A mum has told how a 'midlife fertility surge' left her with four babies in her 40s.
Louise, 48, had tried to get pregnant for 20 years with her husband Bernard, 66, but their first born arrived when she was in her 40s, thanks to what her doctors described as a 'fertility surge'.
Louise and Bernard are now proud parents to Leah, five, twins Amy and Lucy, two, and son Ben, three, after a series of heartbreaking failed IVF attempts and an ectopic pregnancy.
Louise told the Daily Mail that they had given up their dream of having a family, and could not believe it when she then fell pregnant THREE times.
She said it seemed 'utterly impossible' for her to comprehend until her GP explained that some woman have a brief burst of fertility as they approach the menopause.
Despite now having four children under six, Louise says it is the 'fulfilment of [her] lifelong dream' – even if it has come later than she expected.
After enduring three fruitless IVF attempts, the couple moved to Spain after Bernard's retirement at 60, where, Louise says, her 'longing' for a baby 'slowly evaporated' .
The couple were then shocked to discover she was pregnant as she approached her 42nd birthday.
After baby Leah's birth, the family moved back to the UK, where, in 2010, at the age of 44, they found they were once again expecting, and son Ben was born. Then, in September 2011, Louise had another positive test, and this time, the scan revealed twins, Amy and Lucy.
"Here I was, a woman who'd spent nearly 20 years trying for a baby, having two at once," said Louise.
The proud mum of four says she and Bernard are now 'blissfully happy, if exhausted' and that she is convinced it was 'meant to be this way'.