Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Australian actress and author Madeleine West has given birth to her seventh child at the age of 45.
The former Neighbours star shared the news to her Instagram with a zoomed in snap of her new bub, captioned: “Earthside at last… and utterly perfect”.
The comments of the post were flooded with hundreds of messages of congratulations for the mum-of-seven.
West was already a parent of six children shared with her ex-partner and celebrity chef Shannon Bennett, when she unexpectedly fell pregnant with her seventh child.
The iconic actress — who played Dee Bliss on Neighbours from 2000 to 2003 and Andrea Somers in the late 2010s — had initially put her pregnancy symptoms down to going through perimenopause or eating too much Christmas pudding.
Although the news came as a surprise, West had said on social media she “couldn’t be happier” about falling pregnant with another baby.
“Not too sure about the title ‘Geriatric mum’ but here we are, and I’m winding back a little to grow this little surprise package I’ve dubbed 007,” she wrote alongside a selfie showing off her baby bump.
“I don’t have much more to say right now, but I’ve noticed I don’t hear much about older parents. l know you must be out there. Just seems we are invisible.”
During her pregnancy, the 45-year-old received backlash for showing herself working out at the gym and found herself hitting back on Instagram.
“Ok… I just want to allay the quite loud and aggressive concerns of those faceless folk who slid into my DMs after spotting this pic in my stories, asserting I shouldn’t be in the gym whilst pregnant and was only doing it out of vanity…” West wrote.
“I continue to exercise to ensure the best possible start for my baby.
“Regular GENTLE exercise keeps blood pressure in check and lowers the risk of gestational diabetes. It’s great for mental health and I know only too well how strong my body will need to be in the coming months and onwards.“I attend a gym staffed by PTs well-versed in caring for pregnant women. They keep a vigilant eye on me, so even if I wanted to heft barbells across the room or twist myself into a pretzel, I’d be stopped faster than you could say ‘yoga-lates’“If you wish to express concern, I appreciate it. But please do so with a little less rage and vitriol.
“As for vanity… I don’t need anyone to tell me I’m beautiful…. I FEEL beautiful. And the way I achieve that is taking care of my mind, my body, and my soul.”
West’s oldest is Phoenix (19), followed by Hendrix, Xascha, Xanthe, and 10-year-old twins Xalia and Margaux.
The sex, gender or father of West’s newborn remains unknown.
