BRITISH women are having fewer children than ever before. Singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who is expecting her fifth, has bucked the trend.
She is married to rocker Richard Jones and the couple, both 39, already have Sonny 14, Kit, nine, Ray, six, and Jesse, two. But even Sophie says: “I think I’ll probably call it a day. Five’s quite a lot.”
But what is life like with a large brood? EMMA PIETRAS meets four mums who reveal all about big families.
Alanna Jackson, 33 – six kids
FULL-TIME mum Alanna Jackson, 33, has six kids – Tegan, 11, Logan, nine, Ria, eight, Austin, five, Elliot, four, and three-year-old Lewis. They live in Halstead, Essex, with her partner Anthony Henze, 38, a professional powder coater. She says:
“I’ve been with my partner for 11 years and Tegan is from a previous relationship. I only ever wanted two kids and Ria was a surprise. I didn’t find out I was pregnant with her until I was at 17 weeks. My periods had always been irregular and I didn’t have any symptoms.
I just felt tired, which any mum will tell you happens when you are running around after kids. We didn’t strictly plan to have the others, either, but they were nice surprises. With six kids, I’m outnumbered, but bribery works. They all help out and have jobs, which they get rewarded for.
It’s impossible to hold all of their hands when we go out, but the eldest ones help.I love how close they all are – they don’t ask for friends to come round as they have each other. People say they don’t know how I do it. We do have to stick to a budget – about £80 a week on food – and everything is homemade.
We stick to free things such as going to the park and have one big day out a year. Our family holiday is camping in the UK. We have to take two cars if we all go out together. Mine is nicknamed “Mum’s taxi” because I spend most of my time in it. Having so many kids is great, but I’m done.”
Claire Rocks, 34 – 5 kids
CLAIRE Rocks, 34, runs a childminding business with husband Matthew, 41. They live in Darlington, Co Durham, with Cameron, 15, Harvey, 13, McKenzie, seven, Caelan, six, and three-year-old Cohen. Claire says:
“My eldest two are from a previous relationship. After them, I thought I was done having kids. Then, in 2009, I met my husband and we talked about how it would be nice to have one together. We had McKenzie the following year but ended up having two more. We just want to expand our family.
I love kids and would say it’s a bit of an addiction, although I think I’m coming out of that addiction now. After Cohen, I decided not to go back to work as a sales assistant in a bank. Instead, I set up a childminding business with Matthew, who used to be a home carer. It means we get to spend more time with the boys and they love having us around.
When we go out, I’m always doing a head count. We’re like a tag team and I’ll watch three of them and my husband will watch the other two.I have to be a good planner and the boys have strict routines. Everyone knows what to do and when. At times, with all boys, I feel outnumbered. The toilet humour in our house is constant.
I think every woman wants that little girl but you get what you’re given and we’re not fussed. We’d love another one and even talked about trying for baby number six. We asked the boys because it obviously affects family dynamics but they all point blank said no. I think if we had a girl there would be uproar.”
Kate Thompson, 35 – 6 kids
PROPERTY finder and blogger Kate Thompson, 35, is married to property developer Michael, 36. They live in Warlingham, Surrey, with their twins Michael and Harrison, 11, Charlie, nine, Elizabeth, seven, George, two, and one-year-old Arthur. Kate says:
“Michael and I met when we were 15 and started going out aged 17. After a few years, we talked about children and joked about having five. If I hadn’t had the twins first, who knows if we would have had so many?
Having six children is actually much easier than people think, because they can entertain each other. If I’m making dinner, I won’t hear a peep from them because they’ll be off playing together. The hardest thing with a large family is the logistics and we have just had to upgrade to a nine-seater car.
We are certainly not millionaires. The children wear hand-me-downs. We’re still able to go on holiday. We go to Florida every two years and rarely have to queue at the airport. People see us and want to help so they will open another check-in desk for us.
Michael had five Trunki suitcases under his arms a few years ago and I had the baby in mine. You could see people’s faces when we got on, as if they were thinking: “Please not me.” He walked down the aisle of the plane saying to every row: “Don’t worry you’re safe” before we found our seats. I’d have another but the older I get the more of a struggle it is and my older ones have said no more.”
Yasmin Pascoe, 31 – 6 kids
CUSTOMER services rep Yasmin Pascoe, 31, is married to Mathew, 32, who is a full-time dad. They live in Epping, Essex, with their six children, Mehdi, 13, Francesca, ten, Zack, nine, Ruby, seven, Harrison, two, and 14-month-old Penelope. Yasmin says:
“I’m an only child, so I always wanted a bigger family because I’d never want my child to feel lonely like I did. I had three in my head but, after having Zack, I felt something was missing. I had the same feeling after the fourth and fifth. My husband is one of seven and there’s a family joke he’s trying to beat his dad’s record.
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Being pregnant and having a baby is amazing. When they get to a certain age, I’d miss having a baby. I suppose there’s an element of chasing that baby feeling. I got pregnant with Penelope eight weeks after having Harrison.
Mathew and I have been together since 2007, and got engaged soon after, but we only got around to marrying in November because of the children. Mathew had always worked full-time as a floor layer, so we were able to have a large family and provide for them. But we’ve had to tighten our belts since he gave up work earlier this year after he injured his back.
I wonder what it would be like with one more, but when I think about it practically I’m not so sure. As it is, we can’t all fit on our three-seater sofa.”
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News Pictures As Sophie Ellis-Bextor awaits the birth of baby No5, we meet other mums with big families
You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!
TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st
To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.
Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”
Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”
kim cattrall
Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb
SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.
Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
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