Right Age Of Having A Baby?!

Spendless

I wonder when 'society' decided that women 30+ were too old . My husbands hobby is researching family trees and down each side of the family we have gone, either in mine or his we discover women having children into their early and mid 40s. This occurs too often for me to think it is just a fluke in our families.

rchddap1

In my family tree back in the 1800s my lot started having kids at around 1835 with their last being in 1860 meaning that they had a full 25 years of producing children!

lady_fuschia

Maybe I'm being cynical, but I think there's a hint of sexism in the male dominated medical proffesion telling us selfish career girls we need to stop being silly and settle down and have babies like good little girls...
I heard on the news a while back that the government was panicking there was going to be a "baby shortage" in a few years time- would have laughed my a*** off if it wasn't so scary. Do they really think we're going to "run out" of kids? Would it be such a bad thing if the population went down a little?
Maybe I'm a bad bad girl- but I actually think the the rising age of first time mothers is a sign of progress.

lady_fuschia

At least these days Mums are able to choose when to have kids, rather than having them thrust upon them anyway!

Petal_3

I had my DS when I was 40! He starts school in September whilst friends my age are either grandmothers or have children at University! lol

He keeps me young....(so everyone tells me)!
~x~

lady_fuschia

Well done Petal! Sounds great- I bet you have loads of wonderful life experience to share with him as he grows up as well. Probably even more than your friends who had children in their 20's.

kittiwoz

My mum had me when she was 36 and I have a brother 18 months my junior. Both my parents were very hands-on when I was young and used to do a lot of activities with me like going to the park or for walks in the wood, baking and doing art activities. My dad taught me to do cartwheels when I was about 7, so when he was 42, and he taught me to do handsprings when I was about 16, so when he was 51. My dad can't do handsprings anymore, now he is 58, but then again, neither can I at 23. My mum is retirng this year, she turns 60 in November. She and my dad are both still incredibly supportive of me both emotionally and financially (I'm still at uni). I don't view my parents as being old because although they may now have grey hair and reading glasses they are hardly frail or forgetful. In the last couple of years my dad has taken up cycling to work and probably will continue doing so until he retires when he is 65. My mum remains an avid reader, she is a member of an art-house cinema group at makes frequent trips into London to visit galleries, exhibitions and the Opera.

Old is like my Grandma who is 82 and has difficulty seeing, walks with a stick, gets tired easily and has to have frequent sit-downs and she wouldn't be nearly as old as she is if she hadn't always smoked. I know a guy who is 79 and can still do crash dives and baranis (trampolining moves), though of course he's exceptional. But why sould it matter that a childs parents are in their 50s when they are at secondary school, or at retirement age when they are at uni? Provided they're not doddery and in need of care themselves before the child establishes themselves in the world as an adult I don't see the problem.

lady_fuschia

To be honest parents of any age could end up disabled or incapacicated- and 50 isn't old these days, I don't think its such a bad thing to have a parent in their 50's when you're at secondary school. Its not like people drop down dead at 55 these days after all.

tinkerbell1978

age is nothing life is precious whatever age if you have children at any age cherish them with all your heart!!
my sister had a miscarriage a while ago and this is her second time and its happened again. today i say a pray for her that i dont loose her too i pray to god that depression does not re-appear i pray to god that her husband is enough to keep her strong i pray to god its so bloody unfair for me to have a precious healthy son and for her to go through so much heartache and pain and i pray to god i can keep my faith in him.

ms_london

I am 25 and cant see myself having children (if I ever met a man ) until I am 35/40 - but who knows, I might change my mind & want them earlier, but now its a toss up between wanting them later on or not at all.