Im 43 (will be 44 in Nov.) and gave birth to a healthy normal baby (#4 )this past January 2014. I typed a long post that I lost..ergggh so let see(trying to recall main points):
There were many extra tests... I was sent to a different ultrasound office this time for high-risk/AVM..We had to travel several towns over to take the MaterniT21 that my ob-gyn pushed pushed and pushed. :s I didnt want to take it at first but my husband helped convince me. I still have mixed feeling about the test. The dr. said it was better to be prepared just in case. OTOH we wouldntve aborted, and the gender info came extra early. For the others, it was at the U/s that we found out, this time it was just confirmation and the tech told me the M21 test was super accurate.
This was my least enjoyable pregnancy because of all of the extra testing, hyper vigilance(I questioned every twinge, cramp, or even days when my morning sickness lessened etc), more worries about MC and birth defects etc. Youdve though I was 90 instead of just 43. I also worried that if something did go wrong now my older children would be witnesses too. Before, they were so young that they really wouldnt have understood. Looking back, maybe it helped me to 'keep it together more emotionally. We did wait quite a while(even after my dr said it was ok to announce) before telling them I was pg.
As far as the experience I felt a lot more fatigue during pg(could be partly from already having 3...or just the extra worrying ) ...During TTC, i tried lots of things(some new and some old since I started TTC at 31 yrs old and was already nervous about fertility): Cutting caffeine, using vitex, Soy Iso., pineapple(for post-ov.), Preseed lube and Softcups in addition to my old tricks of multivit, folic, more sleep, more water intake, grapefruit juice, Robitussin(pre-ov), baby aspirin .. yknow, the usual internet tips. I charted online w/o temps(just cervical mucus and ov. pains) like i did for the last 3. The temping first time drove me nuts. lolz
That said, Im glad that I didnt let the dismal stats discourage TTC. I also kept in my mind the many women (including my grandmothers and great aunts) that have/had healthy children during their 40s. Its good IMO to remember that what were doing isnt historically exceptional. I think it might be more heartbreaking nowadays because with the HPTs etc we know were pg sooner and so we dont have the old-time luxury of wondering if it was just a late period or what.
I think we just have to remain optimistic and continue trying(unless doctors have advised against it for some reason) I agree w/ threebirds to not give up hope.
Best of luck to everyone!
