Thursday, August 28, 2008

Becoming A Mom Later In Life

To wait or not to wait?  That is the question...


Most women choose to have their kids when they are in their 20s or 30s but did you know that the number of moms becoming pregnant in their 40s has doubled in the last ten years? There are many reasons why these women are waiting until a little later in life to bring a baby into their family.  Maybe they are really focused on their careers, not ready to give up traveling, or just didn't meet the right guy for a while.  

Many celebrities have been pregnant in their 40s including Nicole Kidman, Marcia Cross, Halle Berry, and Brooke Shields.  I have an aunt who had her last 2 boys at age 40 and 45 making the age difference between the oldest and youngest grandchild on that side of the family a whopping 27 years!

There are a few positive aspects to having kids later...one study says at this age you are a better mom because you are more stable in your life and relationship, more financially secure, and less likely to choose your career over motherhood.  Most older mothers have harder pregnancies but are a lot more mature and more capable of doing the work involved in raising a child.

Did you know that women are born with 2 million eggs and by the time they are 40 there are only 5-10,000 left.  This will most likely make it a lot harder to become pregnant naturally.  And although it is possible to become pregnant in your 40s, there are many risks associated with waiting this long.  Older moms are at a higher risk for miscarriages.  Women between 35 and 40 have a 20% chance of miscarriage, after age 44 the number jumps to 50%!  They are also at risk for having a premature birth.  The rate of c-section deliveries for older mothers is also higher that average.   Birth defects, high blood pressure, and gestational diabetes are some other problems they may be dealing with when pregnant over 40.  Also women who are pregnant over 40 have a 30% greater chance than a pregnant 20 year old for a heart attack during pregnancy.

Although there are certain risks involved in being an older mom, I believe that the rewards are just as great!  Being able to live everyday with your child will bring happiness to your life no matter how old you are.  How old were you when you had kids?

8 comments:

Amanda-The Family News! said...

I had my first child at 29 and my second at 30. I am 31 now (but won't be having a 3rd at 31)!! I love the age that I had my little ones...I had my 20's to do traveling and other things I wanted to do. Now I can be mom and take care of my kids and hopefully as they get older we will be able to do some more traveling - to Disney of course!!!

Danielle said...

I was 27 when I had my first. I think it is better to do it not to young and not too old.

Lori said...

I was a bit older when I had my kids... I had Blake at 33 and Colby at 35. I love the fact that we were financially stable enough for me to stay home and be with my guys. I plan to go back to work when Colby goes to kindergarten, but what I will do then... who knows.

Anonymous said...

I was 29 when I had Kaelin, but my "life plan" that I created when I was a girl, was to have my first at 23 and be done by the time I was 32! haha so much for life plans! God has other plans!

Anonymous said...

I had my twins last year at 27 and next month I will have another (ONE) baby at 28.

junglemama said...

Intersting. I started when I was 19 and had my 6th last biological child when I was 29. Since, I have adopted five children.

I have no more eggs. :(

Mozi Esme said...

Had my only at 33 years (after 12 years of marriage). I'm turning 35 tomorrow and hating the fact that a second kid would be a high risk pregnancy now.

Anonymous said...

I had my first child at 32 and my second at 39. You start to feel the difference say around 52 and you are chasing a 12 year old. There is no way I was ready in my 20s - no regrets.