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Okay, It’s official. I’m old as the hills. Need to start whittling my hickory cane. Write that book of memoirs about the dinosaur age. Take my, um my, what was that? Oh right! My memory pills. And all that. So, I’ve been looking into whether that really makes me ‘high risk’ or whether that’s just another stupid way for the mainstream medical powers-that-be to get me classified and put into their ‘high risk’ category. Because a mother that’s ‘high risk’ is so much easier to deal with. Here’s some articles and stuff that I found…In case you’re wondering too.
http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/miscPren.html#Older
Love,
Heather aka Mama
oh pshaw! My husband and I are done before 30 (I’ll be 29 just a month after this babe is born) because the ladies of my family start “THE CHANGE” as early as 30. I think that “Advanced Maternal Age” is a crock of shit until you hit probably around 50 or so, and even then it’s variant on the mother. Don’t worry Heather. Fear mongers every place you turn these days!
I read somewhere that the high risk age was based on the relationship between miscarriage due to amnio and the chance of having a baby with chromosome concerns. The amnio caused miscarriage was of course a horizontal line, not affected by maternal age. The chromosome concerns line was diagonal going up slightly with age. The so-called ‘high risk age’ is the point where these two lines intersect. The interesting thing is that the high risk definition was created BEFORE they started using sonograms during the amnio. Of course sonograms decrease the risk of an amnio caused miscarriage dramatically, making the true ‘high risk’ more like 70 years old! So Heather…you have a good 30 more years of birthing ahead of you!
Oh. I’m glad to find out you’re over 35- now you are a legitimate write-in for President!
HA HA!! TOP HAT!!! EXCELLENT!! I had been an Obama Mama, but he voted the bail out in, an I swore I’d not vote for any candidate, regardless of being a die hard Dem, who voted in the bail out. I had no idea who to pencil in!! HATHOR FOR PRESIDENT!
Both my kids were born after I was 35 (37 yrs 9 months and 44 yrs 1 month). No real issues regarding age, and my doctors didn’t really push a lot of testing like some do. (I had decided not to have amnio or CVS since there is a very small chance they can CAUSE a miscarriage or defect. I was asked if I wanted to have them but the doctors agreed that if I didn’t plan to terminate based on the results, I didn’t need to have them.) Had a lot of ultrasounds and dr. visits w/#2 but that was more because I’d developed type 2 diabetes than because of age. Fact is, although some risks increase with age, most moms give birth to healthy babies.
Sorry for the novel. I’m guessing you are in better health than I was/am and you probably don’t even need to think about being over 35.
Heather, I am a Registered Nurse who finally woke up to what the industry I had been in for over two decades was all about. I got pregnant with my first, and so far only child, at age 39. She was born at home in a birthing pool with a lay midwife in attendance two months to the day after my 40th birthday. It was sublime and I would do it again in a heart beat. I am sure you are not listening to the crap about advanced maternal age.
You give me hope that I might have another! Every time I hear about some one else 40 or older getting pregnant I am happy! I am turning 45 this month.
Susan
I wrote about this on my blog last month, Heather. Most of the reasons to consider us older moms high risk is bogus. While I’m not currently pregnant, I’ve been dealing with this through the births of my last few children.
MAYBE if you had been closer to 50 or 60 and it was your first child, then I might worry a bit…BUT YOU’RE NOT!! your body knows what it is doing! I think my dad’s mom didn’t start having kids until her late 30s and she went on to have 7!!
Mama-Is…President ;o)
Where I live, there are many Amish folks. They often start having kids at age 19 or so, and keep right on going until God doesn’t give them any more. With my second, it was a relief to work with midwives who were used to that, ’cause to them, my age of 34 was no big deal. They were just surprised that it was only my second! One day, there was an Amish lady there my age on her seventh! The midwife asked, “Do you want all that silly testing?” I said, “Nope- it isn’t going to change my feelings about this baby.” End of discussion. If only it was that simple for everyone!
I remember when I saw a “pill” ad and they said “Women over 35 should not smoke…” and I realized I WAS that woman over 35! (But don’t smoke).
I read a book about a young couple who found out their baby would have Down syndrome. They found out that most mothers of babies with Down syndrome are actually UNDER 35.
hm.. I’m under 35. Guess I can smoke then.
Although the traditional wisdom says that Downs babies are “usually” born to women who are older, I am a special ed teacher, and I have to say that all but one of the Downs kids I’ve had over the years were NOT born to older mothers. The guy I have right now is actually the first of three children, and his mom was only 21 when she had him. BTW, kids with Downs are truly unique, and anyone who “terminates” a pregnancy because of that diagnosis is missing out on a major life experience.
Don’t worry yourself crazy. Although, did you know that the likelyhood of multiples does increase beyond age 35? Take me for example, I had twins last year. I was 38 when those two set camp in my uterus. Found out at my 12 week check-up because I was “measuring big.”
Loving the comics.. can’t wait for more!
Okay, Jennifer,
remember, I have EARPLUGS in my ears ;o)
xox,
Heather
Just to correct a little misinformation– the chance of chromosomal abnormalities increases with age, but because most women have kids at a younger age, the greater percentage of Down’s kids have younger mothers. They compared it once– the percentage of older women with Down’s kids to the percentage of younger women with Down’s kids– and while straight out numbers-wise more Down’s kids have younger parents, the PERCENT of older women who have Down’s kids is greater than the PERCENT of younger women who do.
The risk is still pretty small, though. It’s more than for a younger woman, but it’s still pretty small. I wouldn’t worry about it unless you know you would abort a kid like that, and then all you have to do is get an amnio, confirm it’s not the case, and you can sleep easy.
I don’t mean to worry you– like I said, really small chance– but I just wanted to correct the misinformation some people were providing. Good luck on your pregnancy.
You are still so young at 40! I have collected over 4,800 stories of pregnancies and birth over 43y old. Most of my online friends are over 40 and pregnant or caring for their new babies.
http://pregnancystories.blogspot.com/