Do younger moms cope better with pregnancy and babies ...

I?m 40 now. I?m officially old.

Actually, my husband told me middle-age doesn?t start until I?m 45, halfway through the decade. I thought that was magnanimous of him. It also bodes well for my lifespan.

But, in terms of babies, 40 may be over the hill. Yes, I started late at 36, but two babies under-40 seems reasonable. Babies over 40 sounds hard. I read a story over the weekend about a 51 year old woman who just had her first baby.

In our household, the debate about whether to try for a third has a deadline well under 50. Aside from the health issues arising from a pregnancy after 40 ? and there are many, including a much higher percentage of birth defects ? I often wonder: will I have it in me to have another baby?

A new baby is hard. The long nights where I see dawn in my robe with a baby nestled in my lap. The return of ?I did the last one? conversations with my husband. The half-eaten plates of food randomly found all over the house.

Can I really bear to do it all again now that I?m older? I?m not sure older moms have the same energy to cope.

The Large Family group on the BabyCenter Community posted this question How old were you when you stopped conceiving? In their answer to this question, many of the older moms explained how they cope as an older mom compared to when they had their first babies. The answers ranged from the positive:

I had my last one shortly before turning 42. I felt great then and do now he?s almost 9 months old. I am if anything more relaxed with the last few we added being older.

I had #5 at 43 and was no more tired than with #1 at 30. We are a really active family so I think that helps.

This is #4 at 44 and the easiest one yet (knock on wood). I had to laugh because the practice I was with had me labeled as geriatric and elderly in my records.

To the negative:

I will say that the sleep deprivation I suffered during the first couple of months with #8 and 9 was rough. I co-sleep and nurse at night, but these two just couldn?t nurse well at night unless I was sitting up. So I was one tired momma for a while, and that was much harder than when I was, say, in my mid-30s.

I?m not sure who to believe.

Do you think younger moms cope better with stresses a baby causes to their body and life?

You can read more from Stacie at Mama Lewis and the Amazing Adventures of a Half-Brained Baby. Or, read more about her worries about having a baby later in life:

At 51, was this woman too old to have a baby?
Is three children one child too many?

Photo: Flickr (hudsonthego)

Source: http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/111112-do-younger-moms-cope-better-with-pregnancy-and-babies/

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