BBC Breakfast presenter says she was ‘really selfish’ to have a baby aged 41-Meghna Amin-Entertainment – Metro

BBC presenter Rachel Burden has spoken about her decision to have her fourth child (Picture: rachelburden_radio)

BBC star Rachel Burden has said that she sometimes looks back on her decision to have her fourth child as ‘really selfish’.

The radio presenter, who has hosted the Radio 5 Live Breakfast show for 13 years and has made appearances on the red sofa alongside the likes of Charlie Stayt, is mum to four children and has opened up about balancing her family life with work.

Rachel, 49, who married fellow journalist Luke Mendham in 2004, fell pregnant with their fourth child, son Henry, at the age of 41.

Speaking to Gabby Logan on her Mid-Point podcast, Rachel spoke about their decision to have another child after their first three, saying: ‘I’ve been extremely fortunate, and I’m very aware of talking about this with other women and families who have been through fertility issue sand so on, but I had three very straightforward pregnancies, and then I made the terribly arrogant assumption that I’d have a fourth baby and it would be kind of fine and very straightforward.

‘Sometimes when I reflect on it, I think it was a really selfish thing to do.

‘I came from a big family, I really wanted a big family. I’d had that moment where Luke and I around the table when the third child had gone to school and thought, “This is boring, we need another one.”

‘And I’d spent a long time trying to convince Luke that this was the right idea. And then I was, 40 or 41?’

She went on: ‘Anyway, I did get pregnant and I kind of said, “It’ll be fine, you’ll barely even notice it.”

Mum-of-four Rachel opened up about balancing her work with her family life (Picture: BBC)

‘And then as the pregnancy went on, something wasn’t quite right and I was kind of puffing up. And again, my mum was saying to me, “Something’s not quite right about this.”‘

At the time, Rachel thought she was ‘just busy’, but later found out she had pre-eclampsia, a condition that affects some pregnant people usually during the second-half of pregnancy.

Rachel was told she was in a ‘critical situation’ and wasn’t able to leave hospital because her baby would be born earlier than expected.

‘He was out within 36 hours of them identifying the preeclampsia, so I found myself with this tiny little premature baby, which was not really the plan,’ she went on.

Joking that her son, who was born at three pounds, looked like ‘baby Gollum’, Rachel shared that thankfully he was born healthy, despite his skin being ‘so thin and fragile’.

She added: ‘Once he had grown and come out of hospital, he was this little ball of joy that we all coalesced around.

Rachel welcomed her son Henry at the age of 41 (Picture: Instagram/ rachelburden_radio)

‘The whole family made sense. The three kids would scramble quite a bit but when Henry was around, everyone just wanted to hang out with him because he was just a very happy smiley baby. It’s been really joyful.’

Pre-eclampsia is a condition that has affected the likes of  Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé during pregnancy and affects 6% people in pregnancy.

‘Pre-eclampsia is a condition that affects some pregnant women, usually during the second half of pregnancy (from 20 weeks) or soon after their baby is delivered,’ the NHS states.

Early signs of the condition include having high blood pressure and protein in urine – which can be picked up on at antenatal appointments.

Other symptoms include a severe headache, vision disturbances, such as blurring or flashing, pain just below the ribs, vomiting and sudden swelling of the face, hands and feet.

Many cases are mild but the condition can lead to serious complications for both the pregnant person and unborn child if not monitored and treated.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE : Race Across The World fans hail ‘genius’ and ‘savage’ rule change as BBC series returns

MORE : BBC Morning Live star Rav Wilding reveals he’s secretly split from wife after 12 years together

Entertainment – MetroRead More