What happens if you give birth after 40. Having children as an adult

Just 20 years ago, women over 28 years of age were considered postpartum. Nowadays, when representatives of the fair sex try to do everything, they often postpone motherhood until later. First, education, career, and material resources are of paramount importance. And more and more often, the time for the first birth is only at 30-35 years old.

Closer to forty, when the first-born is growing up (or has already grown up), many women wonder whether they should become a mother again.

They increasingly look around on the street at women with strollers and catch themselves thinking that they would love to visit a children's store.

But many are frightened by age, and simply by the huge range of “scary” stories about aged mothers and their children that the Internet is filled with. Let's try to understand this issue in more detail.

Pregnancy after 40 years

Let's start with the fact that it is already quite difficult for a woman to get pregnant after 40 years. Fertility levels are rapidly declining, and the ovaries produce fewer and fewer “healthy” eggs ready for fertilization. The number of anovulatory cycles increases, i.e. cycles in which ovulation never occurs.

However, if pregnancy has occurred, then a woman over 40 should know that the next 9 months will be significantly different from the first pregnancy. Despite the fact that society has begun to look more favorably on “aged” mothers, traditional medicine

a certain bias remains. And a woman will have to face it from the first days of pregnancy. Doctors will more closely monitor the development of the child and the condition of the expectant mother; they will have to attend consultations more often than 20-year-old girls in pregnancy do; many pregnant women at this age spend almost the entire period in the hospital for conservation. Obstetricians and gynecologists can understand: by the age of 40, a woman has already accumulated a sufficient load chronic diseases , and the process of bearing a child, associated with rapid hormonal and physiological changes

, can undermine her health and threaten the condition of the baby. The expectant mother, who is already over 40, is required to undergo screening tests. Based on a combination of factors, the risks of having a child with genetic pathologies will be calculated. During screening, the likelihood of a baby being born with Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, Cornelia de Lange syndrome, Patau syndrome, and neural tube development defects is determined.

As you know, the older the mother, the more likely birth of a baby with Down syndrome. For example, in a 25-year-old woman this risk is 1:2000. At 30 years old it is 1:1000, at 40 years old it is already 1:150, and by 45 years old it is 1:30, that is, out of 30 births, one will end in the birth of a sick baby. The remaining genetic diseases, the risk of which is detected by screening studies, are quite rare in themselves.

The woman will be scheduled for a second screening between 20 and 24 weeks. pregnancy. It will also include blood tests and an ultrasound. The third screening of pregnant women is carried out at 30-34 weeks.

Pregnant women over 40, as a rule, without exception, are referred to a geneticist for consultation. And if the screening results cause concern, the woman may be offered to undergo examination using invasive methods. They are more informative, for example, amniocentesis (sampling amniotic fluid for genetic analysis) gives results with an accuracy of up to 99%.

What should you know in this situation? Screening, like invasive diagnostics, is voluntary. No one has the right to force a woman to undergo them. Some “mature” mothers deliberately refuse such diagnostics, believing that their own peace of mind and that of the child is more important than the test result obtained as a result of nervous anticipation and doubt.

The so-called late pregnancy there will be both pros and cons. Let's take a closer look at them.

pros

• Forty-year-old parents, as a rule, approach child planning more consciously. They already know what raising children is, they have sufficient material and spiritual base, as well as rich life experience in order to raise a new person.
• There is an opinion that the body of a woman over 40 rejuvenates after childbirth. You can treat this however you like, but doctors do not refute this. The hormonal “shake” that you will receive future mom for 9 months, has a truly beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, hair, mobilizes internal organs, the woman “blooms.” Her risk of stroke is reduced, menopause occurs later, and it is less painful.
• Forty-year-old mothers are more patient, calm, balanced and sensitive towards their children. They experience the psychological postpartum crisis more easily.

Minuses

• Carrying a baby at 40 is much more difficult than at 25. The load on all organs is so great that during pregnancy, a woman’s existing diseases may not only worsen, but also new ones may develop.
• Late-parous mothers are more likely to have problems with lactation. There is not enough milk or no milk at all.
• Quite often, pregnancies over 40 end in caesarean section. Doctors do not want to risk the health of the baby and mother during natural childbirth.
• When you become pregnant after the age of 40, the risk of miscarriage increases significantly. Compared to the baseline values, it increases by approximately 50%. And the risk increases by 40% premature birth.

Myths and reality

• When pregnant after 40 years of age, the likelihood of having twins increases significantly. Moreover, the twins will most likely be fraternal. It's true. But the opinion that children of 40-year-old mothers are more capable, talented and almost genius is a common myth. The age of the mother in labor does not in any way affect intellectual abilities baby.
• Women who give birth after 40 live longer. Sociologists around the world claim that their research confirms this. But most likely, it’s not about childbirth. Just ladies who took the risk of getting pregnant and giving birth to a baby in mature age, initially have more good health, which cannot affect their life expectancy.
• Children are embarrassed by their older parents. Pure fiction. It's the parents who are embarrassed of themselves. And children love mom and dad for who they are. Moreover, they have nothing to be ashamed of - parents in adulthood, as a rule, are well-off financially, have a stable job, and the housing issue is not an acute issue for them.

If a woman nevertheless decides to get pregnant and give birth to a second child after 40 years, it will be difficult for her without psychological support. The fact is that late pregnancy is associated with a lot of fears. But age is not a sentence, and what really matters is only the positive attitude of the expectant mother.

How to deal with your fears?

• Focus on your feelings. Trust yourself. If you feel well, do not make unnecessary fuss, and do not run to doctors' offices unless absolutely necessary. Enjoy your pregnancy, and then your fears will burst on their own, like soap bubbles.
• Make good use of your time. Maternity leave is a good time for self-improvement. Don’t dwell on your fears, listen to your favorite music, finally read all those books that you’ve been putting off until later, watch movies. Make it a habit to learn something new every day. This is useful for both mother and baby.
• Trust. Trust everyone who is next to you - your husband, your doctor. They understand that pregnancy is a serious challenge for you, and are ready to help. Open up in response.
• Do not hesitate to tell your household about your experiences and feelings. Share with your spouse, with your older child, if his age allows him to understand you. Let all your family members expect the birth of your baby with you. The feeling that you are one team will help move mountains and reduce anxiety levels.

• Don’t neglect the advice to go for walks more often, in the evenings, take a warm shower, learn to relax, master breathing exercises.
• Distance yourself from anyone who tries to sow even a grain of doubt in you or criticize your decision to become a mother. Whether or not to give birth at 40 is up to you to decide. No one has the right to force their opinion on you. Don't let anyone disturb your inner state.
• Find like-minded people. There are communities on the Internet where mature mothers like you will understand, support and not judge.

The birth of a child at any age is an extraordinary event. When weighing all the pros and cons, consider the most important factor - love. If you feel that it lives in you, and you are ready to give it away in unlimited quantities to your loved ones, be sure to give birth to a baby, even if you are under 50.

Check the condition of your body, visit a doctor and consult with him. As you get older, you are more likely to have conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, endometriosis, or polycystic ovary syndrome. Tell your doctor that you intend to give birth. Find out how long it will take you to get your body into the required state. If you are currently taking any medications, find out if you can take them during and during breastfeeding. Take a blood test to check the readiness of your immunity to diseases such as.

Once you have the necessary information, begin treatment immediately. Untreated diseases can lead to serious consequences, for example, diabetes can lead to miscarriage.

If you are underweight or lacking, work to get it back to normal.

Diet

During the period before, it is important to maintain proper diet nutrition, it should be saturated with folic acid. This will help prevent some birth defects and anemia. Increase your intake of legumes, citrus fruits, and dark greens. Eat more whole grains and reduce your intake of refined carbohydrates and sugar. Increase your protein intake (lean meats, fatty fish, eggs, low-fat dairy products).

Increase physical activity

Do some exercise, such as running, swimming, cycling. Include strength and aerobic exercises in your training program. Increase your overall activity level by walking outdoors more often. Being active will help keep your weight at the proper level and prepare your body for childbirth.

Get rid of the influence of nicotine

Quit smoking if you smoke. Also avoid secondhand smoke. Nicotine dramatically reduces the possibility of pregnancy and can lead to early pregnancy. It also negatively affects the child's condition and can lead to breathing problems and weight loss.

Also talk to the future father of the child. Smoking in men reduces the chance of having a baby healthy child, and can also lead to infertility.

Be prepared for negative results

At the age of 40-45 years, the probability of miscarriage is very high. It increases greatly after 45 years. In addition, the likelihood of stillbirth at this age is much higher than among young people.

With age, a woman's likelihood of infertility only increases. Consult your doctor if you are unable to do so within 6 months. Be prepared for the fact that further treatment, as well as alternative methods, may not bring results. This happens for objective reasons; the body ages.

Probably, the question should sound a little different: what awaits a woman who decides give birth to a child after 40 years? In general, only with very serious indicators, social or physiological, should one raise the question of the impossibility of giving life to a new person. But, as a rule, at the age of 40 the decision is already very conscious and doubts concern only the physiological side of the issue.

Yes, indeed, there is a certain risk in terms of physiology. It is due to the fact that 4 decades is a considerable period of time! - it’s not the same anymore... the woman has already acquired a “baggage” of not very pleasant diseases that can cause complications during pregnancy and negatively affect labor, and, perhaps, even be transmitted to the baby. But! All these possibilities are purely hypothetical: they may or may not exist. In addition, the risk exists for young mothers and for mothers with chronic diseases. But you never know who is at risk. The main thing is the desire to bear and give birth to a healthy baby. It must be said that even at 40 years old this is absolutely possible - the history of mankind knows cases of women giving birth even at a more mature age.

Further. The aspect is psychological. Undoubtedly, the wrong women don't give birth until they're 40, who are doing great: loving husband, a happy family etc. Perhaps one of the parents had health problems. But most likely, the woman was simply taking care of herself, growing personally, making a career, earning money for housing, etc. In modern conditions there is no question of what needs to be given birth. It is much more important to be able to provide a new person with everything he needs - and this really requires a lot of financial investments. Therefore, women are not in a hurry to get pregnant, but are in a hurry, as they say today, to “get on their feet” so that in the future they can easily support and educate their baby in decent conditions. This aspect concerns not only women, but also men, who also need a certain amount of time in order to start receiving a stable income.

Doctors say that late pregnancy is not yet a cause for concern - there are many risks for women within the most attractive childbearing age. Moreover, doctors are convinced that the body of the average inhabitant of the Earth is becoming younger and younger, he can afford to live longer. And therefore, late childbirth is a completely natural process that meets the conditions of evolution.

There remains one more aspect, and it repents directly from the baby himself. Given that the mother is 40 at the time of birth, the age gap between parent and child seems quite significant. Here we are talking about a difference of almost two generations - and this is actually a significant difference. What is dangerous in this case? May be more acute crisis periods in the life of a child, since it will be difficult for a mother to understand the behavior of a person who is so strikingly different from the habits of her childhood and youth. By simple calculations, we find out that the mother will be 60 years old, and the child will only be 20. This is not a disaster - but at 20 years old you still need the support of adults, and at 60 years old you already need the support of children. So it can also ripen conflict situation.

• But still: to give birth or not to give birth after forty years?

Of course, all nature is in favor of a positive solution. And what is said in this article is just a reason to be more attentive to yourself and your baby. And everything will be just great - the child cannot help but bring joy, happiness and many moments of bliss to his mother!

IN 35 I got married for the second time. I already had an eldest son, 17 years old, and my new husband had no children. At the same time, he needed children and, if possible, quickly - he was irrevocably mature and longed for a baby, maybe even several. Not feeling at all like I was unsuitable for this entertainment due to my age (“old-born,” as it later turned out, they say), I decided not to rush, because I wanted a free life, which was somehow forgotten while I was “working” as a mother for the first time.

Just then my son graduated from school, entered college, and I was finally free like the wind. I thought: what a delight it is to try all sorts of different things now that I didn’t have the nerve to do before! Become a jazz singer. Go on a trip around the world. Leave for another country. Open your own business. All these wonderful possibilities that shine so temptingly before a parent who has raised a child, full of energy and strength and have already put a bold tick in the “motherhood” column.

I really managed to try out some things: sing in a group, change my profession, open and close a business, come up with a plan to move to another country, travel a fair amount. The idea of ​​joining a ship's cook loomed ahead (I'm not kidding!). The prospect of becoming a mother was inferior in comparison to oceanic proportions, but there was still a hefty “but” in the form of a husband who did not want to change his mind, but even vice versa. No black PR about the fact that I have a bad back, and this is all terribly complicated, difficult and generally forever, did not work, my husband was offended. My condition was somewhat suspended; I didn’t want to decide anything; I had no ideas on how to say a stern “no” to my husband. And, apparently, somewhere in my subconscious it seemed to me: most likely nothing would work out (although work was already underway in the direction of new parenthood).

And indeed, for a long time nothing worked. On the day when I found out that I was pregnant, the first thing that came to my mind were two bright thoughts: 1) finally, with a clear conscience, I will give up a very promising and financial one, but I don’t care at all suitable job, where I worked then; 2) how good it is that you don’t have to do anything else with your life - because freedom of choice, as it turns out, is also a huge responsibility. And here all the choices (I thought then) have already been made, excellent entertainment for the next couple of decades has been invented.

The pregnancy was just perfect: I suddenly fell in love with myself with renewed vigor and felt amazing and harmonious as never before in my life, my husband showed some new facets of his perfection and was generally in seventh heaven. But still, I was a little scared: everyone around me very convincingly rolled their eyes and said with emphasis how great we were, as if we were performing God knows what feat. Although I still don’t really understand what it consists of.

The result exceeded all my expectations, she already weighs 14 kilograms and is now snoring peacefully in her crib. Despite the fact that my son is already more than a year It seems that I still haven’t realized the scale of what happened and sometimes I look at myself as if from the outside and think: wow, this is my child!

And I thought: maybe you are now facing a similar dilemma, doubting whether you are too old, whether you have enough strength, whether it would be better to go around the world and other things that come to mind for women in our country when they are at least a little older than 35 (and I regularly encounter the fact that women seem too old for new babies and at a ridiculous 32 or 34!). And maybe you need support in your decision. Or just the opportunity to see the other side of your future motherhood - bright, joyful, incredibly happy.

So here's my vision why giving birth at 40 is a great idea.

1. Most likely by age 40 you have grown quite a large zen- envy thirty-year-olds and other pot-bellied little things. Zen is already a useful thing in the household, but in motherhood it’s simply a superpower.

2. Just when you were about to relax a little and grow old like figs: now you want it or not you have to stay young and beautiful. You don't want to be mistaken for this sweet boy's grandmother, do you? Then, if you please, make an effort and introduce sports, massages, cosmetologists and other procedures of varying degrees of pleasantness into daily use. But this won’t last long, only 15 years. And then, you see, you’ll get a taste for it and change your mind about growing old altogether.

3. With a high degree of probability you have a luxurious set of older children, which is very convenient to use in raising a fresh baby (sit, walk, drop off). And go to sleep and rest!

4. You are no longer afraid of getting fat from the production of a baby and subsequent breastfeeding. Because you’ve already done this a hundred times and you know for sure: weight is a variable quantity.

5. Doctors now talk to you in a completely different tone. Where is this delightful “you” address, remarks about the “headless mother” and valuable advice not quite on the medical side? But there are none! Because it might come from an adult aunt.

6. Other moms are listening to you. After all, you have found a dense antiquity and, in general, a living legend, which proves that after 40 there is also life. Maybe you’ll say something interesting, some cute meme.

7. The “how old are you now?” trick, which has entertained you for many years with your older child (especially if you brought him into the world quite early), is working again! Because little children make you look very young. Everyone thought that you were a young mother, young and anxious, but you turn out to be a mature and experienced lady!

8. You will learn a lot of interesting things about your body and you will respect him with renewed vigor. You thought it was no longer what it was before, but it endured pregnancy, gave birth, and is carrying a multi-kilogram baby - and at least henna. Well, maybe not exactly henna, but it survived! And this is not a pound of raisins, no...

9. A child is an excellent prevention of Alzheimer's disease. A child tones the cells of any, even the most mossy brain: from now on and for several years - no planning, quit the useless bullshit. We juggle micro-intervals of free time, reconsider the priority of tasks and affairs, and rejoice if we succeeded in at least something. We rejoice, I say.

10. Your same forty-year-old body will not allow you to cross reasonable boundaries and plunge into motherhood with special fanaticism: no hours of motion sickness, an overloaded spine and sleepless hungry vigils over the child. You are great at calling for help. and take care of yourself first.

11. You are no longer in a hurry to get away from your baby. To a cool party, a production meeting, to the kitchen to prepare dinner. You attended all the cool parties in the last decade, production meetings are now perfectly held via Skype at a time convenient for you, and your husband knows how to cook dinner. You know exactly how quickly he will grow up, this little smelly baby, and you wouldn't trade time with him for anything. You are here and now, and let the whole world wait. And, by the way, your baby really feels this, relaxing and filling with your calmness.

12. Your mother listens to you and, it seems, even finally considers you an adult. Goodbye to advice and lectures that sucked tons of blood from your relationship. It’s just a pity that it’s no longer so easy for her to help you with your grandchildren.

13. You no longer rush at the baby’s dad shouting “let me do it, you can’t do it that way!”. As a result, your grown-up husband receives pure joy from parenthood and full participation in changing diapers, putting the person to bed and other bathing activities. And this is simply a huge contribution to the future friendship of the baby and dad (as well as mom and dad).

14. Your anxiety level has dropped significantly compared to you 10-15-20 years ago. This is very useful for your baby: you are able to make informed decisions, not panic about everything, analyze information and the sources of its receipt. And also harden them, douse them with water, dress them much colder than all the other children, travel together where no one has gone before, and many other things that would certainly give you a heart attack in a past life.

15. You and your husband are incredibly happy about this child! He came into your life solely for pleasure, all other gestalts have long been closed to you, you can love him without being distracted by anything. And this love seems to open up some new additional sources of energy, fills you with enormous strength, helps you survive any sleepless nights, any difficulties that, of course, you will encounter along the way - all this is decay, compared to the cunning face of a baby smiling at you in the morning.


In fact, being forty is very cool! You haven’t spent the last 40 years in vain, and you have a whole deck of trump cards up your sleeve that help you not only cope with life, but also enjoy it: you have experienced a lot of stress and know how to deal with it, minimizing the damage, you know the tricks self-defense and can build a comfortable space around you, you have accepted your own imperfections and defeated perfectionism, you know how to please yourself and do it regularly, a team has formed around you that gives you support and love, and you also own a whole bunch of useful tools, skills and knowledge, you have enormous reserves of energy and will that simply crave new use.

And even if sometimes it seems to you that all of the above has somehow disappeared through your fingers, and life has turned its less attractive side towards you, you and I know that this is temporary, right? Yes, you are simply created to become a great mother!

In general, I think you have absolutely nothing to fear, go for it and may the force be with you.

P.S. And remember, just by changing your consumption, we are changing the world together!

Just a few decades ago, a 25-year-old woman in labor was considered an old woman, especially if it was her first pregnancy. Now women's priorities have shifted towards career and financial independence, so more and more representatives of the fair sex decide to give birth after 40. Photos of happy mature mothers with children are often found on the Internet. There is still no clear opinion about late motherhood, and the woman must make the final choice herself, having carefully studied the possible risks of childbirth after 40 years.

Late pregnancy: pros and cons

The optimal age for conceiving, bearing a child and giving birth is considered to be the period from 18 to 35 years. Doctors recommend having your first baby by age 28. It’s hard to argue with nature - after 35 years, the reproductive abilities of the female body decrease:

• Conceiving a child after 40 becomes a problem due to decreased fertility. The probability of pregnancy in adulthood is only 5%.
• At the age of 40–41, the female body gradually prepares for the menopause: hormone levels drop and the number of eggs decreases.
• Pregnancy after 40 years of age creates serious stress on the musculoskeletal system. If a woman is diagnosed with lordosis or osteochondrosis, these diseases will certainly manifest themselves.

It has been scientifically proven that pregnancy is a huge stress for the body. Young women cope with it calmly, but after 40, becoming a mother is dangerous due to the development of concomitant diseases. Endometriosis, diabetes, formation of stones in gallbladder, hypertension - this is just an incomplete list of unpleasant surprises.

The main advantages of pregnancy after 40

The birth of a child after 40 years cannot be viewed as negative. There are strong arguments against this, but there are many benefits to late pregnancy:

• A hormonal shake-up at 40 has a beneficial effect on the female body, postponing menopause for several years. During the period of breastfeeding, the joy hormone oxytocin is actively produced, which can even give a 42-year-old lady a second youth.
• A child after 40 most often appears financially independent woman. She is confident in herself and in the partner with whom she lived for several years. Single mothers at this age are extremely rare.
• Pregnancy at 40 is not a surprise - it is approached consciously. A woman knows everything about her own health, and material wealth allows her to devote herself entirely to her child.

The placenta produces a number of hormones that improve metabolism and increase the body's defenses. Cholesterol levels in the blood are reduced, and the risk of stroke in newborns is reduced several times.

Possible risks and negative consequences

Pregnancy after 40 can be accompanied by complications, so a mature woman should pay more attention to preparing for conception and bearing a baby. Among the possible risks, doctors note:

• Problems with egg fertilization. Only every 20 woman can become pregnant naturally, so many after 42 years resort to IVF.
• Spontaneous abortion. The risk of miscarriage in young women under the age of 30 is only 10%. By age 40, the risk increases to 17%, and after 44, every third woman experiences a miscarriage.
• Exacerbation of chronic diseases. Diseases appear with age - and by the age of 40, a woman has more than one ailment. During pregnancy, you are under attack the cardiovascular system, genitourinary organs, and the development of gestosis is fraught with a stroke.
• Low lactation. There are difficulties with breastfeeding due to poor milk production. In rare cases, the lactation level is at zero.
• Defects of the placenta. In mature women, abruption, presentation or chronic failure placenta.

Complications include multiple pregnancy, weak labor activity and ruptures during childbirth due to low tissue elasticity. Pregnancy is not easy when negative rhesus mother or child - this condition requires constant medical monitoring.

Possible risks concern not only the mother in labor, but also the child:

• The second stage of labor takes longer in a mature woman, which provokes fetal hypoxia.
• Women over 40 are more likely to give birth to low birth weight babies.
• With age, the risk of premature birth increases, which poses a danger to the newborn.
• Aging of germ cells negatively affects the genetics of the fetus - the risk of chromosomal abnormalities increases. The probability of having a child with Down syndrome, according to statistics, increases to 3% or higher. The figure seems insignificant, but it is unlikely that a woman will want to risk giving birth to a sick baby at 43.

Reveal genetic diseases possible with the help of screenings and tests, which the gynecologist will definitely send a mature woman to. If there is a possibility of Down syndrome in the fetus, a specialist may recommend an abortion, but the medical conclusion is not always correct. At proper preparation and proper pregnancy planning, there is every chance of giving birth to a healthy baby.

What tests need to be done before conceiving a child?

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Six months before the expected conception, you need to switch to balanced diet, reset excess weight and give up bad habits. The advice applies not only to the woman, but also to her partner. 4 months before the planned pregnancy, you need to visit a gynecologist, therapist, cardiologist, mammologist, endocrinologist and undergo a series of tests:

• for the hormones AMG, TSH, LH and FSH;
• PCR smear to detect viral infections;
• general blood analysis;
• general urine analysis;
• Ultrasound of the genital organs to assess patency fallopian tubes and endometrial conditions;
• definition of rhesus.

Excess caffeine will negatively affect fertility, so it is better to avoid drinks containing it. All identified diseases must be treated before conception, and both partners must undergo examinations. The following diagnoses are considered a strict contraindication for pregnancy after 40 years of age:

• renal or respiratory failure;
• late stages of diabetes mellitus;
• severe form of hypertension;
• malignant tumors;
• cirrhosis of the liver;
• diseases of the circulatory system.

Artificial insemination after 40

Chances of getting pregnant naturally in adulthood they are quite small, so after a year of unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant, a woman may be given a disappointing diagnosis of “primary infertility.”

The first birth at the age of 40 is possible if you resort to modern method IVF (in vitro fertilization). Egg retrieval using puncture takes place under light anesthesia due to the pain of the procedure.

The partner donates sperm, which fertilizes the egg in the laboratory. To increase the chances, several embryos are created and placed in the uterus. In one procedure, up to 3 embryos can be “implanted,” and after 14–20 days, pregnancy is confirmed or excluded based on ultrasound results. The advantages of the method include early detection of chromosomal abnormalities, including Down syndrome, before embryo transfer.

You also need to prepare for IVF in advance:

• exclude coffee, alcohol and tobacco products;
• be examined for infections;
• cure concomitant diseases.

From the moment of IVF to the ultrasound, the woman must follow all the doctor’s recommendations, maintain complete rest, and avoid physical activity and stressful situations. Wealthy and forward-thinking ladies prefer to freeze their own eggs in advance or take advantage of offers from donors, but these services are very expensive.

How is childbirth?

Several years ago, doctors insisted only on caesarean section for the delivery of a mature woman. Nowadays, surgical intervention is resorted to in cases where a pregnant woman cannot give birth on her own. Much depends on the mood of the woman herself, as well as on the possible risks during natural childbirth:

• incorrect presentation of the fetus;
• multiple pregnancy;
• large fruit;
• narrow maternal pelvis;
• retinal problems;
• the presence of chronic diseases that pose a threat to mother and child.

If there are no contraindications and the woman is completely healthy, doctors will recommend natural childbirth, but not C-section, for several reasons:

• the postpartum recovery period takes a minimum of time;
• the child is born stronger;
• lactation improves faster.

Doctors note that in last years In Russia, the number of healthy children born to mature mothers has increased significantly. This is explained by the fact that they take a responsible approach to issues of pregnancy and childbirth and follow all the instructions of gynecologists and obstetricians. Doctors do not recommend practicing popular home births due to the high risk of complications and even fatal consequences.

Psychologists speak positively about late childbirth, since such a responsible approach indicates the seriousness of expectant mothers. If a woman successfully planned her life, set clear goals and firmly pursued them, then she will prepare thoroughly for pregnancy.

1. A woman must be psychologically prepared for the birth of a baby. In other words, she listens to her desires, and does not follow the lead of her husband or relatives who desperately need an heir.
2. It is important to avoid depression and not to worry without good reason, looking for deviations in the results of tests and analyses. Modern medicine successfully combats most pathologies that arise during pregnancy - even a Rh conflict is not always dangerous.
3. There is no need to pay attention to the opinions of others and the comments of strangers. Only the parents themselves, by the age of forty, know the true state of affairs in the family, and the provocations of ill-wishers should be ignored.

Late motherhood has its pros and cons. However, the disadvantages do not always make themselves felt, and the main “plus” will remain with the mother for the rest of her life. There is nothing better than the tender hugs and happy laughter of a beloved and desired child.