If you have not had children prior to thirty-five, or even if you have, you may find it shocking to be labeled as “Advanced Maternal Age” being treated as high risk, based on your age alone. If you are healthy and even if you aren’t in the best of health and choose to take care of yourself through your pregnancy, you can have a pregnancy with no medical issues or complications.
You are not TOO OLD to get pregnant and have babies if you are thirty-five+ years old or older. If you are trying to conceive and feeling negativity from your care provider you are not alone. Women are having babies later in life at a much higher rate now and if you connect with women who had a strong belief in their bodies, you will find that they didn’t have a rough pregnancy or had anything high risk about their pregnancy, like me.
Our medical system is stealing our strength and our power by speaking these limitations over us through our journey of TTC and our care throughout pregnancy. This is super frustrating because if we are conceiving, I believe, our bodies know exactly what to do. When we don’t allow ourselves to be treated as high risk, reduce our stress (stop letting your doctor plant seeds of doubt), and take care of ourselves, we are more than capable of carrying and birthing our babies without incident.
To give you an example, I had a hard time conceiving, like I had to get fertility help, including four IUI procedures to conceive our first child (my second, first miscarried sixteen years prior). When I did finally conceive our daughter I was thirty-seven years old. My pregnancy was uneventful with no medical issues and yet my doctor started talking about a scheduled c-section at around four months along. It was after having our daughter that I saw the reality of our medical system and how we, as women, are treated through pregnancy and childbirth.
When we started trying again I was thirty-nine, and I conceived, had a misscarriage, and conceived again in just six months. The only thing that had changed for me was my belief in the ability of my body and how I was supporting it. I had three more babies from age forty to forty-three and these pregnancies were not treated as high risk in any way because I took control in my care and didn’t allow anyone to plant seeds of doubt or fear. They were even born at home with a midwife and without.
I believe in the ability of your body to conceive, carry, and birth your babies. There can be slightly higher risks in being older however, make sure you get the actual percentages of those risks. The way your doctor shares the risks with you is likely to insight doubt and fear in you, this makes you more compliant to follow your doctor’s recommendations and often leads to unnecessary interventions.
Trusting your body is the key to a healthy and safe pregnancy and childbirth.
Oh, by the way, if this has spoken to you and you want more encouraging, uplifting, and supportive information, I have created a community I think you might like! You will find more great tips, empowering birth stories, and the support of a community that will come alongside you through your journey! Click here to join now.
So I listen and refused to have another baby after my son was born based on the "I'm too old" to have another baby. After my son's birth and the two surgeries I had after his birth my husband and I just didn't think we could have another child
We used birth control measures because we were afraid that if I did get pregnant at my age and high risks factor that I would have miscarriage. We did this for years until I decided well if having another baby was meant to be then it would be, if not then that was a divine decision that I wasn't ready to.
That's when I was blessed by God by becoming pregnant with my daughter at the age of 30. Yes, there were risks and I did endure complications and even almost miscarried my baby girl at 27 weeks. But, I endured and took every possible medical advice and stayed on bed rest, stopped working and since I was already told I was going to have a C-section delivery, I prayed for her arrival to be one that would be safe and healthy.
My daughter was born healthy and beautiful. I had endured some complications after because I was enduring early stages of cancer, and had few surgeries and treatments, but I did deliver a baby despite age, illness, doubt etc.
As far as age goes don't let that hinder you from wanting to have children. It's only a number. Besides I believe God will bless you with a child if it is meant to be. If not there is something to learn from the loss and keep trying. Becoming pregnant is a blessing in itself and should never be something that is avoided if that is what you need to make your life whole and your family's.