Is 37 too old to have another baby?...

[itscomplicatedlife]

Hopefully parked this in the right area, but would you say 37 is a normal and ok age for a second baby, is that considered normal or not to you nowadays?

Had my first at 34 had a rough few years we still kind of are on the sleep front but I don't think I should leave it longer & wonder if I left it too late... thank you

Not 25! 34!

Blimey, my digits are all over the place. 😆

Nope, go for it x

LadyGardenersQuestionTime makes a good point about parenting during menopause.

I don't see 37 as old at all to have a baby. Had my first this year at 31.

People will always give personal experiences…..”I had my first at 39, etc….” but rarely come back to update on what it’s like having a teen during menopause.

I'm 37. My youngest is 11 and you could not pay me to have another. No way.

Who cares what anyone else does!

It’s between you, your choices and your body.

I had both mine in my 40s, no issues whatsoever (non sleeping babies are knackering for everyone).

Some people conceive quickly and naturally in their 40s (me) others struggle from 20s.

@SoyMarina

People will always give personal experiences…..”I had my first at 39, etc….” but rarely come back to update on what it’s like having a teen during menopause.

IT.WAS.FINE.

People deal with all sorts when their kids are teens. Serious illness, ill parents, job loss, you just can’t predict.

And not everyone finds menopause a struggle.

And if they do, would you wish away happy family and childhood years, pride in your growing teens, future possible grandchildren etc, rather than have a few years of teens and hot flushes?

The OP can’t go back and have her kids before 35. She isn’t starting again, as parents of 11 year olds are, she is simply asking if growing her young family at this stage is doable.

Which it is, whatever smug 30 something mins of adolescents think.

These threads annoy me, can you tell?

Not all teens are a nightmare either. My siblings and I never gave my parents much grief.

Women are so old when they have children now (which I think over all is a good thing).
I was 35 when I had my first and 39 when i had my last. I'm 52 now.
My mum was 18 when she got married and 20 when she had her first. This wasn't unusual back then. What a big change though.

I suffered from insomnia for about two year during my menopause.
As my kids were older and had left home I developed a pattern of napping after work which would not have been doable or fair had I had teens in the house. They need you to be present whether they are easy tees or not.
Being older with teens is a struggle.
Having children later is often a selfish decision, not always as many other issues are involved, but in a lot of cases, it is.

I hope not as I'm currently 37 and 13 weeks pregnant with my second 😬 my first is an adult. God knows what I'm thinking but hopefully it'll work out!

If you want another go for it! People are living a lot longer these days and I've heard of lots of people only just having their first in their late 30s early 40s :)

Some comments on these age threads baffle me completely.

Actual health issues aside, at 35 I don't feel any different, energy wise, to 25. Or 20 for that matter. I appreciate fertility starts to decline but comments seem to focus more on how hard at 35 + dealing with young dc is.

Am I deluded and at some point in the next 5 years I'm going to be needing regular afternoon naps and 8pm bedtimes because I'm just so old and decrepit?!

@Trinacham

Not all teens are a nightmare either. My siblings and I never gave my parents much grief.

Quite.

My teens were not nightmarish. None of my friends teens have been troublesome. Of course teens are in the middle of life and hormonal turmoil, and some act out, get into difficulties, but the prejudice against them is also immense.

@itscomplicatedlife

Thank you all for the replies this is really reassuring! I should have put 38 (im shattered atm 😮‍💨) but i would be 38 by time I likely got pregnant it's so reassuring to read these comments 🙏😃

I was 38 with baby one and 4 days off my 40th with baby 2.

I don't think all teens are nightmarish (mine were a mixed bunch) .
I'mjust glad I had them raised and out of the house before I hit my fifties for many reasons. The main one was because I had a tricky menopause and would not have been as available for them as I was when younger.
People talk about having a baby as f they stay babies for ever. You're talking about raising a human being.
If we continue to have our babies later and later in life we are either going to having ageing or dead grandparents.
The role my parents played in my children's lives was invaluable, again for many reasons but the main one was that they were young enough to play an active role in their lives.
I have friends whose parents were in their 80s when they became grandparents. Highly unlikely to have an active role in their grandchildren's
's lives which is sad.

No, I was nearly 42 when I had my first

So if your child does the same you'll be 84 when/if you become a grandparent!!!

I had my first at 36.

Nope 38 is still fine, for me the babies I had after this havent had me at my best so really I would call this the cut off point if I could go back.

Normal age for a 1st baby in my circles so I think you are fine

Not too long old for a second. I’d start trying sooner rather than later though. My personal cut off is 35/36 but for many it’s 40.

Hi I felt the same, I'm 39 and 13 weeks pregnant, but there are many women having babies this age so not alone. I had my first child when I was 17 so he's 21 now so a huge difference but he's been the best thing to ever happen to me, at times I think can I do it? Can I cope? As I'm just so tired but I did it at 17 so I can do it now.

@Jamaisy82

Hi I felt the same, I'm 39 and 13 weeks pregnant, but there are many women having babies this age so not alone. I had my first child when I was 17 so he's 21 now so a huge difference but he's been the best thing to ever happen to me, at times I think can I do it? Can I cope? As I'm just so tired but I did it at 17 so I can do it now.

I could have wrote this... I was 18 when I had my first I'm currently 13 weeks with my second and I'll be 38 next month I'm more terrified this time around than I was at 18! My first is the apple of my eye and best thing to ever happen to me too so hoping it'll be the same this time around.

Good luck with your pregnancy :)