‘I’m still pinching myself’: Madeleine West opens up about ‘shock’ seventh pregnancy

Ahead of welcoming her surprise seventh child at 47, Madeleine West talks body image, and why another baby is the ‘icing on the cake’.

Ahead of welcoming her surprise seventh child at 47, Madeleine West talks body image, and why another baby is the ‘icing on the cake’.

Stellar: Congratulations on the looming arrival of your seventh child.

Madeleine West: I’m still pinching myself … I still get fresh moments of shock every now and then. I’m slightly terrified, but ultimately very grateful.

Stellar: You went public with news of your pregnancy back in January, and said that at first you thought you were perimenopausal.

Madeleine West: It’s certainly not something that I, as a woman [of 47], was expecting, or something that society discusses at large. We are ignoring the very real fact that the rate of women having babies in their 40s is increasing.

So it felt like a lovely opportunity to reach out and say: here I am. I didn’t expect to be here. But I’m certainly not alone. And you’re not alone, either.

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

‘I didn’t expect to be here!’ Madeleine West has spoken about her ‘shock’ seventh pregnancy. Picture: Christopher Ferguson for Stellar

Tell me about the reaction from your loved ones, as well as the wider public.

When I first reached out to my circle and revealed the news, there was certainly a look – a bit of stunned mullet – more than anything. Which was followed by, “Wow”, which was followed by, “Are you gonna keep it?”

That of course opened up the conversation about the financial constraints and, “You’re just at this point of freedom, getting out there and doing what you want.”

I strive to not see motherhood as a limitation on my capacities. It’s something that adds to it exponentially. I’m the first one to say, yes, it is high risk, but pregnancy itself is high risk.

And then there’s the label somewhat ludicrously given to women from 35 onwards: “geriatric pregnancy” …

I’m the first to say it feels more physically taxing, but that could also be because my body has already carried six babies. So everything is kind of going, “Oh, crikey.”

I feel like this little person has come along at the best possible time when I’m so very ready. I have more time, wisdom and experience.

Maybe we need to change the label “geriatric” to “wise”. Wise mother.

Shot near her home in Byron Bay, Madeleine West opens up about how she will handle becoming a mother for the seventh time. Picture: Christopher Ferguson for Stellar

You were recently criticised by online commenters for working out at the gym while pregnant. When it comes to body image and your physical appearance you really can’t win as a woman, can you?

The accusation that was levelled at me was that I was just going for vanity, that I shouldn’t be trying to stay slim. For me it’s [about] the recognition that I’m older, and my body is a bit wearier.

I need to go to the gym … to ensure that my body is strong and flexible and capable of navigating the path I’m about to go down.

So calling it vanity is quite backwards. What right does anyone have, crouching anonymously behind their keyboard, to pass judgement on what anyone chooses to do with their body?

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

Madeleine West is on the cover of today’s Stellar. Picture: Stellar

‘On my terms.’ Picture: Instagram

You’re preparing to not only welcome a seventh child into the world, but also to navigate life with six older children, with the youngest being your 10-year-old twins. How are you planning to manage all that?

All the women in my life have been such a support for me. They’ve already planned a roster, they’re all going to cook meals for me and babysit the other kids and we’ve got activities planned.

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

Most of my beautiful mum friends can’t wait to get their hands on a baby and do a little bit of grandparenting practice before they have to take on the full responsibility.

So I’m surrounded by all these open arms waiting to hold me.

And that was not something I experienced in my first, second, third, or even fourth pregnancy – because most of my friendship group were also in the trenches with me.

I really feel this baby will be brought up by a village, and that’s how it’s meant to be. We’re not meant to do it alone.

The former Neighbours star at the Logies in 2014. Picture: News Corp Australia

And on the Logies red carpet in 2003. Picture: News Corp Australia

What are your thoughts, if any, about what your future looks like – separate to Madeleine West, mother-of-seven, but also Madeleine West the media personality and actor?

I’ve discovered through the process of having six babies that I often felt so compelled to return to and reinforce what I’ve considered my identity – which was very much Madeleine West as an actor and a person with a platform.

[I felt] that I needed to return to that quickly, lest anyone forgot about me. I do feel to some degree that I did a disservice to myself and my then partner and my children, in feeling the push to go back to work.

I was under a contract; after I had my second baby, I went back to work after five weeks. That was really difficult and almost quite traumatic. This time around, I’m really looking forward to luxuriating in motherhood on my terms.

This is like the icing on the cake – where I get to take all of my experiences and let them inform bringing this new person into the world.

Listen to the full interview with Madeleine West on the new episode of the Stellar podcast, Something To Talk About. And 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).

For more from Stellar, click here.

Originally published as ‘I’m still pinching myself’: Madeleine West opens up about ‘shock’ seventh pregnancy