Pregnancies Later In Life
 

My BF and I are planning to start a family this year. There are many reasons I am working to improve my health, and this is one of them. With it being the first of the year, a time of new beginnings and hope, I thought it would be a nice time to post about this, for myself, and possibly others. If you're willing to share, I would love to hear from anyone who has had a later in life pregnancy, is pregnant now, or is hoping to become pregnant. Thanks to anyone willing to share. Happy New Year everyone! :hat:

Well, I'm 27 so I don't think I'd consider that "later in life" but here's a great place for you to start:
http://www.babyandbump.com/trying-conceive-over-35/

While I'm not planning to start our family for another couple of years (went back to school for some extra training), I'm going to be in my early/mid 30s when we are able to have kids.

However, this is a subject near and dear to my heart as I'm the oldest of 5 kids and my mom had me when she was 31 and my youngest brother when she was 46. And we all turned out well. This comforts me since I want a large family and can't get started for a while.

I'm only 19, but I want children when the time is write. After college and while I;m in the Air force, but I rather adopt because if

Somehow my reply was submitted without me even pressing enter. Anyways if i give birth my child has a small chance of being born with the same condition i have. someday though....I always wanted to be a mom and i hope my time comes. for now my only babies are my dogs

My mother had me when she was 40 (I'm the youngest of 4). My SIL had 3 boys all starting when she was over 40 and well into her career (they're in their 20s now and happy and healthy). My boss had 2 children into her 40s as well. They're 14 and 10 and healthy and wonderful kids.

Good luck!

I had my son at pushing 45. He was a healthy baby and is a healthy 10 year old. I had two miscarriages before this but they can happen whatever age you are.

My mother had my sister at 39.

My great-grandmother had my grandfather in her mid-40s.

:hug: Great motivation to be fit and healthy: for the pregnancy and birth, and for life afterwards.

I had my two young, second at 20 1/2, at 40 I seriously considered having another when I went through empty nest so bad...but at this point I am glad I didn't since my third grandchild will be born in April. My old friend did try for a third after her youngest moved out, she will be having another girl at age 43
I really dont think age of the mother matters, as long as the child has lots of love.

Age of the mother can affect chances of having a child with Down Syndrome. I can't think of the percentage off hand, and I don't think it has anything to do with how fit the mother is before pregnancy. Just something to consider.

My mom had my baby brother when she was 41, with no health issues with either of them. It was just a little weird because I had already had my DD 2 years before and my nephew was born 9 months before. She wasn't suppose to be able to have anymore kids either, which made it more of a surprise!

I agree that the older a mother is, the more chances of her having complications and/or birth defects. Please remember this when planning your family.

I was 30 when my first son was born and 34 when my second son was born. It worked out perfectly for me. Even though I wasn't that "old" when I had them, I sure noticed how much younger the other mothers seemed when we had school functions, etc.:p

And just to clarify, Downs isn't a life sentence to terrible outcomes, I have a dear friend whose youngest child has it (she was 39 when she had him, but it was as likely a random thing as it was an age related one) and he is as special and wonderful as each of her older children. They are all great kids and have brought the family much joy.

Most of the women I know having kids at 35-45 have a fine time of it, no abnormal pregnancy complications and healthy moms and babies. While it is physiologically advantageous to have children when younger, I am a firm believer that women should have children as long as the want to, until their bodies disallow it.

Another lady online who I gather great encouragement from has written a fabulous, encouraging post on this very subject. I really think it might help you:
http://ladyofvirtue.blogspot.com/2009/06/too-old.html

I was 29 when I had my daughter and honestly, I think that most of the parents of her peers are my age or older. Either that or they look terrible for their age.

My grandmother had twins at 42, one of my aunts had her youngest at 40, my other aunt had one at 35. All healthy, no issues. I think after 35, the docs are a bit more cautious.

Arctic Mama, you are absolutely correct about a child with Down Syndrome. My nephew was born with DS, and is an absolute joy. He just turned three...his mom was 36 when he was born, and will be 40 when his sibling is born this coming summer. So far, so good with the testing done during this pregnancy.