Alison John, 50, who came off the pill at 34, has spoken of her delight over becoming a mother after all those years.
She and husband Phillip, who have just celebrated their sliver wedding anniversary, welcomed baby Megan into the world on June 29 weighing 5lb 8oz.
The joyful parents told WalesOnline they were only able to afford IVF treatment thanks to the unexpected PPI payout.
After suffering heartbreak when they lost a child during pregnancy on the third round of treatment, the fourth time proved a miraculous success.
“We’ve had some people assume she’s our granddaughter and when we tell them the truth
they look stunned,” joked Alison.
“She was so tiny we thought she would snap, but she’s a happy healthy baby.
“Everywhere we go the baby comes with us.”
Alison, from Ammanford, said the pair wanted to start a family in their 30s but were never able to successfully conceive.
“I had come off the pill at 34,” added Alison, a baker at Wendy’s in Fforestfach.
“We talked about a having family when and if it happened – but it never did, and by the time I was 40 we became curious as to why not.
“Tests came back fine, so we looked into IVF.”
The costs seemed prohibitive until Alison had an unexpected PPI payout.
Husband Phil, who works for the DVLA, added: “We had a choice – spend it on a couple of fantastic holidays or take a chance on IVF. We went for the IVF.”
Alison said she made the mistake of telling everyone she was pregnant on her third IVF treatment – but it ended in tragedy.
“By week eight I had lost the baby,” said Alison.
“So when I was having Megan [on the fourth try], I didn’t tell a soul until the 20-week scan.
“I worked a 50-hour week right up until 10 days before the birth.”
Megan arrived by Caesarean section at Glangwili Hospital on June 29.
“I went right through hoping for a pool birth, but they told me there was no chance at my age,” said Alison.
“In the end she was breech, so it was out of my hands.”
Because the couple have the chance of another IVF cycle, they haven’t ruled out giving Megan a brother or sister in the near future.
Both Alison and Phil are long-time volunteers with Guide Dogs and have been raising money for the charity since the 1980s.
Alison said adorable Megan has been turning heads at Guide Dogs events ever since.
“We love dogs and are fascinated by the intelligence they have to do the job they do,” said Phil, the charity’s branch treasurer.
They marked their silver wedding by asking family and friends for donations to Guide Dogs in lieu of presents.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists suggest that the “optimal age” for childbearing is between 20 and 35 years old.
But according to the Office of National Statistics, more women are embarking on motherhood later in life with pregnancies over the age of 40 on the rise.
There is a higher risk of a baby suffering complications, such as Down’s syndrome, when the mum is older.
The world’s oldest known first-time mother was from India and was 70 years old and had three rounds of IVF. In the UK, the oldest mum was 66.
JEHOVAH GOD is still on the throne doing his wonders. Congratulations to the couple