Older moms: the pros and cons
More and more older women are starting families – in fact, first births among women over the age of 40 have doubled in the last 15 years. Often these women have put off having a baby sooner because they have wanted to wait until their career is established before taking that step. For others, fertility issues have forced them to wait for developments in fertility treatment that negate problems they may have had conceiving naturally.
Often these older women are more emotionally and financially stable, and they may also be that bit more mature when it comes to eating healthfully in pregnancy and avoiding poor health habits, such as smoking in pregnancy, that might harm their unborn babies. But the fact is that pregnancy over 35 does present certain risks and being an older mom has challenges as well as advantages.
Your pregnancy as an older mom-to-be
Once you become pregnant you’re at higher risk of having a
miscarriage than a younger woman and this may be due to the fact that your older eggs mean your unborn baby is slightly more likely to have a chromosomal problem, such as
Down syndrome.
You’ll have various
prenatal checks during your first trimester that will assess your risks of having an affected baby, but the risk does rise with age. At 35 the risk of Down syndrome is less than one percent – meaning that of 100 pregnant women, one will have a baby with Down. By age 45 the risk is three percent, but this still means that 97 of 100 pregnant women will have a healthy baby.
There is little doubt, though, that chromosomal disorders such as Down do increase your rate of miscarrying, but as this might happen before you even make it as far as your first trimester screen you may never know if it was the reason. Up to the age of about 35 one pregnant woman in eight loses her baby but once you pass this age that falls to one in four and once you pass 40 it’s one in three.
As far as your health goes, older moms-to-be are more mature when it comes to making the necessary lifestyle changes to ensure they and their baby stay healthy. But you are likely to be more
tired, and are more likely to
conceive twins, even if you haven’t had fertility treatment. You also are at slightly more risk of problems that tend to be more likely as we age anyway, such as
diabetes and
high blood pressure. These can manifest for the first time in an older mom-to-be, but your OB-GYM or midwife will screen you for gestational diabetes and
pre-eclampsia (pregnancy-induced high blood pressure) during your pregnancy.
Your labor as an older mom-to-be
The fact you’re more likely to develop issues such as gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia put you a higher risk of having a
pre-term birth than younger moms-to-be, and this in tune increases your risk of having a low birthweight baby. You also may have a longer labor and the fact you are probably less flexible and have poorer muscle tone than you had in your youth could make it harder for you to deliver your baby naturally – older laboring women are more likely to need
assisted deliveries and
cesareans. But do keep in mind that how you take care of yourself in pregnancy can help you avoid these eventualities.
Parenting as an older mom
As older parents you’re more mature. You’re likely to have made the conscious decision to have a child and this can impact hugely on how you cope with the challenges. You will have sown your wild oats and likely achieved what you wanted to educationally and career-wise. You also are likely to be more
financially secure. All of this means you’ll make motherhood a priority, even though you will still miss some of the freedoms you enjoyed before you had your child. You also may be more likely to be in a solid, secure relationship and because you may have waited a long time to become parents, your partner my be more willing to pitch in and help than if you were both younger.
That said, if you‘re used to being a career woman, the change to being seen as a mom may be a bit of an identity struggle for you. Mixing with other older moms can help but depending on where you live there may not be many other moms your age. Also, if you have been trying for a baby for many years you may have raised expectations about what motherhood will be like, and having these dashed by constant
crying and sleepless nights may be extremely stressful for you.
It’s possible you may find yourself more worn out by 24-7 babycare than a younger mom would be, although this isn’t a given. How you deal with it depends on factors other than your age. Your maturity should stand you in good stead when it comes to taking care of yourself, and health and fitness can make sleepless nights with a newborn, and racing after an active toddler, easier to cope with.
The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.
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Last Modified: 06/05/2009
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