From a very young age, we are force-fed the idea that a woman’s success is based on her ability to stick to the rules set out in an age-old rhyme. You know the one: first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage.

Essentially, she is taught that she must find a suitable (and heterosexual) partner, marry them, and pump at least two sprogs out. That she should have done this by, ooh, say 30? And that, if she doesn’t manage to do so, that she has somehow failed at life.

It begins in the nursery, with Disney films, fairytales and plastic dolls. It continues throughout our lives, with feverish tabloid speculation. And there’s the endless fertility scaremongering, too, with headlines constantly informing us that our chances of having a baby are extremely slim after 35. That we need to do it now, right now, if we want to do it at all (god forbid your life hasn’t stuck to the correct timeline for milestones, eh?).

That we will regret it 100% if we don’t.

However, as reported by The New York Times, fertility expert Dr. James Grifo recently pointed out that while “pregnancy is one of the riskiest states that most women experience in their lives,” the odds of a calamitous event are still low.

“The average age of my patient is 39, and obstetrically, they do quite well,” he said. “Age is not a reason not to try if you want a baby.”

Nicole Appleton’s low-key baby announcement has set the internet on fire