3 under 35, first at 35 - what's the difference?

[FeistyMom]

Hi! I just recently found out #4 is on the way, and while totally shocked at first (we weren't going to try, but were NTNP until our littlest is 2 in September), I'm getting SUPER excited now

Babies later in life really runs in my family - going back at LEAST 3 generations, the women on my maternal side typically have at least one if not more children while in their 40s. So you would think I would know a bunch about what to expect in pregnancy... but I feel so clueless!

I called my OB's office expecting them to want to see me immediately, and didn't get an appointment until end of July. Seems really weird to me, although I was probably off by 2 weeks when the lady asked how far along I was; it is all guesswork for me - still bf'ing infrequently, and it is a SUPER effective bc for me - first AF postpartum was in April, and my normal cycle is 35 days but my 2nd was 42 days later (was convinced I was preggers then, so why I was so shocked when 42 days after that I got BFP, i can't explain. But I was!), so I could be anywhere from 5-8 weeks along now I think.

At any rate, was hoping you lovely ladies could help me figure out what is 'hype' about pregnant over 35 and what is legitimate differences

Thanks!!!

 

[Squiggy]

I'm not experienced as this is my first pregnancy, but I'd like to know what all the darn hype is about also! It makes me kind of angry actually - being called "high risk" all the time.

Supposedly the risks of all sorts of things increase with age mixed with pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia, down syndrom, and a multitude of other junk.

To be honest, my blood pressure has actually gone DOWN since I got pregnant. They say, "Oh, that's why you feel tired..." I was borderline high blood-pressure prior to getting pregnant and I worried that the pregnancy might make it worse and I'd need medication. I hate medication. But instead the opposite. I'm happy with the result. I haven't been tested positive for any of the risks they warn us about. And I fully plan to have another 1-2 pregnancies.

 

[J22]

There must be medical stats that point to higher risks in the over 35 group but it doesn't automatically mean you're going to suffer those problems. I'm 39 and whatever I read before getting pregnant led me to believe maybe I wasn't making the right decision....every article had a separate note at the bottom "...but for those over 35..." and it did worry me a lot. Anyway, I've always eaten a healthy diet, do regular exercise and I've had excellent results all the way through and still exercise 4-5 times a week at 33 weeks. I suppose that doesn't take away from the fact that the % possibility of risks is higher for certain things in our age group but as long as you look after yourself you can definitely have a problem free pregnancy xx

 

[Gamera]

This is my first pregnancy and I'm 3 1/2 weeks along right now. My mom had my little brother when she was 36. My little brother is autistic, but my mom has bipolar disorder, so that could be why (there is a genetic link between bipolar disorder and autism).

I'm really glad I'm older because I feel like I can handle things now. I know I'm supposed to be "old" to have a baby, but I'm very healthy and have a good support system so I think I'll be fine. Maybe I should be worried about a miscarriage since this is my first, but I just have a feeling that everything will be fine.

I'm listening to my feelings a lot more that I'm expecting and I feel like a lot of things in my life have gone better because of it.