Mum-of-five shamed as pregnant teen now criticised for having baby at 43

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A mum-of-five who was judged as a pregnant teen is now facing criticism for having baby at 43 - but says she no longer cares what people think.Rachel Rowsell, who has given birth every decade since the 90s, had done it all from teen parenting, going through a surprise pregnancy during lockdown and working full-time as a single mum, the Mirror reports.Having built a successful career as a life coach, she explained how her parenting style has changed over the years while raising her children Emily, 29, Tom, 27, Poppy, 16, Evie, 11, and Clara, two.Rachel, from from Great Oakley, Essex, said: “At 16, I was made to feel as though I'd committed an awful crime because I had a baby,” she said.“Now, I'd love to give my younger self advice - don’t take anything so seriously, don't worry about milestones - such as walking and talking.“Enjoy them because it goes so quickly - have cuddles and forget the guilt that says you're not being productive.

That's how I felt as a teen - but not any more. Leave the washing up, don't worry about what others think.“I no longer feel that pressure to do it 'right' anymore, I have more confidence in my rights rather than external measures.”Rachel felt as though she should feel “ashamed” after falling pregnant with the 21-year-old man called Tim she was dating in 1992.When Emily arrived, Rachel felt as though she had ruined her life - and was determined to prove everyone wrong by going on to do A-levels.“My waters broke in the night and I was too scared to wake my mum, so I waited until the morning,” Rachel, now 45, said.“Labour was painful but I took it in my stride.

The care in the hospital was incredible. I stayed there for seven days and they taught me how to breastfeed. New mums were also given