An Ammanford woman has become a mother for the first time, at the age of 50.

Alison and her husband Phillip John celebrated their silver wedding anniversary last year and the couple say the best present arrived a few months after when Alison found out she was pregnant.

“I had come off the pill at 34,” said Alison. “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. “We had a choice – spend it on a couple of fantastic holidays or take a chance on IVF,” said Phil, who works for the DVLA. “We went for the IVF.”

The third round of treatment was positive and Alison told everyone she was pregnant. “By week eight I had lost the baby,” said Alison. “So when I was having Megan, I didn’t tell a soul until the 10-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.”

Megan weighed in at just 5lb 8oz, but is now a healthy 14lb.

“She was so tiny we thought she would snap, but she’s a happy healthy baby,” said Alison. “Everywhere we go the baby comes with us.

Alison and Phillip are long-time volunteers with Guide Dogs and have raising money for the charity since the 1980s.

“We love dogs and are fascinated by the intelligence they have to do the job they do,” said Phil, the charity’s branch treasurer.

The couple, who have been married for 25 years, marked their silver wedding by asking family and friends for donations to Guide Dogs in lieu of presents.

“I didn’t want to receive china and glass that would just gather dust,” said Alison, a baker at Wendy’s in Fforestfach. “We received £770 in total – enough to sponsor six new guide dog puppies.”

The couple say people assume Megan is their grandaughter.

"When we tell them the truth they look stunned."