A woman who welcomed her third baby at 51, is pregnant again at 53 and she’s hoping her story will inspire older women who want to start a family.
Grace Collins, a Texas mom-of-three who shares her life online on social media, is 17 weeks pregnant with her fourth baby.
Collins tells PEOPLE that having another baby at 53 is something she and her husband spoke about for a while.
“My husband and I did not go into this lightly. We have been praying about this for years,” Collins told Today.com. “It wasn’t a willy-nilly decision.”
“I know the ramifications of having a child at 53 years old,” she continued, adding that she underwent extensive testing, including a colonoscopy, skin cancer screening and full cardiac workup, before deciding to have kids.
“People are like, ‘Do you know that you’ll be this age at his high school graduation?’ I’m like, ‘Yes, I do.’”
Collins met her husband Chris, who is 15 years younger, when she was 40 and he was 25.
She got married to him when she was 42 years old and she went on to welcome their first baby, daughter Maggie, at 44. They also share daughter Goldie, whom she welcomed at 46, and son A.J., whom she welcomed at 51.
“We are not expecting our children to take care of us,” she told the outlet. “We made those arrangements beforehand. When I saw that I’m in better health at 53 than I was at 33, I can absolutely stand by that statement.”
The mom has been inviting her audience behind-the-scenes of her entire pregnancy journey. She says she hopes to inspire other older women to feel empowered to start their own families.
“I’ve reiterated that we have used every aspect of assisted reproductive technology available to us,” she told Today.com. “My whole goal is to support women who are looking to build their families that just are just on a different timeline.”
Collins said that because she’s an older mom, having younger kids has helped maintain the “best version of me.”
“I was a hot mess for a long time. I’ve worked all through those deep-seated issues that a lot of us have growing up,” explained Collins. “My relationship now with myself and with God is the strongest it’s ever been.”
She also described her husband as an “old soul” and said the two aren’t concerned about not being present to see their kids become parents themselves.
“Nobody’s promised tomorrow. Will I be here for my grandchildren? I might be,” said Collins. “I trust that God already knows and has made provisions.”