Singer Sophie B. Hawkins defends getting pregnant at 50

When singer Sophie B. Hawkins announced this weekend that she is pregnant at the age of 50, she anticipated there would be some backlash — but says it’s unwarranted.

“Being 50 is actually an amazing age to have a second child because I am more wise, calm, humorous, appreciative, simple and clear,” the As I Lay Me Down songstress told Us Weekly. (Many cite her birthday as being in 1967, but Sophie identified at 50 in the interview.) “I’m not running around looking for love and validation. I live each day full of gratitude, and that’s good for my children.”

Just as when she welcomed son Dashiell in November 2008, Sophie said she conceived by using an embryo she had frozen when she was 30. Sophie has been linked to a number of female stars, but is currently happily single.

“I’ve built a community and I keep refining it. Fifty is about friendship,” she said. “If I meet someone I want to be with, that person is going to be awesome and so good for my children and I, it will be a fun-filled adventure with another person fifty or over.”

As for the criticism that she may be putting her or the baby’s health in risk, Sophie said she doesn’t believe that’s true.

“I’m in great health and Dashiell was a healthy pregnancy,” she said. Rather, she’s more concerned about the emotional flux they may experience when the new baby arrives. “Losing the closeness with Dash, our free and adventurous lifestyle, and the risk that he would feel betrayed by my having another child. We’ve come through serious trauma with depth, healing and humor and that has made our bond even stronger. I grieved a lot when I finally decided to put the embryo inside of me… [But now] we’re ready to invite a new and unknown dynamic into our lives.”