To not think 26 is young for a first baby

[Wildtimes78889]

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.

@ChequerBoard

I wouldn't have said 26 was a young age for a first baby, sounds about perfect to me.

But then when I had my first at 32 they wrote 'elderly prima gravida' in my notes. 😂

Gosh, how long ago was that? Geriatric pregnancy is over 35 in the NHS and that’s been the case for a long time!

@WeatherSystems that baby is now 18 so it was 2002. I was bit 😯 at the time, maybe I just looked knackered and ancient?

Oh I see! Glad it wasn’t recent! Nah they go by your age not appearance. Your internal organs and eggs don’t know or care how old you look 🤣

@ChequerBoard

I wouldn't have said 26 was a young age for a first baby, sounds about perfect to me.

But then when I had my first at 32 they wrote 'elderly prima gravida' in my notes. 😂

I thought geriatric mother’s were aged 35 and over?

No its not too young although it wouldn't have been for me as I was still very much enjoying my 20's and living my best life at that age! If she's ready for a baby then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

I'm in my mid 40's and loads of people I was at school with are on the school run with their grandchildren now. I had DS2 at 34 and the average mum at the baby groups was mid 20s. I felt quite old. So to me it's normal. May depend on the area though.

Statistically it is younger than average in modern Britain. Very young for London, I suspect not young at all further away from cities. If she is happy who cares

I was 26! I did feel young because most mummies in baby groups were older but I was never judged/treated any differently. I personally think its the perfect age. my child is almost 6 and I'm still young.

Congratulations to your daughter.

Its relative I suppose. Most of my friends have decided to work on their careers first so have had their babies at 30 plus.

Really? You know a few people who had children at 47ish?

My SIL had her 2nd at 48
My sister had her 2nd at 43

I know lots of women who have had babies late - I know because the women are the same age as me, but still have kids in Primary school. This seems strange to me, as my children are adults who are out the other side of Uni and in jobs. By contrast, a friend at school had her 1st at 15. We are not in touch, but I imagine she could be a Great Gran now, even though she would only be 50.

I think it is younger than average now days, most people I know are having kids in their late 20's/early 30's, but 26 is absolutely not "too young"

It would be young in my friends group. 30-32 is the norm for us.

I don't think that 26 is young to be pregnant at all. I had my first baby at 18 years old second at 19 and only weeks after i turned 23 i had my fourth baby.
Congratulations to your dd and to you becoming a grandparent 👶🏼🍼🎈🎉
I wish you and your family all the best at this magical and joyful time!

I do think perceptions vary significantly depending on social circle, class etc. Ime, it would be relatively unusual for a university educated woman on a professional career path to have a baby at 26. That isn't a judgement, it's just an observation. I still think people should keep their opinions to themselves though.

Nah, I was 25 when we had our first. Now ours are in their twenties, while those friends who waited until later are dealing with young teenagers and are knackered most of the time.

It wasn't young when I was a child but it is now as a lot of people seem to be having children in their 30's and 40's.
I had mine at 21 and because I looked very young then was always being asked if he was my brother.

People like having something to say. It's just something to say.
Tall people will get "You're tall!" and babies will get "smile!" or whatever.
If she was 49 I doubt anyone would say she's old because mentioning that is generally rude but they'd all think it.
You can choose to be offended by it, lots of people enjoy being offended by all sorts of things.

@Woodhill.
🤣. Blooming cheek.
No, it wasn't the 'norm' when I was growing up.
When I had my Dd I was the youngest one on the ward. Most of the other mums there seemed to be at least in their mid twenties which at the time seemed to be flipping ancient to me.
(Some of them were older and were having their 2nd or 3rd)
In those days there was none of this chucking you out of hospital as soon as baby arrived and you were expected to stay there for 7 days.
I was much quieter then than I am now and tried very hard to ignore them when they were all talking about how young I was. I was relieved when a day or two later a girl of 16 was put onto the ward with her baby boy. At least it gave me a break from being talked about.
School leaving age didn't change from 15 to sixteen. I was just a very late summer baby and the exams were due in April/May time. As I said, it had been drummed into me since 11 that even if I had been a female Einstein I would not be staying on to sixth form, going to college or uni. So I couldn't see any point in slogging my guts out somewhere I hated for nothing.
If you were not taking any exams other than the ones you had no choice about (Maths and English) then you were allowed to leave at the end of the May. That is what I did and I started work within about two weeks. I was 16 at the end of that August.

Most of my circle only started to have babies in their mid-30's, and several friends (including me) also had babies in their 40's, so that's very much my 'normal.'

That said, and to answer your question, I don't think 26 is inherently 'too young,' and I wouldn't dream of commenting on it.

I was the first in my group of close friends to have a baby and I was 34, we're all about the same age a couple a year or two younger. Some of it depends on where you live and affordability of housing most people I know restored until they were financially stable and at a good stage of their career. I don't find having a toddler 'physically challenging' because gosh I'm so ancient as suggested by PP, my mother is an active grandparent and so is my grandmother who isn't a very long way from receiving a royal telegram. You don't shrivel up and die post 40!

I have two friends who has children at 28; everyone else I know had their first between 32 and 38. It depends on your social circle.

Had my first at 24. Positively ancient.

The average age has gone up largely due to the cost of living and it taking two wages to support a home and family. Averages (whether age for first child or, for instance, clothes size) are just averages. They have nothing to do with people making better choices, just more people doing the same different thing and thereby moving the average (which may or may not have good consequences for the population as a whole). I dislike the comparison to the average age etc, it means nothing. Average is not synonymous with ideal.

It’s perfectly normal in working class communities.
Less so in middle class women.

26 is getting on a bit where I live!🤣🤣
My son is 24 and a lot if his school friends are parents of toddlers.
I am supporting one young person of 15 who tells me she has " baby fever" Her mum is telling her to wait until she is a but older, like next year!!😮