BABIES :)

[143zt]

Hi All-

This is off the topic..but I wanted to know from people's personal experience..what is the latest (age wise) that it is ideal for a woman to have baby? I am 31..and am planning #1 for age 34..and #2 for age 36..is that too late? ..Any input from personal expereince would be greatly appreciated.

TIA!!!

[Paty]

What aspects are you worried about? Both my grand-mothers had healthy pregnancies and deliveries in their mid-40's and that's 40 years ago. I am 32 and planning to have my 1st baby in 2008 at 34.

I don't think 34 is too late (obviously) and I am not in the least worried. I will be followed by a great doctor, will take care of myself both before and during my pregnancy.

[ixtapacheryl]

My mother also had her last child and I think she was in her 40's... when Shawn was born he was a healthy baby with tons of black hair.....

[xfatchik]

I was 29 when my son was born and I am definitely not the oldest mother in his 2nd grade class.

[Terilynn]

I had my first child at 25 - 2nd at 28 - 3rd at 31 and last at 33 - and each one was harder on my body. If I had it to do over again I would have moved everything up about 3 years.

[ModernArtist]

I had twins at 37, but it was a second marriage. I do wish I were younger and I definately would NOT have any more at this age (41) I want to enjoy life with my husband when the house is paid off and travel. Now I have to worry about 2 college tuitions at the same time dont' get me wrong, I would not do anything differently, my girls are my world!!!

It really is a personal choice and everyone is different. I think you should focus more on when your ready in other areas besides age. Emotionally, financially, spiritually...etc..


Good Luck on whatever you decide and when you do have children, get ready for the ride of your life!!!! Its quite a trip!




Vicki

[tiggerr]

I was 3 months shy of 33 with DD and 3 months shy of 37 with DS.

It's great you are planning but it doesn't always work out the way we want it.
I had planned (well DH and I did) to have a child at 30 and stop having kids by 36.
3 years seemed ideal in difference to us.
Didn't run so smooth as planned.

Sure having a baby at 38 and getting up at 3am was tougher than doing it at 34 but I didn't know any different.

Take good care of yourself and you'll feel well. I'm 45 now and still feel like 35 (some days)

[tubby2 long]

I was married at age 21 My son was not born until I was almost 30..... I PLANNED on having babies sooner, it just did not happen. Sometimes women get pregnant just as they plan, other times it takes awhile.... A year and a half after my son was born, my husband died. He had a massive heart attack in the middle of the night. I was 31. It was horrible, to say the least.Two years later, I met a wonderful man, and married again. At age 35 I became pregnant with our daughter, who is now 10. She weighed 9and a half pounds, and it was a very easy pregnancy. They did put me in a high risk pool because of my age but she was healthy, I was healthy and both of my kids are the biggest joy in my life. There is 7 years difference in their ages, but that is no problem. So, if someone had asked me 20 years ago, I would have said that I would like to have my kids when I was younger, however my plans changed, as my life changed. When you do have your kids, it will be the PERFECT time!

[yvonne326]

One of my very good friends is pregnant for the 2nd time ... she's 39. SHe had her first 4 yrs ago (age 35). She will be 40 when baby is born in December. These days, medical advances have made it possible for older mothers to have healthy babies. I had mine when I was 23 and 28.

[143zt]

Thanks all...yes i know nothing can be planned..actually this is my second maraige..I already had 2 with the previous (at 25 and 26 year old)...We are ready now..but we just wanted to be financially secure so I don;t have to work if need be and living in CA does not make it easier
I had posed the question form a high risk question for after 35 like medical expeerts point out..

Thanks for all the input and advice

[mmam5]

My first was at 31, twins at 33... The older you get the more eggs your body will release - so if you're closer to 40, you could be blessed with twins! I have many friends just having babies for the first time at 38-44, so do what you feel is right for you!

As Tubby2long says, "When you do have your kids, it will be the PERFECT time!"

[Tashi]

I know many women both IRL and on mssg. boards that have had healthy, easy pregnancies and healthy babies into their late 40's I'm 45 w/a 5 yr. old and a 7 yr. old. Once I hit goal we might just try for another. My dh is just a youngster so he brings in any extra energy I may be lacking at times.

[Tylar_Connar]

Really, i didnt know that. I am 27. I had my children at 24 and 26. They are now 1 and 3. That would be cool to have twins since I want two more!! Get it over all at once. I would like to have more but I want to wait til we are more finacially ready or more so then now. But we shall see.

Originally Posted by mmam5

My first was at 31, twins at 33... The older you get the more eggs your body will release - so if you're closer to 40, you could be blessed with twins! I have many friends just having babies for the first time at 38-44, so do what you feel is right for you!

As Tubby2long says, "When you do have your kids, it will be the PERFECT time!"

[happy2Bhere]

1st @ age 36
2nd @ age 39
3rd @ age 43 just 22 months ago.

They're all absolutely healthy and normal.

Don't worry about it. You'll be fine if you take care of yourself.

[Shancopp]

Just had my second ds 7 wks ago at age 36. Gained alot more wt then w/ ds #1 at age 29, but that's ok...he was worth those 55lbs!

There is lots of genetic testing that will be offered to you (esp. after age 35).

[Lehgrad]

Everyone has something different to say on the topic and has had different experiences.

My mom had me when she was almost 40 and I am totally fine. That was 25 years ago.

[mocha56]

I got married young...at 19. We had DD when I was 21 and we're expecting our 2nd (a boy) this Xmas when I'll be 25. DH is only 6 months older than me, but we agreed that we wanted to have about 3 kids...before we turn 30. The main reason is that we want to be closer in age to our children...my MIL had to keep her triplets on kiddie leashes because she couldn't keep up with them...and the other reason is that health problems increase for both the mother and baby once in the 30's. I'm not saying that it's true for everyone because it is not...however my understanding from my doctor is that down syndrom, autism and a number of other disorders increase as the mother's age increases. At the same time my aunt had her 5th child in her early 40's and she had a healthy pregnancy and delivered a healthy boy. Different strokes for different folks.

[annabird]

I had my son at 32 and we have been trying for over 2 years for our second. I just turned 36. I really don't think it's too late to have children while in your 30's. I do know that I get more tired now than I was even in my eary 30's!

Best of luck!

[panpan16]

as a Genetics professor I can tell you that after the age of 35, infertility in a woman increases significantly and so do the risks of having a child with a chromosomal abnormality (like Downs' Syndrome). But, the risk for both is assessed on an individual basis, taking into account your family history as well as your health. If over 35, a Dr. would likely advise you to have amniocentesis done to detect genetic disorders. If over 35, you likely would take longer to conceive than a 25 year old (but this can vary significantly).

From personal experience, I had my first child at 35.5 with no complications.
I had amnio done (but this also has risks associated with it).

The risk of problems over age 35 also is decreased if you've already had a child with no complications. In other words, if a woman has had a child before or at the age of 35 with no complications, the risk of having a second child with complications (well into the 40s) is extremely low. So low, in fact, that a genetic counselor would probably counsel against having amnio done again since the risk of problems from the amnio are higher than chance alone.

[kaisergirl]

I don't think it's quite true that the older you get the more eggs you release... Women who had multiples and are older are most likely using fertility drugs, hence the increase in multiples...

This chart was given to me at my last appt (last week)

Mother's age / Risk of Down's / Risk of any chromosomal abnormality
20 1/1667 1/526
25 1/1250 1/476
30 1/952 1/385
35 1/378 1/192
40 1/106 1/66
41 1/82 1/53
42 1/63 1/42
43 1/49 1/33
44 1/38 1/26
45 1/30 1/21

I'm glad that everyone on this board had nice healthy babies, but that's not to say there are not risks. You have to be aware of these risks and have the best information you can and make *your* decision from there...

I'm 30 and this is my first child. I'm scared to death of the odds as I age. THings definitely didn't go as planned, but I don't know that I would have been a better mom any younger...

[Dantesmama]

I had my son when I was 39, perfectly healthy, 8 lbs 14 oz and an IVF baby

I had a great perinatologist, and OB.

[mmam5]

Originally Posted by Tylar_Connar

Really, i didnt know that. I am 27. I had my children at 24 and 26. They are now 1 and 3. That would be cool to have twins since I want two more!! Get it over all at once. I would like to have more but I want to wait til we are more finacially ready or more so then now. But we shall see.

We spent a lot of time figuring out where the "twins" came from - hee hee... non on my either of my parents side of family - but many on my husbands. We found out thru research that it's up to the mother's genes to predict a twin - so "for me" it had more to do with my age.

And on the genetic testing - If I were older than 35 - we probably would have had more testing done... as it was after the first round of bloodwork at 5 months, the dr. figured we either had a down's syndrome baby or twins... he wasn't sure till he did the sonogram...

[Chrystee]

There are a lot of Navy moms here where I live, and many of them had their careers first. My friend was 41 when her son is born, and 44 now with the birth of her second son.

Of course certain anomalies have a higher risk after 35, but as long as you are healthy, and exercise, eat right, and are under a doctor, Im sure its fine.

One thing to start doing when you start ttc'ing is taking prenatals.

[ReneeBW]

My good friend is pregnant with her baby at 42!

[tubby2 long]

I am almost 47.... have had no period for almost 1 year.... but I still make sure that we take "precautions" because I do hear of older woman sometimes having babies- now after reading some of the above posts, I am glad I am careful, lol.