PREGNANCY OVER 40: GETTING PAST THE NEGATIVE INFORMATION

Don't let all the negative and discouraging information get you if you are pregnant over 40 or trying to conceive over 40

Are you pregnant over the age of 40? Are you trying to conceive over the age of 40?  Not only did I run into a lot of negative information when I was trying to conceive, but I also had to endure a lot of negative "warnings" after I became pregnant with my daughter.  After years of infertility, failed fertility treatments, and finally the natural conception of my daughter, I had to nagivate the attitude of "she's old, she must be high risk" of the OB/GYN community.  Now granted, I was 44, and had a multitude of surgeries and fertility problems behind me, but a number of my problems were caused by the fertility treatments themselves.  I had a completely normal pregnancy and a normal delivery, but the well-meaning medical personnel just couldn't accept that I was a normal pregnant women who just happened to be 44.  As a result, I had every test in the book, multiple ultrasounds, consultations with perinatologists and on and on.  As hard as they tried, they just couldn't find anything wrong!

READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON PREGNANCY OVER 40 HERE (getpregnantover40.com)

PREGNANCY OVER 40, DEALING WITH OTHER MOTHERS

Pregnancy Over 40, Parenting Over 40

The first three months of my daughter’s life, I was totally insulated from “the competition” (i.e. other mothers). I had wonderful days alone with her where I nursed her and spent a good part of the day cuddling. It doesn’t get much better than this, I thought.

Getting Pregnant Over 40, Most Other Mothers Are Younger

My first experience with other mothers, which, by the way, are young enough to be my daughter was interesting.  When I started bringing my baby to the library story times when she was 4 months I immediately felt like I was being “grilled”. How much does your baby weigh? Are you nursing? Does she roll over? Do you let her watch TV? Does she eat food yet?

Once I answered the above questions (wondering if I was giving the “right” answers), I was bombarded with what their baby could do. I listened politely, but was always thinking in the back of my mind, “Why are they telling me all this? Do they think I’m a pediatrician or something?” Does it really matter whether or not their baby can eat strained sweet potatoes or green beans or whether or not their baby can lift their head? What’s going on here?
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SEE ALSO: PREGNANCY OVER 40 AND AVOIDING NEGATIVE INFORMATION (getpregnantover40.com)
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I finally realized that it’s the mother’s insecurity at work. They were feeling like their baby might not be doing everything they should, so they ask other people what their baby is doing. When the other person’s baby isn’t doing as much as theirs - bingo – my kid’s better than yours! Maybe I’m an OK mother afterall!

My advice? Take it all in stride. Try to surround yourself with other mothers who don't get caught up in the "competition". I like to get together with other "mature" moms who have more than one child. They have a better perspective on how each child is unique with their own strengths and weaknesses. In the end most kids grow up being able to do most things with a reasonable level of proficiency. So if your baby is the last one to eat their sweet potatoes, never fear - they may just be a "green bean" person!

PREGNANCY OVER 40, DEALING WITH FEAR

Women Over 40 Are Bombarded with Negative Information about Pregnancy Over 40

It's not uncommon for women to be completely scared during their pregnancy - this is especially true for their first one.  There is so much information out there about all the things that can go wrong, in particular for women over 40. After six miscarriages, I couldn't believe everything could go so right for once. I was almost paralyzed by the fear. I spent most of my pregnancy laying around because I was sure my baby would "fall out" if I moved around too much. In retrospect I'm sorry I let my fear get the best of me.  As it turns out, the nausea was so intense my first trimester, that I couldn't really do much anyway, but I think it would have been good to get some exercise.

If it's you're first pregnancy or if you've previously miscarried, the fear may be even more intense, but there are ways to cope with it.

Here's an article about pregnancy fears and dealing with negative information:

Pregnancy Over 40 (getpregnantover40.com)

PREGNANCY AND TRYING TO CONCEIVE OVER 40 - SO MUCH NEGATIVE INFORMATION!

Trying To Conceive and Having A Baby Over 40

It seems like every time I read an article online (or anywhere else) about having babies over 40, I am bombarded with scary statistics, and warnings about birth defects, chromosomal abnormalities, gestational diabetes, hypertension and the list goes on.  On top of that, people want to put their two cents in on "how old is too old to have a baby".  The fact of the matter is that many women over 40 get pregnant by surprise...with all the media attention about how "infertile" women at this age many women are a bit lax with their birth control.  The rate of unintended pregnancies in women over 40 is second only to teenagers!
Click Here to Read The Full Article on Pregnancy Over 40 (getpregnantover40.com)