Having a Baby After 40 - Cerritos,CA

Hi,
That's great that you want to have more kids! I had no problems having a child at age 42. No complications at all. I don't have the "energy" I had for my younger kids ( had my first at age 38!!) , but there's nothing to say you can't have another child at age 40, especially if you are in a young, good physical health. If that's what you want, go for it!

Hi E., I have my twins at 38 yes it is true that the older you are sometimes thier can be complications but, they were born preterm and did spend a few months in the NICU. they are now 2.So it is never to late best wishes to you

I am 51 and had my first at 35, second at 40 and my third at 42. All were normal deliveries and pregnancies. There is a risk, but young women have children with issues, too. Good nutrition is really important. I love Juice Plus, which is fruits, vegetables, and berries in a capsule, chewable or gummie form. I never get enough and knew my children and unborn baby needed it. Great stuff. Check it out!
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Hi E....

I had my first child at 40, all natural. No complications, no amnio...no pain medication on delivery. I had my second child at 45, all natural, no complications, no amnio, no pain medicine on delivery.

I took care of myself, ate right, walked a lot and trust God. I did do the blood work to make sure all is well, everyone's pregnancy is different and medicine/science does not determine outcome.

My children are healthy, strong, energetic and a true blessing from God.

Best wishes.

hi..i'm a first time mom..wanted to wait til later on and i did..my doc said i had a 15% chance of getting pregs at 40..she was pushing for invitro..but i said.."let me just try at least!" and 3 months later i was pregnant..had an easy pregnancy except for some rib pain...and had a healthy 10.2 lb boy! He's super agile and smart..no problems. So i naturally conceived at 40 and had my son at 41.

Hi E.,
I had my son when I was 39 (5 months after I turned) and I had my daughter when I was 42 (1 1/2 months after I turned 42). They were both conceived naturally and both delivered by C-section. I had problems with my son (pre eclampsia and very high bloodpressure). My son was born a week early and weighed only 4 pounds. My doc says he was probably 6 pounds but lost weight inutero. He is now 6 1/2 and is fine. My daughter was born at term and my OB strongly suggested a Csection because of my age and prior history with my son. We had trouble conceiving my daughter, I think we were trying too hard and puting pressure on ourselves to get pregnant. After we quit trying so hard, it just happened. My pregnancy with her was pretty normal other than my lower back hurt more than with my son. She was 6 pounds and she is now almost 4.
Was I worried? YES! Were birth defects on my mind? YES! Even after the amnio test and we found out all was normal, I still worried. I stopped when she came out. I worry about other things now! Good Luck!

E., do not fear. I got pregnant naturally and had both my children at ages 40 and 43. I also suffered 3 carriages in my late 30s and had a Down's Syndrome pregnancy at the age of 38. Yes, there are risks in having children in your 40s, but do all that is possible to keep your mind and body in a healthy state as you venture to get pregnant. Count your blessings and do not worry too much. Stressful thinking is not good for the body, soul or mind!

Only friends but here are a few; One friend just had her second baby at age 40 1/2, no complications. Another friend had her 3rd at 40, this after two miscarriages. She and her husband decided to stop trying and of course got pregnant! That baby is now 2. I'L. be 37/38 when I have my 3rd, not 40 but still "up there" to some people.

Don't let Dr.'s or people scare you, didn't we just hear that 40 is the new 30? (-:

Best wishes!
M.

Had my 1st baby on my 40th birthday! Couldn't think of a better gift since we tried for kids back when I was 34/35 and gave up after 2 years. Then 4 years later we got pregnant naturally and it was one of the biggest surprises of our lives. I say GO FOR IT! Maybe you'L. even have a baby girl this time! I had a baby girl (even tho we really wanted a boy) and we are both SO in love with this little princess! Also, people go crazy for little girls and we are still getting darling baby girl clothes even 8 months later. Now we are ready to try again for a boy, or girl of course, and know the risks but ultimately trust God and know that He won't give us more than we can handle. Here's another bit of advice, ask your OB to also send you to a Perinatal Specialist. We went to one and got to see our little Gracie in 4D imaging the entire pregnancy so we were constantly assured that there were no genetic complications. I know an amazing PS in Torrance if you're interested. Most insurance will pay but even if not, I think it's worth having the peace of mind early on that the baby is healthy in every way.... much more detailed than regular ultra sounds. Good luck to you!

Dear E., my name is I. and I am 44 years. I have 3 girls ages 23,16 and my little one is 3 yrs old. Yes, I waited a long time between them, specially for the last one. I was 41 when she was born. Yes, I did have complications, my kidneys fuction started to decline due to high blood pressure. I stop working at 7 months, due to my blood pressure. I had an emergency C section, her heart was going down really bad, she had apnea for couple of months, but she got really really strong and good. Actually her health is very good and she is very smart. I still have my kidney problems, and HBP. But I will never, never change my decision to have her. My two older girls are almost gone, and Mia, my baby came to give us so much happinest and joy. I thank god for the chance to be a mother again. And let me tell you, with your last kid, you change in many good ways. It is just a wonderful blessing. Good luck!!

Hi.

I had my fifth child at 41, and plan to have just one more :) in a few years.

Straight forward conception, no real issues during term and delivery. other than being more tired than usual.

I have many friends with babies in their forties, even 49...with out medical conception help.

Drop any weird considerrations you may have gathered along the way, and go make love to your man, with a child in mind :)

My mother had the twins at age 43. She had a healthy pregnancy and with no scares, other than that the doctor offers. Further, yes it was all natural and to her surprise! My cousin also recently had a baby at 40, however, she did have 2 miscarriages before she had this baby. She went through a small dose of depression and was very nervous about accepting this baby until she felt safe it was actually true.

So many people are having them at this age and they are fine...go for it!

I got pregnant naturally at age 43 and had a beautiful, safe, easy vaginal birth October 2007. As my OB said to me, "D., Age is not a form of contriception!"

Having risks after 40 is a myth. You can have more children after 40 with no problems. I know quite a number of women who have given birth in their 40's -- even 50's! A prime example is that one of my friends had five children, and at 46, gave birth to her sixth child (a daughter) 16 years after the fifth child. 17 years later, my friend, who is in her mid-60's, is quite robust and healthy, and so is her teenage daughter. A lot of those celebrities have no clue (or, maybe they do, but don't care) that their "doctors" are after their money. Think about it, in centuries past, women always have given birth through to older ages with no problems. Medical doctors try to pretend they are God, and scare their patients into feeling they are at risk in order to get them to pay higher for something which had not been a concern to our grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and their mothers before them. God did not tell people to stop having children and to control the population -- He said, "Be fruitful and multiply." There are many women, like the example I gave above, who have large, happy families, and many of them even homeschool their children. Being that you have had a success rate already with three children, nothing should stop you from having more children. They are the jewels in your crown. My best wishes to you.

If you are healthy and didnt realy have any problems with any of your other childrens birth, why not try. There is always going to be risks, and now a days they have such good technology. I work for maternal fetal specialist that is a nationwide co. And there are so many women that have children over the age of 40 that have successful pregnancies. Goodluck

I had my daughter when I was almost 39 and my son at 40. They told me it would take a while getting pregnant due to my "advanced age". I found out after 3 months of trying for the first and 2 months with the second. No problems whatsoever.

As long as you're healthy, go to all your prenatal appointments, and don't feel to annoyed seeing the word "elderly" printed on every scrap of paper they print out at the doctor's office, you should be fine. You know your body. If you feel something is a bit off (more than usual pregnancy stuff), go in just to check with your doc. I would say this to anyone at any age.

Don't let them scare you. Pregnancy has it's difficulties no matter what age you are... but oh what a treasure you have at the end!!! Enjoy.

Hi E.,
I got pregnant and carried it full term for the first time and giving birth at 41. I had miscarriage with twins when I was 40. It was natural pregnancy. I didn't even take that omnio - something test (to determine whether or not the baby chromosomely healthy) at 15 weeks because I was scared to death that the test itself would cause miscarriage. I didn't take that chance. Me and my husband determined to take care of it with all the love we have regardless his condition.
Fortunately, we have a very healthy baby and he is my "miracle" baby because he never gave me an ounce of pain during the pregnancy nor after the birth (so far, anyway :-))
Well, believe it or not I have been ready to get pregnant again since he was born 2 years and 7 months ago but God hasn't granted us another one yet.
At this point, Jordan is the best gift I've ever received. If I don't get to be pregnant again Jordan is already my "miracle" baby and I am truely grateful for His generousity.
Good Luck. Don't be afraid. If it meant to happen it will happen. If not, hugs your 3 miracles :-)

I had my second son at age 41 (just a month after my 41st birthday). You can't help but worry especially when you receive counseling about possible birth defects which are more prevalent as you age. I had an amneo test which showed no problems. His birth was actually easier than the first (I had a V-Back). He was and is perfect.... a healthy 14 year old at this point.

Just make sure you are pretty healthy going into the pregnancy. I had just gotten to my ideal weight after Weight Watchers before I got pregnant and I have done yoga for 30 years. I think being in pretty good shape obviously makes it all less risky.

I have a couple other friends who have had kids after 40...it all was OK with all of them. I think having younger kids has definitely kept me younger feeling!

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Hi E....
I'm 47 and a first time mom. My son was born last December. I will tell you however that it was a long road and it did involve invitro fertilization (IVF). I was able to get pregnant at 42 natuarally; unfortunately I miscarried. We continued to try but were not able to get pregnant again. If you are considering using some form of infertility consult/teatment, then I would advise that you go sooner rather than later. There are more options the younger you are. The biggest issues you run into are the health of the eggs, and the ability of the eggs to implant in the uterus. If you're trying on your own, then I would suggest getting something like the ClearBlue Ovulation Kit. It does a great job of pinpointing exactly when you need to be trying to conceive. Good luck and best wishes with your decision.

I conceived our first child at 40 naturally and she was born healthy. I believe you have *less* risk for m/c and genetic problems, because you already have children.

We did prepare to adopt, but miraculously I got pg on our second month of trying. I read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility", so I knew my cycle very well. We didn't do any genetic testing, but I did deliver in a hospital, just in case. Good luck!