Is 24 considered young to be a mum ?

[newmum10000000]

Or is this an average age?

I had my first a month before my 40th and planning my second when I'm 44 next year. Was a surprise baby but perfect timing. I filled my 20's and 30's with travelling and building a successful career. Would've felt suffocated and tied down in my 20's. I don't feel ancient as suggested by a PP. I'm very young at heart and have heaps of energy thanks to ADHD. My DP is not her father but desperately wants one of his own too. He's 27, so 15 years my junior and definitely the most mature and responsible one in our relationship. He's amazing with my daughter.

If you're settled and ready for motherhood, 24 is a good age to have a baby. Within my own family I was considered to have left it quite late when I had my first at 27. My mother had me at 24, and my children were all independent adults by the time my parents started to need more of my attention so I avoided being the sandwich generation. I know women who didn't have their children until they were around 40 and are having to juggle dependent teenagers and struggling parents at 60.

Would've felt suffocated and tied down in my 20's.

You don't know that. Just as you're correcting someone that 40+ doesn't feel ancient to you, plenty of young mums don't feel suffocated, I personally find it liberating that I am well and truly out of that stage of my life at 35 with the with the world at my feet. I think most people make the most of the situation they're in, and in particular if it's what they've chosen, like you and I, despite making opposing decisions, we will see the positive in them.

I had my first at 23. I'd been married since I was 18, we had a mortgage. I had my second at 26 I went back to work when I was 31. I've now done 9 years back at work, I'm top of the payscale for a classroom teacher looking to move into management now my kids don't need me as much. Yes I was young but my circumstances were mature, married mortgage, a career I could take a break from knowing I would be able to step back in.
My 30s wouldn't have been right for me, I'd have been too used to a higher salary and I knew I couldn't teach well and have young children as both need more time devoted to them.
I'd be perfectly happy if my daughter did the same, I'd prefer her not to wait until her 40s and would advise her to have children younger. We are carers for my MIL now I think having young children would make that difficult as well.

Biologically, it's ideal.

I don't really understand this as women in the past certainly had their first younger but statistically they had more dc so it was still normal to have number 3 or 4 in your 30s.

Today woman start later but have less dc.

24 is young but not too young to be a mum in my opinion. I’m 26 and had my baby girl when I was 24 :)

I'm 24 and have a nearly 6 year old 😊 I don't feel young as I'm absolutely exhausted have lived alone since 3 weeks before I gave birth and running a house etc

It's very young.

I had mine in my early 30s. It was the right time for me as 20s was full of partying, travelling, weddings, frivolous spending, climbing career etc. Also it was nice for me to have babies at the same age as my friends.

Average age in UK is 30. More affluent circles it’s about 32-34. Less affluent often a lot younger

I don't really understand this as women in the past certainly had their first younger but statistically they had more dc so it was still normal to have number 3 or 4 in your 30s.

It was, saying a younger age is more biologically preferable isn't saying it's impossible at an older age; but was there an increase in miscarriages, were they slower to fall, were there more complications in childbirth and for the child's/mother's health? I don't know, but I assume this is want is meant when saying a younger age is more biologically preferable, that's not to say it's perfect nor that it's not perfectly possible to have healthy pregnancies later. It's just a matter of statistics, from my understanding.

It depends. At 24 you won't have a career established. You're presumably then looking at a lifetime of low-skilled work, made harder by having to sort childcare. Personally I waited, got some training under my belt, a decent career that then gave me flexibility and had kids in my 30s. But each to their own.

All that said, I teach year 4 and all the mums of my pupils are older than me. So it probably is more "normal" to wait until late 30s.
It really does depend on individual views and circumstances.

@mycoffeecup 24 is 2/3 years post degree, plenty of people have the grounding of a good career by then, potentially even post graduate qualifications, not to mention professions like policing and military where you could have been in a good few years by that point. And having children doesn't mean your career stops, it had the opposite affect on me!

Not necessarily, as I said I had mine at 23, I started teaching at 21 did 2 years and when I returned at 31 I was able to step straight back onto the scale at an M3 then progress as usual in teaching.

yes, in my circle. I only know one friend who had a baby in late 20s

I had my first at 23. Have gone on to have two more DC and a very successful career and academically am ahead of nearly all my friends who didn't have kids until their late twenties. I graduated from university at 22 and had my eldest a few months later when I was 23 and have subsequently gained post graduate qualifications while working.
I don't feel I missed out on much in comparison to my peers. Having had kids at 23, 31 and 35 I was one of the younger parents of the class and at 35 am now one of the older parents of the class. I wouldn't say there was a great deal of difference for me personally at all.

I was 26 when I had my ds. I am a professional with a successful career in finance so having a baby young didn't hinder my career at all (although I know its 2 years later than the op is asking about).
My nan had my mum at 17 and my mum had me at 20 so having babies young runs in my family. All the women had careers.

I'm 44 now and have a 21 year old, 12 year old and 8 year old.

I think it's young these days. I was 24 when I had my first 8 years ago

What always amuses me about these threads is the ignorant snobbery from posters who are adamant their way is the correct way; all that travelling, supposed maturity and financial development yet so close minded they can't comprehend that life is not that black and white and many, many women manage to live fulfilling lives with successes outside of family life alongside having children younger. They never come across as women with much life experience or broad social circle which is pretty ironic no?

I was the first in my group of friends to have a baby at 24. I was the youngest at mum and baby groups by quite a bit but now having just had my second at 29, it seems like there are more women my age although they are on their first. Not that it matters though... when is right to have a child is going to be different for everyone.

It's not too young as we know nothing about the OP.

I'd say it's probably the optimum age, finances permitting.

These threads are so so frustrating.

We are all very different. Different childhoods, personalities, education, friendship circles, relationships, etc etc.
Not to mention conception difficulties.

Be happy for each other! Don't j8dge nor feel the need to defend your choices/ life course.

You've not walked in anyone else's shoes.

You get the same few judge idiots feeling the need to go on about the awfulness of being an older/ younger mum.

I have no idea why people keep starting these threads. The op seems to have no apparent reason to start this one except to get the crap flowing for at least the second time in one day.