'I don't regret being an older mum - it meant I got to party in my 20s'

A mum who chose to have children later in life says she has no regrets about her decision - saying it meant she could party and enjoy her 20s.

Samantha Heathcock gave birth to her first son, Elliott, at the age of 35. Two years later, she welcomed her second son Jake at the age of 37.

While it wasn't a proactive choice to wait, the 43-year-old says felt like the 'right time' for her after establishing her marketing career, but claims she has faced stigma for being an 'older mum'.

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She now believes the term 'geriatric' used to describe mums over the age of 35 is outdated and having children later brings 'greater emotional intelligence', spending her 20s enjoying a party lifestyle which she could never have done as a mother.

The communications specialist from Stourbridge, in the West Midlands, said: “If I had children earlier, I wouldn’t have had the financial stability to be able to care for my children. I now look after myself better.

“I wouldn’t have been able to give up my party lifestyle when I was younger.

“I was living the typical ladette lifestyle. I loved a night out, cocktails and drinks. I wouldn’t have made a very responsible parent, that’s for sure. When the partying stopped, I replaced it with travelling and had some amazing holidays.

“I am also now more emotionally mature, so this also reflects more positively on my children so I can support them better. Regardless of age, having a child is a major life change.

"Motherhood is still a shock and a challenge to the system. There is no rule book. Age doesn’t make as much as a difference as people believe.”

Samantha had a complicated first birth and was induced following meconium - when a