A third kid at 44?!?

[thiswasnotmyplan]

Just what the title says, really...

Very unexpectedly found out I'm pregnant at 43, due just after my 44th birthday.

I have two wonderful, full on boys aged 6 and 5, and was adamant that I was done - delightedly so!

DH has always wanted more (he's one of 5, and his mum was 41 when she had him) so he's got no qualms about going ahead.

I don't know if I've got it in me to parent another newborn and toddler and am frankly mortified at the thought of having a kid in school when I'm 60!

I felt a similar early dread with my second if I'm honest, and obviously I wouldn't have our family any other way from the second we met... but now I'm having to factor in my age and lifestyle as well. (Though those seem such shit, horrifyingly selfish reasons to terminate.)

I just don't know where to go from here. Would I resent having another kid? Regret not going ahead? Would my husband forgive me if I didn't proceed? Desperate to hear from anyone who's been through this and come out the other side...

Thanks for any wisdom x

If you don’t want another baby, don’t have one. That is a good enough reason all on its own IMO. You don’t have to justify it based on your age or anything else.

Just because others have happily had babies at this age doesn’t mean you have to go ahead with this one, if it’s not something you want.

Abortions in 40+ year old women are surprisingly common.

Oh, just saw this was an old thread, so deleted!

If you can get pregnant and carry a healthy child at that age, you are not to old to raise it.

If you decide to terminate it fine, but don't let it be because of society telling you what you should do. x

I had amniocentesis on the 17th November, came back negative for down syndrome etc, result for the rest of the (rarer) chromosonal abnormallties due next week.

It was a straightforward, pretty painless procedure with lower miscarriage risks than published. 😊 I had it at 16 weeks.