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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Hoping for a little reassurance

7 replies

venuspop · 07/05/2011 20:27

Hello all I am new to this forum. I am 42 years old with one 7 year old son. Up until recently I did not want anymore children.

My husband and I have decided that we would like to have another baby but it is a bit of a cary prospect at my age.

I have an appointment booked with my gp to discuss things but wanted to get some advice and info from women in my position.

If anyone can give me the benefit of their expereince that would be great!

Thanks, Amanda

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

flamegirl77 · 07/05/2011 22:28

Afraid I don't have any experience of your situation, but wishing you well!

4pudding · 07/05/2011 23:31

Just thinking you might get a better response in the Conception group. Good luck x

cowboylover · 08/05/2011 02:24

I don't know if you have found it already but;

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1182749-Feisty-Fabulous-Forty-somethings-part-3

jasmine51 · 08/05/2011 09:08

venus I dont have any DC yet but am at 35 wks with my first, I am 43. What aspect of having another DC is worrying you? Is it your ability to conceive, your physical ability to cope due to age or just having another baby in the house at your age?

Original poster

venuspop · 08/05/2011 16:44

Hi Jasmine51, thanks for your reply. It is reassuring just to hear from one lady in the same situation as me. I am not worried about coping physically as I am pretty fit with low blood pressure and no health probs. Having read some info on this subject I think I am worried about increased problems during pregnancy like increased risk of miscarriage and increased chance of genetic abnormalities.

I work for myself from home and my husband has a petty flexible job so we are actually in a really good position as far as having another baby is concerned.

I have a few friends who have had become pregnant over 40 and have had no major problems so that is a positive thing.

I have an apointment with my gp to discuss this. Did you get any specific advice or just go for it?

OP posts:

jasmine51 · 08/05/2011 17:11

I dont think 42 is old at all if you are fit and healthy. I have to be up front and say that I have had 4 mcs before this pg but after testing I was found to have a blood disorder completely unrelated to my age so it would have been an issue if I had been in my 20s. It just meant that I felt a bit more under pressure to get it sorted quickly and try to conceive again as soon as possible hence getting private treatment rather than waiting for the NHS - The issue here was the cost but at my age, my financial position was stronger than in earlier years. Conception was natural within 2 wks of starting my blood drugs...it was obviously meant to be.

It is true that genetic abnormalities increase with age but this depends as much on the quality of your eggs as anything else. You can get that tested if it concerns you - again mine were fine and given an age of 28 years. Whereas a friend of mine in her 20s is going through IVF because her eggs are poor quality so no one rule fits all!
If you do get pg you will probably find you are given close monitoring and extra scans. This is quite nice but be prepared for every bloomin gp and consultant to start their sentence with 'due to your age...'. You may even have 'geriatric gravida' written on your notes....nice! I paid for extra private scans around 12 and 20 wks that were more detailed than the NHS ones to make absolutely sure bean was studied in detail and any problems were flagged up - well worth the money.

Lastly, consultants seem to err on the side of caution with absolutely everything and you might need to be careful not to get steamrollered into something you dont want. As you have a DC already you are probably in a better position than me but I am finding that my delivery options tend to be dictated and I am learning to question their advice and go against it if it is not what I want - eg induction before edd in case of placental decline, or CS 'because its less risky'.

If you are decided to go ahead I would say just to go for it. You can discuss it with the gp and have some tests first if you want but when it comes down to it you wont know what is going to happen until you try!

I really wish you all the best and hopefully produce a lovely little playmate for your DS

Original poster

venuspop · 08/05/2011 17:19

Thanks for such a detailed reply. I am feeling more positive now. I think you are right about just doing it.

I have read about a few women who say exactly the same regarding the over cautious response of the mdeical teams so I will keep it in mind!

Thanks for your help and all the best with your first DC.

Axx

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