46 And Pregnant

I had a pregnancy sneak up on me too later in life. I thought nothing of the missed periods and aches and pains. I thought I was perimenopausal! lol
It's a differant experience raising toddlers at 40 than at 25. I am able to take more joy in it because my life is a little calmer and I have differant priorities. ALso, I've started taking much better care of myself because I want to be able to keep up and stay around for them. Congratulations on the new baby.

Congrats! I was 39 when I delivered and ONCE at an appt, my doctor made the mistake of using the term "advanced maternal age" with me! LOL Surely his eye has healed by now...
A child per decade. I like that! :-)

It's actually more common than you think! My own grandmother had my mother at 43 -big surprise and several of my mom's friends had big surprises in their mid-40s! Just get the appropriate tests done to make sure everything is okay. Many times babies have problems that can be detected and fixed in utero before they become a huge issue, or the delivery team knows there will be an issue at birth, so they can be prepared. Your baby is probably fine, but it's always good to be prepared! Good luck with everything!

i was a miracle baby. i was born one pound now im going to have a baby

congratulations!!!!

i don't have any advice but enjoy your new bundle of joy!!1

That's great !! I am a 2nd time single Mother I raised my three older children.Then after getting over some heath problems as well as cancer,to having a short term thing with the wrong Guy.I became a Grandmother&Mother all over again. I love my children with all of my heart.I am 40yrs old with a 3yr old daughter&2 Grand-kids. Some say I really hit my head,I say why God must have had this in the works for me&what's one child i have already done it alone with 3 ! C. Good luck&take care at least you have a Man by your side,it is a lot harder to be alone.I also agree with Kathleen,as I am in the Med/Field &had to do some research for my self.I had gone threw a lot&was on all these med's& all the treatment's for my cancer plus my age,even thow I was in great shape also&very active lady.I did have to have a c-cection my daughter was breach&her cord had raped around her neck so she is a child from God.I named her Nevaeh witch is heaven turned around i also gave her two middle names as at the time Nevaeh had become a name everyone named there new born daughter. She has had 3 others in preschool with the same name already.So we may have to nick name her one of her middle names.

Just Beautiful !! For you all!! Congratulations!!

I was near 42 with my last baby.

I thought I was pregnant a few months ago at 49 and googled women having babies in their 40's. Then learned that there are 10's of thousands of moms birthing in their 40's and thousands still in their 50's. We are not trying to conceive and I do not seem to be going through any changes. Everything is on schedule, all the time.

Just keep doing what your doing. I imagine you'll be more tired the 1st trimester. Take your pre natal vitamins.

You'll have such a great parenting perspective with each decade of child rearing.

I haven't been in this situation, but many of my friends have in their late 40's.
What an awesome blessing!
Just so you know....all the babies were born perfectly healthy and the moms did just fine through their pregnancies.
What a joy "surprise" babies are.
Enjoy every minute.

Best wishes.

CONGRATS!! Don't let anyone take the excitement of being pregnant away from you. There are perfectly healthy women of 'child bearing age' that have really complicated pregnancies and unhealthy babies... and there are women such as yourself who are labeled as high risk and have perfectly healthy newborns!! Continue to take care of yourself and enjoy it... whatever happens will happen as God intended. Best wishes!

JUST REALIZED you said you already had the baby! EVEN BETTER, LOL!! congrats mama :)

Gosh -- No practical advice. Just this -- Congratulations!

Though we are 99.99% sure we are done, I warn my husband I might hit 40-something and go ga-ga with baby fever.

congrats! did you know in the whole 9 months that you were pregnant or did you just think you were going through the "change"? And how DID you find out? Curious and a little fascinated.... Sometime I wish that would happen to me!

... My friend, was 46 when she was pregnant.
Because of age... it is considered advanced maternal age... and they monitor your pregnancy like any other.
It does not matter if you are an 'exception' to the rule or not... it is just medical care and insurance categorization. Not you personally.

So my friend who was pregnant at 46... but is was a planned pregnancy. She was fine! Just fine. She had a good normal healthy pregnancy... and her child was born fine and healthy and she gave birth naturally.

For her, she declined getting an Amniocentesis... (which is recommended for women 35 and over), because she hates needles.

For me, I did have an Amnio... with both my pregnancies. Because I wanted the extra knowledge, of how my kids were, genetically. For me, it had nothing to do with the status of the pregnancy or not. I just wanted the assurance and knowledge of how my babies were. The procedure is fine... not anything horrible. I was glad I did it.
For me, I was "advanced maternal age" with both my pregnancies... meaning over 35 years old. Got pregger's naturally.

all the best,
Susan

What an incredibly joyful surprise. Enjoy every minute, and prepare yourself to say thanks but no thanks to any doctor who tries to give you the 'advanced maternal age lecture.' I had my first and only child at 40 and wish I'd been more firm -- they had me scared to death. He was born perfectly healthy in every way, and looking back I so wish I'd just told them all to take a hike.
Blessings to you, your family and your new little one-in-the-making!

I think you're saying that you didn't have a period, as in peri-menopause, then out of the blue, became pregnant?

In any case, congratulations!!!!! It's funny how even though we don't know each other on this site, I still get excited when people post wonderful things like this!

ENJOY YOUR WONDERFUL SURPRISE!

I have a friend who thought she could not conceive and then she and her husband conceived (naturally) at age 48! Their son is now 18! I myself conceived at 41 (a "surprise" :) and experienced the same pregnancy basically as I did when I had my first (born at my age 24). so did not have any "high risk" issues. You are in good company - lots of women are having babies in their 40s - best wishes!

This baby will be a huge blessing to you - these surprise babies always are. I have my last child at age 40 - but I do know other moms who've had this surprise.

I have confidence that all will go well - !

Awww, congrats! Well there is a lady who sits in front of me at church and she is there with her 20 something daughter and her 15month old daughter and she looks about 45ish. The baby girl is adorable and perfect in every way. I think you will do just great:)

I haven't been in you posistion but I just want God to bless you! What a miracle. "God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’”- Job 37:5-6 I think 46 is a great age to be a new parent again. Enjoy your might downpour from above!

Congratulations! You might check into Melaleuca's prenatal vitamins. Their patented vitamins are far more soluble than the competition. That means their minerals and antioxidents actually get into the body and are not washed out. Bobby McCaughey of Iowa - who gave birth to 7 healthy babies at once a few years back - attributes her success to these vitamins. She was the first documented person in the United States to deliver 7 live, healthy babies.
If you Google her story, you will find that dozens of doctors came together to decide which vitamins she should take so that all the babies would survive. They choose Melaleuca prenatal vitamins.
Contact me if you want to know how to get them. They are sold thru independent distributors, not in stores, but are very reasonably priced.

L.

Congrats! I had my first at 40, and my second at 42 - with no real problems.

I had every test that was recommended, along the way, and I went in for a lot more check-ups than younger women probably do. By the end, I was in there every week, and I felt like I should just set up a tent and a cot in their waiting room!

They just watched everything very carefully - size, heart rate, etc. - so I think I had more sonos than a younger woman would too. My doctor absolutely did not want me to go past my due date, I think, because of higher risks during birth after that because of my age. I also chose a hospital with a full children's hospital - just in case there were any issues at birth (there weren't!).

Some of the stuff that comes with every pregnancy may hit you a little harder - you may be more tired, and recovery might take a little longer. I was really tired and had some breathing issues with the second pregnancy. Just give yourself a break, take it easy and don't hesitate to call your doctor with any questions or concerns!

Good luck!

Congratulations on your true miracle baby! :)
I was an "AMA" as well and had a great pregnancy and delivery despite my age. I did have an amnio though and lots of checkups & sonograms. No problems at all!!!!!!!
I have my God sent miracle baby that is perfect in every way and I thank God for her daily!
Good luck to you and enjoy every moment with your baby!

I just wanted to say congrats & God bless! I pray that it is a wonderfully smooth & healthy pregnancy!

you go girl!!! best of luck!

Congratulations! I had my son at 42. Also, I got pregnant this summer at age 45 but unfortunately had a miscarriage. I had no idea I was pregnant. Thought I was going into perimenopause. Anyway, you take excellent care of yourself and I'm sure everything will be fine. Good luck!!

Congrats. I was 41 when I had my youngest and she was a bit of a surprise. I had to listen to all of the stuff about being an "advanced age" mom, and being high risk, but everything was fine and I had a happy healthy baby girl (now 8). I did have amnio, but otherwise just treated it like a normal pregnancy. The way I see it is you can either spend your time enjoying your pregancy or worrying about it and I think it's better for everyone involved if you just enjoy. Best wishes for a happy and healthy pregnancy.

First of all CONGRATULATIONS!!! What a blessing!! A close friend of mine had two children with IVF. She had terrible infertility issues and also had 3 miscarriages. At 46 years old she found out she was pregnant with her third. She gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby girl. She is truly miracle baby. God put that baby in her life for a reason the same way that he did with you. Take care of yourself and listen to your doctor and you will be fine!

Enjoy!

WOW. congrats.. I have a friend(s) who have tried and tried and still nothing..
they too are in their 40s... I wish you the best..
tell us your secret... simply natural? again.. I am always happy to hear about women in their 40s becoming pregnant.. It makes me more hopeful for my own friends.

I haven't been in your situation but I just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS! It sounds like you are in a great place to have a baby, being healthy and in shape, and just think of all the parenting experience and life experience you have now to share with this new baby.

Congratulations B. what a blesssing. I am a Certified Nurse Midwife and I feel qualified to answer your question. If you are healthy and do not have preexisting health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, or a known clotting disorder you and your baby should be fine. Your age may predispose you to developing some of these complications in pregnancy but do not assume you are a huge risk... As you have read....Yes your age is a factor in the health of your eggs, which increases your chance of having a baby with a chromosonal defect, but women your age have healthy babies all the time. Even at home. Assume your are healthy with a healthy baby first .Please begin prenatal care and this will help to ensure you have a healthy pregnancy. Diet is essential to all pregnancies.... I suggest you take 1-2g of folic acid and prenatal vitamins with calcium and vit D and Omega 3. A very good whole food diet. please have early prenatal care and God Bless. Wishng you all the Best.....K.

I just wanted to say congrats and I wish you, your husband and your baby all the best. I believe children are such a blessing!

It happens more often than you realize.. While you may not feel 46 yrs
Young, your eggs are 46 yrs old. This puts you at an increase risk for genetic defects. Continue to take care of yourself and get good prenatal care. Believe that you will be blessed with a baby that God has preparedyou for. Also, congratulations on your new addition.

Just wanted to say congrats to you and your husband! That is wonderful news and what a blessing for your family! May God shower His blessings upon you and your unborn baby! :-)

Congratulations! Don't do the amnios, the baby is a blessing, no need to risk it! :-) I've had several friends who lost their miracle healthy babies due to overzealous doctors doing amnio tests. Relax and enjoy your pregnancy and be sure to take your prenatal vitamins! Best wishes and God bless!

A little confused... How far along are you? What are you asking? If you are pregnant and you are considered high risk because of age, that is totally normal recommendation. It just means they want to make sure everything is ok. At advance maternal age, the eggs aren't always the best and can have chromosomal abnormalities, but that is the exception not the norm. If you truly didn't have a period for 9 months and are just recently pregnant, then the concerns are very valid. This means all of a sudden there was a change in your hormones to create a cycle and you ovulated with an older egg.

So take the precautions necessary, get the tests requested that you feel comfortable with and enjoy your pregnancy.

Awesome! Congratulations! I hope that I can say that I am physically strong and healthy at 46. I would recommend trying out prenatal care at a birthing center with midwives, if you are open to it. They are less paranoid about all of the perceived risks of having children "late." They will give you very personalized care and offer the emotional support that you may need, because I am betting that there will be some who will nay-say you having the baby later in life. There are a couple in the area that I would recommend. I am currently attending All About Babies in Argyle. My midwife is Donnellyn Dominguez and she is a rock star. Another midwife there is Cindy Haggerton, and she is both a midwife and chiropractor. A 2nd recommendation is for Gentle Beginnings in Hurst. Either way, congratulations and enjoy this blessing.

I was 36 when I had my first child. Even then they said I was "high risk". Pooey! Now days women are having babies at an older age. We no longer get married and stay home having kids. Women are getting an education and having careers before the settle down with kids.

Having a child while you are "high risk" has it's advantages :-) You get to see the doctor more often, which means you get personalized attention. You get sonograms at almost every stage of development (awesome baby book pics!).

Just keep doing what your doing and follow the doctors instructions. You will be just fine :-)

D.
mother of three: 21, 20, and 7

HOORAY for you!
I know this is late but just wanted to wish you well.
And I love how you described your health and physical condition.
Keep on keepin' on!!

Congratulations B.! How exciting for your family!! I dont' mean to be a downer, but if I were you, I would delay telling people about the baby until you make it past the "safe" time - 13 weeks. I'd say that for any pregnancy, but especially for a woman over 40. If you hadn't had a period for 9 months, it sounds like something is going on in your body. I only say this from the perspective of someone who's shared the joy of pregnancy with friends and family only to later have to go back and tell people that I was no longer expecting. You have to relive the miscarriage every time you say it, and it never gets easier. Just a bit of advice to keep you from that pain.

I had a surprise pregnancy last year. Son #3 was born 1 month & 2 days shy of my 45th birthday. He's perfectly healthy.

I started late - had son #1 (also a surprise) at 39. Adopted son #2 last year.
Son #3 born this January. : )

I did have gestational diabetes this time and anemia for both sons #1 & #3, but all that went away after the babes were born. And most importantly, they were just fine.

Congrats!!!!!!

Oh, and your memories of sleepless nights and diapers are probably not as stark as reality...so if you can swing it, have a baby-moon to celebrate!