Having a Baby in Your 40’s

I just had a baby at 42, and that sounds crazy!  Age and life timelines have never really bothered me.  I’m a firm believer in moving at your own pace and accomplishing life milestones when you are ready to, regardless of age.  And while I just had a baby at 42 and am beyond thrilled to have her with us, my age is something that I think about all the time. 

Having a Baby in Your 40’s

First and foremost I am completely aware of what a blessing it is having a baby in your 40’s.  I know that many women struggle, at any age, to have children.  And I will be forever grateful to the medical choices I made to make this possible.  I also know that in some parts of the country having a baby in your 40’s is completely normal and increasingly more popular.  In fact my doctor, in Chicago, mentioned several times how many patients they have that delivered babies in their 40’s.  And a lot of my New York friends have had babies in their 40’s too.  While I love these stats and embrace them I still worry about my age and having young children.  

Math

I’ve always loved numbers and math, ever since I was a kid.  I was pretty good at math growing up and loved to count anything and everything.  I can quickly do math in my head and that has come in handy when shopping sales.  However, its becoming a pain in my rear end right now.  I’m constantly doing math to figure out how old I’ll be when my kids are a certain age.  

I think about how old I’ll be when my kids turn 10 or how old I’ll be when they graduate high school.  On some days it terrifies me and on other days it doesn’t matter.  I’m constantly trying to figure out if someone is my age and has kids the same age.  Truth be told, I’m terrible at guessing anyone’s age, mainly because I still think I’m 24!  At the end of the day I know that there are many more similarities than differences between me (a 42 year old mom) and a 30 year old mom.

 

Mom’s At Any Age

So if you are a mom of young children in her 40’s or you are worried about being a new mom in her 40’s let me share a few things with you that don’t matter what your age is.

• Exhaustion is a given for every parent regardless of your age
• Love doesn’t know how old you are
• You will worry the same amount whether you are 42 or 30
• Creating memories and special moments will still happen
• There will be a lot of tears; from you and your kids
• You will be tested and challenged by your kids

Advantages of Having a Baby In Your 40’s

• Your more established in your career, so putting your family first is an easier choice
• Financially it’s not as much of a struggle to have kids
• Everyone will think you are younger than you actually are.  Society is programmed to think being a mom happens in your 30’s.  You automatically get 5 – 10 years younger!
• Your friends kids can babysit your kids
• You already had an early bedtime, so your kids aren’t affecting that portion of your life

 

Speaking of being a mom, check out my 10 must have products for a newborn here.