene says that as an older mother she is more financially stable to support her baby Credit: Jam Press/Rene Bryd
North Wales Live
a day ago
- Business
- North Wales Live
True cost of rent as many people spend half their salary on it
Two-fifths of people spend nearly half their salary on rent. The average tenant now forks out more than 40% of their take-home salary on rent, with one in seven spending more than half their pay packets on rent. The survey by tenant and landlord services provider Canopy revealed one in 20 renters are forced to pay more than 80% of their salary each month on housing. Typically, spending 40% of take-home salary is considered the very upper limit of affordability, with many facing this financial predicament. On average, tenants now spend £846 per month on their share of the rent - up from £822 this time last year. In the first three months of 2025, tenants spent 5% more of their salary on rent than this time in 2024, with rental affordability apparently rising across the country. Canopy analysed data from nearly 100,000 individual renters, measuring average take-home salary of employed tenants against their share of rental costs creating a rent-to-income ratio. London topped the list of priciest places to live with the average Londoner spending 47.3% of their salary on rent. Five London boroughs see the average tenant spending more than 50% of their take-home wage on rental payments. Enfield (55.5%) is the least affordable London borough, with Haringey (52.9%), Brent (51.5%), Redbridge (51.5%), and Barking and Dagenham (50.8%) all similarly pricey. Hot on London's heels was Brighton with 46.2% followed by Oxford with 45.2%. At the other end of the scale, and country, Doncaster is crowned the city with the best rental affordability, with tenants spending less than a third (31.8%) on accommodation. Hull (32.2%) and Durham (32.3%) slugged it out for the next coveted spot - being ranked second and third respectively. While Doncaster is the cheapest city, the cheapest local authority area is Chesterfield in the East Midlands. Tenants there spend just 29.1% of their take-home salary on the rent, leaving more than 70% of their money free for other essentials and fun. Gen Z are taking the biggest hit to their wallets, with the average younger tenant spending almost half (48%) of their wage on rent. Chris Hutchinson, CEO at Canopy, said: "Our latest index shows that rent affordability continues to elude many, with a large portion of UK renters now spending more than 40% of their take-home salary on rent. Wage growth continues to be slow and those spending a higher proportion of their salary on rent can be expected to struggle to pay essential bills and have little left to spend on hobbies and leisure time. "The problem is that rising interest rates, increased regulation and a growing tax burden are all making property investment less attractive. This makes it more likely that more landlords will exit the market altogether. "The more landlords that leave the market will also make it more likely that rental affordability will worsen, with fewer properties to meet demand."
Wales Online
a day ago
- Business
- Wales Online
True cost of rent as many people spend half their salary on it
True cost of rent as many people spend half their salary on it A new report has found how much rent now costs and who is spending the most For rent sign in front of house Two-fifths of people spend nearly half their salary on rent. The average tenant now forks out more than 40% of their take-home salary on rent, with one in seven spending more than half their pay packets on rent. The survey by tenant and landlord services provider Canopy revealed one in 20 renters are forced to pay more than 80% of their salary each month on housing. Typically, spending 40% of take-home salary is considered the very upper limit of affordability, with many facing this financial predicament. On average, tenants now spend £846 per month on their share of the rent - up from £822 this time last year. In the first three months of 2025, tenants spent 5% more of their salary on rent than this time in 2024, with rental affordability apparently rising across the country. Canopy analysed data from nearly 100,000 individual renters, measuring average take-home salary of employed tenants against their share of rental costs creating a rent-to-income ratio. London topped the list of priciest places to live with the average Londoner spending 47.3% of their salary on rent. Five London boroughs see the average tenant spending more than 50% of their take-home wage on rental payments. Enfield (55.5%) is the least affordable London borough, with Haringey (52.9%), Brent (51.5%), Redbridge (51.5%), and Barking and Dagenham (50.8%) all similarly pricey. Hot on London's heels was Brighton with 46.2% followed by Oxford with 45.2%. At the other end of the scale, and country, Doncaster is crowned the city with the best rental affordability, with tenants spending less than a third (31.8%) on accommodation. Hull (32.2%) and Durham (32.3%) slugged it out for the next coveted spot - being ranked second and third respectively. While Doncaster is the cheapest city, the cheapest local authority area is Chesterfield in the East Midlands. Tenants there spend just 29.1% of their take-home salary on the rent, leaving more than 70% of their money free for other essentials and fun. Gen Z are taking the biggest hit to their wallets, with the average younger tenant spending almost half (48%) of their wage on rent. Chris Hutchinson, CEO at Canopy, said: "Our latest index shows that rent affordability continues to elude many, with a large portion of UK renters now spending more than 40% of their take-home salary on rent. Wage growth continues to be slow and those spending a higher proportion of their salary on rent can be expected to struggle to pay essential bills and have little left to spend on hobbies and leisure time. "The problem is that rising interest rates, increased regulation and a growing tax burden are all making property investment less attractive. This makes it more likely that more landlords will exit the market altogether. "The more landlords that leave the market will also make it more likely that rental affordability will worsen, with fewer properties to meet demand."
