Pregnant Again at 42

hi C.,
I am 40..I just had my first beautiful baby girl at 39 and i would love to have another! You go girl! If it is God's will it will all work out!
Blessings,
L.

Hi C., I'm 41 and pregnant with my second, I'll be 42 by the time he is born. I was worried initially about all the increased risk of birth defects, but decided to have an amnio (like I did with my first, when I was 38) and all is well. You don't mention how far along you are, but there are lots of tests available these days that can give you info for your risk of having a child with a disabiltiy. It seems like the most commonly recommended now is the triple screen, but having had an amnio in the past I only did the first part of the triple screen, and although all results were good, I wanted to know for sure, so I went right for the amnio.
I had my son, now 3, via C-section, he had a big head :), all 8 lb 13 oz of him, so I am going to have a C-section for this one too (per my doc's recommendation). Mine previous c-section was pretty easy. I think the important thing is to exercise and stay active, which at our age and pregnant is tough, but chasing around a 3 year old helps.
I think our bodies are amazing to be able to produce another human being and change so much during pregnancy. I think what a lot of people don't rely enough on (myself included) though is our amazing minds and the power of positive thinking. I think it is also really important too to be a strong self advocate in today's medical market. I switched OB-Gyns at about 16 weeks because I felt like she considered this her pregnancy and not mine. Maybe it is because we are older, and wiser (hopefully), but for me, knowing I am well informed and have a doctor standing behind my wants has made me feel a lot more secure in myself and my pregnancy.
Well, that was a bit long winded, but I hope you can find something useful in it. I wish you all the best for a safe, stress free and happy pregnancy.

Wow..That is great news. I have been thinking about having my 4th child at age 40/41 but nervous about all the things that can go wrong. Are you nervous? Did you have invitro?

Congrats, C.! How exciting! I'm 46 and 27 weeks pregnant with #3. I had my son when I was 40 and prior to that my daughter at 24. This pregnancy has been a breeze for me. I'm healthier than ever in my life which is probably why I got pregnant so easily. I wasn't trying and it was quite a shock as I thought I was really in the midst of perimenopause. With my son, I had the triple afp done and it came back high for down's syndrome, an amnio confirmed that he was a healthy baby. I opted for amnio again and once again, we are having a healthy baby boy in June. At 40, the clinic staff was much more focused on me being of advanced maternal age. Very different this time, I think because I've already had a healthy pregnancy over 40 and this one they aren't worried about. I've only gained 2 pounds so far, so I'm avoiding the pitfalls of last time, like carpal tunnel, aching feet etc. I also have regular prenatal massages and my stress level is much lower this time. Excercise is getting a little more difficult, so I'm modifying what I do. Unfortunately, I will have to deliver by cesarean again, so I can't speak to the process and recovery with a normal delivery. But I do know what I will do differently this time to recover more quickly from surgery.

I'm sure you will do just fine with this pregnancy as long as you take care of YOU! Don't freak out about the advanced maternal age label. I don't even think about it at 46 and people are shocked when they do find out how old I am. I don't look it, act it or feel it. And, most of all, you are NOT in a minority anymore. So many women are having children in their 40's. I asked my doctor why on earth I am more fertile in my 40's than my 20's or 30's. He laughed and said my biological clock must be ticking backward. I think it's because I'm healthier and happier in my 40's and so my body responded. I was so frightened at first, because of everything I had read about pregnancy after 40, that I didn't want to continue the pregnancy deep down. But none of that came to pass for me. I'm so excited and really enjoying this pregnancy finally. My children bring me such joy and energy.

Sending blessings for a great second pregnancy, C.!

B

Congratulations! I had six children from a previous marriage and 10 years later had a baby girl at 43 from a second marriage. I had lost a lot of weight previous to the pregnancy and was in better shape than some of my pregnancies in my younger days. I walked daily, ate well, and worked until the day before her due date and felt great the entire pregnancy. I saw my doctor every two weeks because of the "high risk" pregnancy and I did have an amnio because I wanted to know if I had to prepare for a "special needs" child. Our beautiful daughter is perfect and has been such a blessing in our lives. Delivery went well with all me deliveries being natural. I just got very tired in the pushing stage--nothing new for me. Best Wishes and enjoy. I think we more mature moms can appreciate the specialness of the miracle of birth and motherhood just as much, if not more than when we are younger. I have enjoyed every moment with her and I can't believe she is ours now at 7 and a half years old and yes I may be the oldest mom in her class--most can't believe how old I am and how surprised they are when they find out--I take it as a compliment!! They keep you young and busy, that is for sure--PS I am a grandmother of eight and she fits right in with the grandkids for holidays and family gatherings and I have my grandchildren over to be her playmates and travel companions when we are on vacation--double duty!!--Mom and Grandma!!

C., CONGRATULATIONS!! I am 42, but not pregnant, whew :)

However, many of my friends are having their 2nd kids at this age and have done fine. So, don't worry...just do your best to be healthy, eat nutritiously and stay active. Enjoy your pregnancy and best wishes on your delivery.

JK-v

I was 49 when I gave birth to my twin girls; 3rd & 4th children after MANY YEARS in between. I was in good health when I got pregnant & made sure I took extra good care of myself while I was pregnant AND 19 MONTHS LATER....I'm in good shape again! Though I was warned of all of the things that can go wrong with a pregnancy so "late in life", none of them did. I carried full term & delivered vaginally. You need to pay attention to your family history; past pregnancy experience AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL eat right & get plenty of rest. Your caring for that baby begins NOW; everything you eat & do affects that little baby. Enjoy your pregnancy & forget how old you are (aren't!). You delivered 3 years ago - your body will snap right back into the mode & you will do fine! Good luck & enjoy!! You are one of the blessed ones that gets to enjoy another baby.

I got pregnant naturally at 44 and it was a breeze. I did take LOTS of supplements and ate very heathy. I did yoga right up to the last week or so, and my daughter is as healthy and happy as can be. Enjoy 40 is the new 20!

Hi C. - congratulations! that is wonderful news. I was (only) 39 with my second son but am 43 now and have just as much energy. I'm sure you'll do great - just stay in good shape, eat well and take good prenatals. By the way, for you moms who are over 35 and live in San diego, I belong to a playgroup for moms over 35 so just let me know if you'd ever like to attend. Cheers!
C.

Hi C.,

I may be pregnant right now. Won't know for a couple of weeks. I am turning 40 this month, and yes, I am concerned about possible problems due to my age. I am not sure what we can really do about it. Just pray!! but anyway, I hear you. Hug
A.

I'm not pregant however, I'm 43 and I have an almost 2 year old :-). My last pregnancy was my best, I still didn't know when I was in labor though :-) It was really hard for me to be questioned on whether I really wanted the baby, every nurse and doctor I saw for the first 4 months thought I was there for a termination. I never had the amniocentisis, I just used the AFP blood tests, and ultrasounds to check on the baby and her progress. Yes, it was harder to be pregnant at 41 than it was at 37 and 39, and way harder than it was at 27 and 29, but with Yoga and exercise it was my best pregnancy ever and I recovered fast.

It was disturbing to be considered high risk just because I was over 35, but my baby was fine, I was fine and I can't imagine life without her now. There are a lot of scare tactics that are used on "older" moms and I think it's not fair. I actually had 3 daughters after I was 35 and all three of them were born at term, vaginally and were healthy and are still very healthy wonderful children.

Bless you for taking the chance on a true fountain of youth!! :-) Children really do keep you young.

Hi C., I had my son at age 40, after having 4 miscarriages. My son was born 3 months premature, but is now 20n years old, and attends a new program for special needs college students at UCLA called Pathways. I think that if you are healthy and your body is "organized and in good shape", you should not worry about any problems. Many women are having babies later and later, successfully, and you should not worry about it. Just try to take it easy and try to reduce your stress. Any more questions, please visit my website at www.healthy-communications.com S. Kramer

Hi C.,
I had my first at 23, 2nd at 29,3rd at 35 and last at 39...I am now 43 and my son is 4.I loved being a young Mom and I also love being a Mom in my 40s.My son was born extra healty and being a bit older I was more concerned.I had 4 c-sections and had fabulous recovery. I think more and more people are waiting to have children.I did have 2 amnios and finding out everything was well was reasuring although anyway I would have had them.I have been married 22 years.I think every year is a joy to have a baby...much happiness as your family grows.H.

First of all,congradulations... As a first time mom at the age of 41yrs. I want to say, Do Not worry.... I had all kinds of complications and was not in the best of health.But with the medical wonders..... There is nothing to fear....I wish you all the best!!!!!

Hi C.,

Congrats on your second little miracle!!! I am a bit youger than you - but not by much. I am going to be 40 in a few months. I have a (almost) 4 yr old and twins that are 13 months. Though ideally I would have like to have had my kids a bit younger - actually being this age I think I have more patience with them than I would have had. We certainly can offer them more opportunities financially.

My mother had my youngest sister at 42 (back in 1978). Back then I can remember two ladies in our church saying something about "can you believe it... at her age?" My mother told them straight up it was non of thier business how old she was when she decided to have another child.

I think as long as you are healthy, you can afford it and you are prepared to love that child there shouldn't be any stigma on having children when you are a bit older.

There are a lot more older Moms these days. Some of that has to do with career choices I think. I also think that it may have to do with ART (assistive reproductive technology) because those that find they are not blessed with natural fertility often have thier children a bit older when they have the money to spend on such an expence. I guess that is the case with me.

Anyway - trust me you will not be the oldest Mom in the PTA. Just enjoy your beautiful babies.

G.

I think you are so inspiring, I love to hear about a woman your age being pregnant! I just turned 42, and while I don't have a child yet, I plan on having one next year. I am in good health and my doctor says I won't go into menopause until at least 50. I wasn't ready before now, so I think it is good to wait, I think it will make me a better mother. I'm sure you will have a healthy pregnancy and I look forward to hearing other answers to your question so I can know what to expect.

Hi, my last pregnancy was at 45, she was born after my birthday, so technically, I was 46. She is the last of 5 kids, with the oldest being 21 yrs. older than she is. We didn't have any problems at all. Dr.s told me that I probably wasn't even ovulating anymore, and that if we really did want another baby, they suggested we use an egg donor. 6 weeks later, we got pregnant on our own. they suggested we have a sonogram & amnio at 16 weeks and genetic counseling. After we had the sonogram and they determined that everything looked just fine, we didn't have the amnio. My husband, (not the father of the first 4 children) and I had already decided we were going to love this baby no matter what. Molly was born on Nov. 24, 02, with her big brothers & sisters right there with us and has more love than she knows what to do with. Fortunately for me, all of my pregnancies were easy, from start to finish, although hers was the shortest labor, at just about 3 hours. I loved being pregnant at 46 and everyone around us was very supportive. As long as you have good drs. and they are monitoring you regularly, I would think everything will be just fine. Enjoy every minute, and rest up. They not only grow up fast, they move fast too....:)

C. G

Wow, I really commend all you guys. Not sure if I could do it again. I'm 36 and had my son at 33 after 6yrs of trying to get pregnant. It was a miracle, we got pregnant naturally right before we were about to start in vitro. I really don't want any more children, even though my pregnancy went well, it was not fun. My son keeps me on my toes. I find that so often I don't have the energy or patience for one, can't imagine adding another one. I try to be as healthy as I can, but still have some medical issues. I have so many concerns of getting pregnant at an older age, if by chance we do again and it's an accident. Your stories are comforting. Glad to know I'm not the only one with concerns, even though I'm not over 40 yet. Good luck C.. Sounds like you're doing all the right things. I would want to do all the genetic testing, not because I would terminate, (never do that) but to be prepared if there was a chance of any problems.

I think a lot of older parents are having children. Technology and better health care has made it possible. They will put you in the "high risk" category, because you are over age 35. I would highly recommend an amniocentesis. I had one to rule out downs and other abnormalities. It was not as bad as it sounds, it didn't hurt at all, just make sure you rest afterward. I would only recommend doing it if you plan on doing something to terminate the pregnancy if it comes back positive OR you would like to be better prepared for afterward if it comes back positive, otherwise what is the point of knowing and risking miscarriage to have the test. It is a good idea to have it, just to be aware. Let us know what you find out. I was worried that I would be the oldest mom when my son was in kindergarten, but I really think there is a trend toward staring second families, or just having babies later in life. Fertility drugs and changes in the women's work roles are making it more and more common. I am really enjoying my son, I feel like I really know what I'm going this time because I've already done it before, and I'm more mature. I was only 20 and 22 when I had the girls. At first, my girls were jealous, even as teens, but they got over it quickly. We are trying for another so my son can grow up with a sibling close in age, but so far (8 months later) I'm not pregnant yet. It will happen if it's supposed to. I won't take it as far as fertility drugs and what not. I'm fine either way. PS The older you are, the more likely it is to have multiples (twins, triplets, etc.)

You can sign up for weekly emails from babycenter.com that will let you know how the baby is growing, it's really fun to think about whether it's growing fingernails or hair that particular week.

Take your prenatal vitamins every day and consider taking Expecta as well, it's a DHA supplement. I took it with my son and it helps with brain and eye development. He says over 200 words and he's only 18-months-old. I also went to school to become a medical transcriptionist so I could stay home with him, best decision I've made because now I can be with him all the time and work around his sleep schedule. If anyone is interested in how the school I went to (it's 100% online) let me know....Congratulations!

I am not in my 40's, but I want to encourage you! My mom was 42 when she had me! I think I kept them young! They are in their 70's now enjoying retirement and still "on the go."

i'm not pregs but i had my son at 41..easy pregnancy..had a C sec b/c he was 10.2 lbs..i was going to suggest you check out babyzone.com i really enjoyed that site while pregnant and i still enjoy it..you'll have fun being pregnant w/ all the mom's on your due date board.

Hi C.,
My name is D. and I too am 42 and pregnant with my 2nd child. My daughter will be 4 in May and have been married 6 1/2 years. No worries at this point as I just passed my glucose test and am thrilled to death about it! other than that just the usual stuff being tired uncomfortable etc... Actually my BIGGES T worry at this point is that my daughter is NOT potty trained yet and it is driving me CRAZY!! Any thoughts as to how to get there???

Hi C.,

First of all, congratulations! I too was a "late bloomer", I had my first child (son) when I was 41. I did have a fairly normal pregnancy, although fatigue played a big part of my pregnancy. They did make me go and have testing done weekly for the "AMA" advanced maternal age crowd. We did have a amnio done, just to be prepared for any contingency that may have come up. Thankfully, we were blessed with a healthy baby!

Good luck with your pregnancy and get as much rest as you can, that's the only advice I can give.

Kathleen

I did not give birth, but I became a mom at age 40 for the first time. The only thing I sometimes find challenging is that now that my son is 11 and I am 50, some of those parts (like knees ha ha) just don't work the way they once did.
Other than that- you can tell I am sure that with age comes wisdom, and I feel that is somewhat of an advantage.
Congratulations to you and your family.
Di

Hi C.!

First off, Congratulations!!! I am 41 and due on May 17th with our 3rd child. I think you are in great company of "older" moms-to-be. ;-)

As for concerns, the only time I have had any was when we went in for the genetic testing due to my age. The not knowing before the results come back were a bit unnerving. But with those out of the way, I've been enjoying the entire experience. I'm loving being preg. at my age and I suggest you just kick back and enjoy this wonderful part of your life!

Best wishes for a healthy pregnancy and birth!
L.

Hello -
I will be 43 this year. I had my first at 39 and my 2nd at 41. Both were healthy, but I did all of the necessary testing to confirm that. At our age you never know. I was pregnant again earlier this year (not planned) but I mis-carried. I am thankful that we have 2 WONDERFUL little boys. You are right to be concerned, but for your own peace of mind, make sure that you do the testing to confirm that you are carrying a healthy child so you can enjoy the rest of your pregnancy. Congratulations!!
L.

Hi C.,

I got pregnant at the age of 45. I am very healthy, and was concerned about down's syndrome because of my age. We did all of the tests for down syndrome except for the one (I forget the name of it)where they take fluid out of the sac around the baby and test it. My husband and I believed that it was a blessing from God that I got pregnant, and pregnant with identical twins to boot, so we felt the outcome was in his hands and we were prepared for whatever the outcome was. It was my first pregnancy, so I ended up getting preclampsia and had the boys 2 months early to save my life. I got preclampsia because it was my first pregnancy, my age, and because I was having twins. If you have a good doctor and follow all of his recommendations, you should be fine.

Hi C.. I'm 40 and pregnant with my second (due July 2nd). I had my first child at age 36. My first pregnancy was a breeze this one has a been a little tougher but not much...I mean I really can't complain even when I say I'm so tired and fat....I'm really happy and lucky that it's all going great. I had more morning sickness (in the beginning) this time and get a bit more tired but other than that it's not been bad at all. I did get an amnio (this time) because my 2nd round of blood work wasn't as good as the first but fortunately every thing turned out fine. I was a bit worried at first because you hear and read so many negative things, but with the advances we have made medically and being in good health to start with makes a big difference I think.

This pregnancy was actually a surprise, we weren't really trying to have another one but now I'm happy that my daughter will have a baby sister. I feel like it was just meant to be.

Being a mother is a wonderful gift enjoy it and try not to worry or sweat the small stuff!

S.

C., Relax and enjoy. As long as you remain healthy and active everything will be fine. I had my first daughter at the age of 19 and my last two sons were born when I was 38 and 43. I found the main difference in being pregnant later in life is your enery level. Trying to keep up with an active toddler when you are 45 is challenging, but totally worth it. My youngest son just turned 18 and most people cannot believe that I am 61. I look, act, think and feel much younger and I really think a lot of it has to do with having my son in my 40's. Enjoy life, love your children,and be open to challenges and accept changes as your children grow.
Stay healthy and active and do not think "old". Best wishes!

C., you are so blessed! I'm 41, just had my son last June and I secretly (openly w/ my husband of 9 yrs.) wish I could do it again! I was just dreaming about it this morning!
Sorry, I don't have 'advice' you probably don't already know, I just wanted to say Congratulations! I'm so 'jealous'! Praying for you...I think it's fantastic...
(We took 4 yrs. and had two miscarriages before our boy came along-or we'd be trying again, I think)

Hi C. Z,

I had triplets at age 52. All my children were born by C-section. I started at age 27. But, I just wanted to let you know about something I discovered by accident when I was pregnant with my triplets. I was told I would be in on bedrest after 20 weeks given my age and my risk factors. However, I was taking a water class. Because of that I discovered that if on begins to get edema, all one has to do is get in the water and hang on a noodle with one's pregnant body 75% emerged in the water. It takes about half an hour of just hanging there. One knows when one has rid oneself of the edema, because one feels the urgent need to run to the rest room and pee. The more uncomfortable you end up feeling, the more time you need to spend going into the water and hanging. I held on to my triplets only 2 days shy of the normal 33 weeks for triplets' gestational average. I was only in bed for 3 days at the end of the pregnancy. So, I like to pass this great technique for alleviating all the pressure pregnancy puts on one's body whenever I have a chance. My doctor, who was the head of the high risk clinic at Stanford, had forgotten about this "water hanging technique". After my triplets birth he was doing his rounds with the interns when he arrived at my bed. He told them I have had all kinds of health issues but for one thing... The "water hanging" had saved me. He had learned about "water hanging" in medical school, but had forgotten about it until I accidently discovered it. My discovery had reminded him of his lost knowledge. I hope you will be able to try the "water hanging" out. It just feels so good anyway. I think it helped all my internal organs work better, just to have all that pressure off of them. If your water breaks you won't be able to do it, but if not, you don't need to wait until something feels bad. It just makes being pregnant so much more fun. Congrats!