Would you have a baby at 50?

[pumpkinpatch6]

Off the back of the "Do you regret having a baby at 40" thread, would you have a child at 50 assuming you can provide for it emotionally and financially? Obviously medical assistance would be needed.

God no. I'm 49 and you could not pay me enough to start over

Absolutely not. I’m approaching 50 now and I’m just getting my life back.

Nooooooooooooo

Am 52. Have 3, youngest is 21, and the increase in exhaustion levels between pregnancies and to date means there is No Way I could handle #4. Or more.

Hope I get some grandchildren at some point, though.

No. Losing your parent young is emotionally traumatising, as would be caring for them in dementia etc at a young-ish age.
I resented my parents for having me aged 41/42 (not their choice/fault) but I felt really different and then lost my dad at 13. Never got over it.
I think now it is medically possible if you have money thrown at it but I would say it's selfish and kind of wrong morally.

I would not have a baby at any age. Very happy to be child free.

No way, far too tired!

Fuck no. I had my 1st-and-only at 42-ish, I'm 49 now & the sheer idea fills me with horror.

He took 7 years and 2 miscarriages to produce, and much as I love him I could not be more done if you stabbed me with a cooking thermometer.

Coming from a family where menstrual cycles start late (15 to 16) and menopause also comes late (50 to 55) and who appear to conceive with ease, it would not be impossible to have a menopause body naturally. Didn’t happen to my generation of female family as we were all scrupulously careful with contraception.

i had two friends at school who were probably born to women in their late 40s early 50s.

baby not body ( but the menopausal body is pretty sht too)

I'm 48 and I have 14 yr old twins, both with significant SEN. DS is still in nappies and hasn't progressed much beyond a 7/8 yr old child.

For a very long time I yearned for a third child, primarily as my partner fucked off when I was pregnant and I had to go through it alone. I wanted another child as I loved being a mum, but I also really wanted the experience of having a baby as a couple.

I've been with DP for 13 years now (knew him previously for a long time as a friend). We always planned to have another but eventually, we had to concede that it would be a bad idea due to the needs of my DC. It just wouldn't be feasible to support my DC the way that they need, and give enough love and attention to a new baby/toddler etc.

Plus there would obviously be the risk of having a third child with SEN, with potentially even greater difficulties. DD struggles but DS really has it tough, he's never going to live independently so having a third child with similar needs could push us to breaking point.

Occasionally I dream about being pregnant and having a baby again. I get wistful when I see my DC's tiny clothes or old toys. But I think those pangs are more about wishing they were tiny again rather than actually wanting another child.

For a very, very long time I struggled with not having another baby. I think I've finally come to terms with that and I wouldn't change it, even if I could.

I had a customer who was pregnant at 56. I don't know if the was conceived naturally or not, but she was rather embarrassed and sheepish about it which made me think she was surprised. It wasn't my place to have an opinion, and she was a very nice person fwiw.

Hard no. I was talking with 14yo DS about this today weirdly. Not fair on the kid imo - more difficult to have a close relationship when you're so far removed from each others generations. How would you under one another's worlds?

They could reasonably be in their mid - late teens when you start suffering age related illness - that just isn't fair.

I mean.. Maybe if you want to breed your own live-in carer?

Had a child at 40, if I desperately wanted one at 50 I would. Unless there was a family history of ill health and early death.
I don’t sit around or lie in bed late, I consider myself fairly energetic, the majority of my friends are younger than me. I need less sleep than I used to. I’m financially stable, so could afford to have time off/ go part time.

I would be carefully monitoring the pregnancy though and having all the tests available.

One interesting point to consider- apparently when you have a baby towards the very end of your reproductive life, it can crash you straight into menopause.

Imagine going from pregnancy/newborn hormones to BOOM- menopause. I shudder.

I couldn’t see myself having a child at 30 or 40 let alone 50. Having a baby at 50 genuinely sounds like hell and extremely tiring. You couldn’t pay me £1m to do that

People are often horrified at women.
Slap on the back if you are a man.

Tru dat. No one blinks an eye at a man becoming a father at 50. Sigh.

God no.

I would consider doing emergency foster care, but just for a few nights or a week or two. I looked into that when I was around 38, but my ds has needs too complex.

In the future though, maybe.

Full time though no. I don't think it's fair to the children. You can be an energetic 50 yo but that's not the same as an energetic 30 yo. Plus losing your parents young is hard.

Hell no.

But I had my children in my twenties and wouldn't have had any at 30 or 40 either.

No, it would be a nightmare.

No … I feel guilt from having my first at 39… I feel guilty that I won’t be active in my child’s life once they are in their 40s

let alone asking a 20 year old to care for their 70 year old mother

What about YOU OP? We haven’t heard your thoughts yet 🤔

Well it's quite different. There is the physical risks and burden of pregnancy as well as menopause approaching.
There is a physical gring to pregnancy at 50 men don't suffer...
If I had a desire, I'd def consider fostering or similar depending on how life pans out we have the space certainly.

If it helps I def do "blink" at old dad's....
I felt inordinately sorry for the 2 NCT mum's whose DHs were mid and late 40s... Both had already started the transformation into "old man" mode and I though "good fucking luck love... You'll need it with a new born and grumpy grandpa over there" both of them were miserable fuckers as first time dads with lots of woe is me life is different now... I have no peace at quiet at home <Daily mail sad face> 🙄

No way! Had mine when I was young and stupid like you’re supposed to and the thought of having another now is alien to me. I’m still knackered from the first ones!

I'm very sorry you lost your Dad so young. However my parents were the same age as yours and my experience was more positive and didn't make me feel that different or much of a big deal. I just wanted to throw that out their incase anyone was considering kids in their early 40's.

That said, my mom had 5 kids and not much support, and I think when she went through menopause she was quite moody and tougher on me than she otherwise would have been for a bit but it's all a blur. I think you stick out less these days for having older parents as it's more common.