Lynn Beanland dreamed for years she would become a mum again as she went through heartbreak – after becoming pregnant at the age of 53, Lynn said she feels ’20 years younger’
Through many years of heartbreak and despair, Lynn Beanland clung on to her dream of becoming a mum again and never lost hope.
She had eight miscarriages over 10 years yet her desire to expand her family continued burning brightly, despite each devastating loss. But time was running out and when she became menopausal and started hormone replacement therapy, many assumed she had given up her wish.
Now, amazingly, after successful in vitro fertilization 53-year-old Lynn is 23 weeks’ pregnant with a boy. So as many women of her age face the challenges of menopause, she is getting ready for sleepless nights and baby bottles but is feeling fantastic.
She says: “I’m about to embark on a journey most women my age wouldn’t dream of. But this baby is the fulfilment of a dream I’ve carried in my heart for years.” The businesswoman mum-of-one is keeping fit and healthy through diet and exercise.
She says: “Strangely, I feel better now with this pregnancy than I did with my first at 40 years of age. I have more energy and I’m absolutely glowing. I think it’s because being pregnant has brought back the hormones I lost during menopause and when I was perimenopausal in my 40s. My hormones are now in full throttle, and I feel 20 years younger.”
Lynn and factory worker husband, Martin, also 53, met at 16 and were married three years later. A life in the Army meant frequent relocations and adventures for the couple. Lynn was setting up her business, Rebirth Garden, specialising in skincare and floatation therapy.
The pair’s careers and other twists in life meant they kept delaying starting a family. They assumed children would come “eventually”. Lynn was 30 when she stopped taking contraception and expected to conceive quickly. When that didn’t happen, the couple sought medical advice but there were no apparent issues. It was 10 years later before Lynn, then 40, got pregnant naturally with son Jaiden, who is now 12. She says: “Becoming a mum was everything I’d dreamed of.”
But the longing for a second child remained. Over the next decade, Lynn endured eight miscarriages and also grew her business, teaching natural fertility techniques as well as providing menopause and baby loss support. By the time she turned 52 last year, many assumed she had moved on from her hope for another child.
But Lynn was not ready to give up. After researching fertility options abroad, she discovered a clinic in Cyprus called Miracle IVF, offering IVF for women up to 53 years of age. With just a few months to go before she became ineligible, Lynn needed to act quickly.
Her eggs were no longer viable due to menopause, so the couple opted for donor eggs combined with Martin’s sperm. On July 19, this year, they flew to Cyprus for the £11,000 procedure.
The treatment involved intracytoplasmic sperm injection, where the sperm is injected directly into the centre of the egg. Once fertilised, the embryos are transferred into an incubator and, on day five, they were implanted into her uterus.
Three embryos in all were transferred and the whole process took six days. Lynn says: “Fourteen days after I got home – on August 8 – I did a pregnancy test. It was positive. Martin and I were over the moon. Then, on my 53rd birthday, I discovered from an early scan that I was having twins. I couldn’t believe it. I can’t describe the happiness I felt – it was the best birthday present ever.”
Tragically, she lost one of the babies at eight weeks, but the remaining baby continued to thrive.
Now, halfway through her pregnancy at 23 weeks, Lynn, of Rhyl, Denbighshire, says she has never felt better. “I’m due on April 8, and it’s a boy. It feels like an Easter miracle.”
Not everyone has been supportive of her decision. “Some people think I’m too old or that it’s selfish to have a baby at my age. Others say I’ll be mistaken for my child’s grandmother. I do admit that whenever I’m out, I do get a few stares.
“People look at me and try to avoid eye contact. But I don’t care – it’s my baby, and it’s my business. If people don’t like it, then tough.”
Critics will not bring her down. “This baby is wanted, loved, and deeply cherished. That’s all that matters.”
The pregnancy has had its worries. She admits: “I do think about the future. Will I be around to see him grow up? Will I have the energy to keep up?” But Lynn remains optimistic, drawing strength from her son Jaiden, who’s excited to meet his new sibling.
For Lynn, this baby represents hope and perseverance. She says: “Motherhood isn’t about age – it’s about love. And I have so much love to give.”
