text: A city high-flyer who combined her stressful finance job with raising six children has advised her daughters to marry early and have children while they are young. Fund manager Nicola Horlick, 54, said she felt a noticeable difference in her body between her first child at age 25 and her last at 38. She revealed juggling child-rearing with boardroom duties meant she had to breastfeed in the office – even while carrying out job interviews. Nicola Horlick, 54, whoraised six children while working in the City, says women should have babies early . Her eldest daughter Georgina died from leukaemia in 1998 age 12. Mrs Horlick has children Alice, 26, Serena, 24, Rupert, 21, Antonia, 18, and Benjie, 15. She said: ‘I had my last child when I was 38 and I was 25 when I had Georgie and I noticed a major difference between the first and the last in terms of my body. ‘My advice to them [her daughters] is not to leave it too late to get married and to have children in their twenties if possible. It is better for you and better for the baby. ‘When I breastfed it was in the office and I have breastfed when I have been interviewing people for jobs. ‘I used to have a shawl and I would put it over the head of a baby and no one cared. But if you do it with your breast bare in public then it does affect some people and maybe older people. ‘I don’t think there is any point in doing that and babies don’t mind having a shawl over their head.’ She is disapproving of stay-at-home mothers because she believes the lifestyle will leave them twiddling their thumbs. ‘I don’t think women should be stay at home mums because if you are an ambitious and intelligent woman what are you going to do sitting at home whilst your child is at school?’ she said. A family photo shows Nicol Horlick, pictured with her children Georgina at 10, Alice at eight, Serena at six, Rupert at three and Antonia, aged seven months, with Nanny Joan Buckfield . ‘But I don’t think it’s particularly acceptable for mothers to do jobs that involve them working later into the night and all weekend. If you are doing that then what is the point of having a baby?’ The fund manager, who is married to second husband financial journalist Martin Baker after divorcing Tim Horlick in 2005, said she does not feel her hard work has negatively impacted her children. ‘I don’t actually feel that my children have suffered and I don’t carry any guilt. People often ask me “Do you feel guilty?” and the answer is no. Because my children are better off having a mother who feels fulfilled than a mother who feels unfulfilled,’ she said. Mrs Horlick is now campaigning for Just A Drop, which aims to reduce child mortality by delivering clean and safe drinking water. She revealed her daughter Georgina inspired her to fundraise for Africa before she died. Mrs Horlick explained: ‘When she was having her bone marrow transplant at Great Ormond Street Hospital it was during a time when there was one of those terrible famines in the Sudan. 'Georgie said the most incredible thing to me. She said: “Mummy why are they wasting money on my bone marrow transplant when I am probably going to die any way and they could be spending that money on food for those children. All they need is food and if they were given food they would live.” It was the most extraordinary thing to say and she was very insightful.’ ‘When Georgie died I knew that she would want me to try and do something about those children in Africa.’
target: Nicola Horlick, 54, raised six children while working in the City .
  She wants daughters Alice, 26, Serena, 24 and Antonia, 18, to go through motherhood earlier .
  Fund manager says she felt a noticeable difference in her body between her first child at age 25 and her last at 38 .
  Adds 'ambitious and intelligent' women shouldn't be stay-at-home mothers .