DESPITE battling a series of health problems, 40-year-old Maxine Scragg is having the sixth child she always wanted.

She is among women with underlying health conditions who are seen by Dr Lucy Mackillop at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital.

Mrs Scragg has polycystic kidney disease and polycystic liver disease, where harmful cysts form.

She joins the 1,800 mums who NHS Oxfordshire last week said would give birth over the age of 35 this year, out of 8,000 total births.

Mrs Scragg, of Cranmer Road in Cowley, said she always knew she wanted to have six children.

The full-time mum, whose family already consists of Chloe, 15, Ellie-May, eight, Milly, seven, Thomas, four, and Ruby, 20 months, said: “You read in the papers about women becoming pregnant in their 50s, 60s and 70s, so I didn’t consider myself ‘old’, to be honest.

“But the way people talk becoming pregnant at 40 really does make you feel an old lady.”

Mrs Scragg, who is married to carpenter Paul Scragg-Godfrey, 52, said: “I didn’t plan it like this, it is just the way it has happened.

“But I am really looking forward to having another baby in the family.

“It keeps us both young.”

She was referred to Dr Mackillop, one of only four obstetric physicians specialising in medical problems in pregnancy in the UK.

As well as being given expert advice, Mrs Scragg also gets injections to prevent blood clots at the hospital’s Silver Star Unit, a specialist unit for high risk pregnancies.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says the ‘optimum age’ for childbearing is between 20 and 35.

Dr Mackillop said: “People underestimate the stress that pregnancy places on the body.

“For women with pre-existing medical conditions, pregnancy can worsen the condition and potentially affect the health of the baby.

“Although 35 does not sound particularly old, it is proven that the risk of health complications such as high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia are increased. Understanding this, optimising health prior to pregnancy and careful monitoring during pregnancy is vital to provide the best chances of a successful pregnancy.”