If you are a slightly older parent ..

[wonderinglass]

Can you tell me what it's like as your children get older. I am unexpectedly pregnant with dc2 at 42 and am freaking out about everything ( including the risk of everything going so wrong in pregnancy) but also being the oldest mum at the school gate. Whether I'll have the energy as I get older. How old I'll be when dc2 leaves home and goes to uni

I have an older dc who is 7 and also worried about age gap and the effect on dc1s life

It's fine. You'll be among the oldest but there will be a few of you. They really do keep you young. My DC are late teens now and i am very slow and tired, it's true, but we do so much together - galleries and shows and gigs and hikes and travelling and exploring. Especially with music, they stop me from being really set in my ways. And they both dress adventurously which has nudged me out of my M&S Invisible Menopausal Woman range.

Sorry - I meant to say: congratulations. How lovely. My DSis had all her DC 7 years apart. She loved it. They're old enough to be tolerant of babies.

Totally fine!

I was 41 when I had my son, 2nd chid. It's completely fine. I'm 53 now, fairly fit, and while it's challenging sometimes I don't think it would be any different if I were 10 yrs younger. The interesting thing is that my 14 yr old daughter is going through puberty while I'm going through menopause 😂

Hi, can I join this thread? Also have the same concerns as you @wonderinglass so thanks @milliefiori and @OhioOhioOhio and @hillbilly for sharing your experiences.
I'm 40. DS just turned 1 and TTC #2. Only met my DH in my mid 30s. Aside from the concerns you've raised, I've also really struggled making new mummy friends which has got me down a bit. I live close to a new town so lots of young families and the mums in my baby groups seem to be mid 20s. I see them form friendships but always feel like the outsider. Not sure if it's the age gap that's the problem or just me being paranoid x

I'm 57 with a 15 year old, theres a 10 year gap beteen the 15 year old and the one older than her.
To be honest I don't feel any different as a parent to her than I did to the older children. I thought I'd be the oldest Mum at the gates too, but I wasn't, there were quite a few Mums over 40 when having babies.

Oldest mum at the school gate - depends where you live. I'm (at the same age when I had last dc) one of the oldest mum's at my dd's school but at my friends school (more middle class area) there are lots that age.

My dad was 40 when I was born (I'm in my 50s). My Mum was 36. Old parents for that generation.
Yeh, there are downsides but vice versa.
I lost my Dad when he was 75. But my Mum, I only lost her a couple of years ago in her mid 80s. My time with my Dad was a bit too short but not as short as many. We had the usual ups and downs of family life and I love and miss them both terribly. We traveled loads, we talked loads, we laughed loads, we fought a bit. Mum got to meet my dd. Who I had at 41.

Hi

I had my youngest at 42, she is now 6, I have two older children, 23 and 20.

It will be totally fine. I have loved being a slightly older Mum. I have more patience and am enjoying it more. She seems to be keeping me young and I have no concerns about the future. I am on my own too..... but together the four of us are a fab team!

I wondered about feeling old at the school gates and although some of the Mums are less then half my age there are many around my age so I don’t really feel I stand out at all.

It will be fine.... enjoy your pregnancy.