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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not think 26 is young for a first baby

220 replies

Wildtimes78889 · 03/07/2021 19:27

Dd is pregnant and 26 and people keep saying how young she is. Aibu to think it’s perfectly average age to have a baby.

OP posts:
Hallyup6 · 03/07/2021 20:03

I might think it was young if it were my child but I was pregnant with my third at 26. Statistically it's on the younger side but I wouldn't say too young. If there weren't enough people under the average age, it wouldn't be the average.

thebattleofschrutefarms · 03/07/2021 20:03

Normal

DillyDot · 03/07/2021 20:04

Depends what circles you move in. I had DD now 19 at age 27 and the first of my social circle to have a baby (mostly uni educated so I guess I was quite young) - and later found myself one of the youngest mums in her primary class (think there were only two who were younger than me).

NameChange456789 · 03/07/2021 20:05

I was 26 when I was pregnant and I had a lot of similar comments

VettiyaIruken · 03/07/2021 20:05

Perfectly normal. I had 2 by that age.

Twelvetimestwo · 03/07/2021 20:06

Do you know what. I'm absolutely sick of all the judgement women get for everything childbirth related.

SAHM/WOHM
Younger/older mothers
Breastfeeding/bottle feeding
Cry it out/co sleeping
Attachment parenting or not
Gentle parenting/Gina Ford baby

It's ENDLESS!!!

ouchmyfeet · 03/07/2021 20:07

There's no need for judgment, it's a well established fact that more highly educated women have children later on average than those who are less educated

TheLovelinessOfDemons · 03/07/2021 20:07

I had my first at 23, people said the same to me. 16 is young to have a baby. 26 is average.

Musication · 03/07/2021 20:09

I had my first DC at 26. I didn't feel young especially - had started a professional career and had a stable relationship. 9 years on I'm really glad I had them a bit younger for lots of reasons.

Mylittlesandwich · 03/07/2021 20:09

@Twelvetimestwo

Do you know what. I'm absolutely sick of all the judgement women get for everything childbirth related.

SAHM/WOHM
Younger/older mothers
Breastfeeding/bottle feeding
Cry it out/co sleeping
Attachment parenting or not
Gentle parenting/Gina Ford baby

It's ENDLESS!!!

You're not wrong. Especially in the early days. It feels like people have an opinion on EVERYTHING. I've had both negative and positive comments on so many decisions I've made with DS but at the end of the day we're happy with the way things are going and so is DS. That's all that matters.
Sparrowsong · 03/07/2021 20:10

Really young in my circles. Most don’t start until mid/late 30s! Oxbridge professionals in London. Might be different for others though.

Marshmallow91 · 03/07/2021 20:11

it certainly doesn't seem too young at mid 20s. I was 28 when I had my first and a lot of women in my antenatal classes were younger than me.

Everyone is ready for certain things at different times of their life.
I really don't think there's any right age to get the education you want, get a home, have babies etc etc. Some people don't want any of them, some want it all and both are OK.

Everyone has to live their own life with their own aspirations and goals, as well as having their own downfalls and disappointments.

Judging someone by your own idea of what is going right is never going to work and people need to engage their brain instead of their mouth a bit more often.

badacorn · 03/07/2021 20:11

Normal. Id love to have had a child at that age, congratulations.

caughtinanet · 03/07/2021 20:15

I wouldn't comment but it would be young in my cirlce, not many had their first child under 30.

But why does it matter what other people think?

FlyingBattie · 03/07/2021 20:15

Not at all.It's nobdies business anyway!

MrsBungle · 03/07/2021 20:21

It’s definitely young for where I am. Very few seem to have babies before 30 round here. Certainly not too young though.

TheLovleyChebbyMcGee · 03/07/2021 20:23

26 was too young for me to have my first, but that's a very personal thing. Plenty of women are ready for their first then!

tabulahrasa · 03/07/2021 20:23

Who are the people saying it though?

I’ve gone Shock at hearing some friends’ children are having babies... and then had to remind myself they’re not in fact still actual children and I know they’re not because I’ve seen them as adults, lol

Babybabybabyooooh · 03/07/2021 20:24

I’m 26, married, with 3 children! People just really like to have an opinion on other peoples lives.
Congratulations GrinFlowers

ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba · 03/07/2021 20:24

definitely not too young
but I was 26 when I had DS1 so biased.
had I met DH much earlier I would've started earlier and had more kids!

21Bee · 03/07/2021 20:26

It depends on the demographic of the person, I am the only one of my friends with a child (1) at 29. I’m the youngest in our baby classes too. None of them are even close to children.

Lots of the girls I went to school with who left at 16 had children in their early 20s. I was still at uni in my early 20s and it wasn’t even slightly on my radar.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 03/07/2021 20:27

It would depend on circumstances I feel. If settled in a long term relationship, good job, stable home, had travelled and enjoyed a carefree life etc then it’s not a very young age.

Pravi321 · 03/07/2021 20:27

I wouldn’t worry, according to some I had my first baby ‘too young’ and my last baby ‘too old’ and I’ve had too many babies. My first two were too close in age and my last two too far apart. Actually, everything I’ve done has been not far either side of average but there are always people with opinions as to the correct way of doing things!

MyGrassIsBrowner · 03/07/2021 20:27

I'm 27 and pregnant with baby no.2. It's the perfect age if you ask me! Congratulations 😊

OnlyMsLonely · 03/07/2021 20:28

As PPs have said....statistically it's young. But who the hell cares - it's about what works for your DD. It's hardly a (gasp) teenage pregnancy [rolls eyes]