What's your upper age limit for having last baby

[Suburbiton63]

Just that really!
I am 37 would love one more (a third) but just don't think I can put my body through I again.

28 but I’m 24 with 2 and started really young at 16.

I know loads of women who had their last at 40/41 so if you want to go for it

I had mine at 38 and 40.

40 was hard.
A third is (sadly) off the table

37 I believe is the cut off time by Medicals.

I was 41.

But it sounds as if it’s having had two previous children that is the issue here, rather than your age. I had my first and only child a few months before turning 40, but I was fit and healthy, had no complications from previous pregnancies etc, and had a completely straightforward pregnancy and birth.

If that’s not the case with you, I’d leave it.

What does this mean?

What is "Medicals"?

My own personal cut-off was 35, but I actually had my third and last at 33. After my third baby I knew I couldn't go through it again.

My personal limit was 40. Several months before I turned 40 I made DH have a conversation with me to agree whether or not we wanted a third. And we did not.

However if I was wanting a first child, and I was having difficulties conceiving or didn’t meet my partner until later, I would have an older cut off point,

I would say my body would probably not have been able to conceive past 42. My periods went haywire then and I slowly slid through an easy menopause by 50.

My last was at 34 and I’m so relieved that was it then as it was tougher this time around. So exhausted by everything, I couldn’t image being any older with a newborn. But we’re all different aren’t we, you know what you can cope with but be completely honest with yourself about what you can handle.

I always said I would have no more after 30, and stuck to it. I didn't want to have teenagers in my 50s or be a really old grandparent. I wanted to be young with my children and still have energy for grandchildren. And fortunately, both came to pass. I feel very lucky. When I see mothers with youngish children who are only 10 years younger than me, I shudder with the idea that it could have been me!

Whereas I ‘shudder’ at the idea of throwing away my twenties on something I could postpone till I’d done my fair share of travelling, studying, and moving countries for an interesting job or just because I felt like it.

28 was my cut off point but my first was at 19 and I didn’t want anything larger than a ten year gap.

I found that my first pregnancy was far harder on my body than the second.

Took me about 18m to feel recovered after no 1, felt pretty normal after six weeks with the second, even while breastfeeding.

So - it’s not always linear!

45, (16 days off 46) which is when I had our 3rd and last!

Mine was 35 as that was drummed into us when we are younger. However multiple miscarriages and issues and now I’m 37 with baby number 3. In an ideal world I would have preferred a smaller age gap but if the choice was no baby number 3 or having one at 37 I think this is the best option.

There are now more women having babies over 35 than teenage pregnancies. There are now multiple mums at our school who all had their babies in their 40s.

I had my daughter when I was 33 as I spent my 20s focusing on building my career, living in a different country. Now almost 38 and still considering a 2nd.

I personally would stop trying to conceive by 38/39, so baby is born before 40.
Risk of genetic abnormalities goes up, placental blood flow can be less, plus impact on your own body and tiredness can be much worse as get older. I had mine at 33 and 37, and the 2nd was definitely much harder, more complications.

It does vary a bit person to person though. If fit, healthy and have a very hands on partner and family it's very different to if have health issues and a lack of support. Also looking at when your mum went through menopause will give some indication as to when you might be.

You seem to assume that a family while young means I've done none of that. In fact I was a post grad, who has lived and worked all over the world in a long and satisfying professional career. The difference is that in recent years I've been able to have my adult children join me for prolonged periods overseas. A young family was no barrier to work/career. Feminism enabled that.

I'm also happy I'll be around to share in my grandchildren's lives, attend their uni graduations and meet their children. All good.

I conceived twins at 37, pregnancy was fine, babies nearly 7 lbs each a month early. I had my first at 33

As an absolute maximum age I’d put my body through it, 40. I wouldn’t do it personally, but if circumstances were different and I hadn’t already had kids. Definitely no older than that. And ideally under 35.

I had my third and final at 32 and now I’m 36 I reeeeeally don’t want another. If my body was pristine and I hadn’t had any yet though, I would up until 38 probably. I know many who have had babies 40+

This was the same for me, I'd had two at 33 and 36, so in my head if I wasn't feeling the drive to have a third by 40 then we'd stick at two. DH is older than me as well and while he did initially want a third, he didn't really want to be heading into his fifties with a pre-schooler at home. I'm now early forties and have no regrets stopping at two.

Agree if it would have been totally different if we hadn't had a first child by then though.

Nice to have young grandparents.

The quality of life I can provide children 10-15 years later (than having them in my twenties) is vastly greater however!

How long could a long and satisfying career be before you had kids in your 20s? I agree you can absolutely do it alongside kids but given to also got your post grad, you couldn't have been working that long when you began a family