Madeleine West on shock seventh pregnancy: ‘I’m terrified and very, very alone’

As she prepares to give birth to her seventh child, former Neighbours star Madeleine West has revealed the moment she found out about her shock pregnancy.

Google, Facebook and most wellness influencers promise that now, in my mid-40s, with age comes wisdom, and a brilliant new chapter.

However, while I’m definitely older, it seems that my next chapter is going to need a sizeable rewrite.

You see, when my monthly mechanics went a little haywire, I thought I was about to board the Menopause Train. But I was wrong …

When two blue lines appeared on the ubiquitous wee-stick, I’ll admit that I wondered if maybe this was a menopause symptom no-one has discovered yet. Nice try.

I’m officially up the duff and a certifiable hot mess: equal parts elated, terrified, and very, very alone.

‘I’m terrified … and very, very alone.’ Madeleine West has opened up about her seventh pregnancy in a new shoot and interview with Stellar. Picture: Christopher Ferguson for Stellar

Listen to the full interview with Madeleine West on the Stellar podcast, Something To Talk About:

Don’t get me wrong, I’m surrounded by a supportive community of incredible women, but many are embarking on that mysterious and frequently ferocious hot-flash-fest that is menopause, aka The Change, while it seems the only change on my horizon is changing nappies.

As my friends’ kids are leaving the nest, I’m renovating mine. While my eldest children will be studying for their Ps and HSCs, I’ll be back to potty training.

I thought I had a handle on the pitter, splatter and clatter of parenting, but I’m back at the start line, on a crash course I thought I was on the cusp of completing.

I’ll be in a mother’s group with parents half my age. When I’m out pushing the pram, will I be mistaken for grandma?

Madeleine West on the cover of Stellar, out today. Picture: Stellar

‘I reached out to my sisterhood.’ Picture: Instagram

Where do I begin with the wi-fi connected baby gear when I struggle to send emails with attachments? It’s 10 years since my twins were in nappies and for all I know, there’s now an AI-generated changing service.

Faced with this looming post-partum tsunami, I did what women have always done: I reached out to my sisterhood.

After the initial disbelief (them and me), I was surprised to encounter a great heartache shrouded in silence. Many confided that they had been in my shoes, but had chosen not to proceed. Family, work and financial pressures all played a part.

But perhaps more pressing were the social considerations: the fear fed to pregnant women of my age, the discomfort of being branded too old, unfit, even selfish. Many of them felt like outliers, an anomaly, alone.

All of them professed feeling a twinge of guilt and regret.

For those mature mums reading this, let me assure you: you’re not alone.

In 2019, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that, since 1999, rates of women giving birth have almost doubled for women aged 40 to 44, and almost quadrupled among women aged 45 to 49.

Listen to the full interview with Madeleine West on the Stellar podcast, Something To Talk About:

There’s so much worthy conversation about menopause now – but not about the fact that while teenage pregnancy is dropping rapidly, women having babies in their 40s is on the rise.

And so, as I embark on this great adventure (for the seventh time), I confess I have fears, but I couldn’t be happier.

I’m slowing down, smelling the roses.

I’m proud of my body for everything it has overcome, and everything it still manages to do. I have lumps and bumps, bulgy veins, baggy bits and saggy bits. But they’re all part of the puzzle that’s me – and it has never been so complete.

I’m still learning to be a better parent, but I’m definitely a better, softer, more joyful version of myself, living large, laughing loud and loving hard.

I can’t say I’m navigating this new/old adventure gracefully, but I’m embracing it gratefully.

Listen to the full interview with Madeleine West on the new episode of the Stellar podcast, Something To Talk About. See the cover shoot with Madeleine in Stellar today. Inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD), and Sunday Mail (SA).

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