any 'older' moms here?

[BelovedK]

I am 42 and will be 43 when the baby is born. I got pregnant naturally and though i do get worried from time to time, I have a generally good feeling.

I am going in for a beta today, if they will see me.

I just wondered if I was the oldest one here

[brightskye]

I'll be 36 when this little one comes along, so I'm with you in being "of advanced maternal age"! When I'd visit the clinic for my last pregnancy I was so much older than all the other moms! I did feel conspicuous. But then a lot of it depends on where you live. A lot of my friends have only started having their first babies in their mid-30s. Shrug. I'm a waaayyy better mom now than I possibly could have been 15 years ago.

[staceychev]

I had DD when I was 32, and this one will arrive 5 months after I turn 37. I agree with Brightskey that I'm also a better mom than I would've been if I had a babe in my 20's.

Are you ladies doing any of the testing that they encourage with "advanced maternal age?" I had a horrible experience with the AFP/Triple Screen when I had Lu. It turned out to be a falso positive (which I've heard is more common when the fetus is female). But it was an emotional roller coaster. So, I'm not going to do any screening this time, other than the LII ultrasound at 18-20 weeks. My midwife said about 40% of her clients decline the testing, and most are like me, women who had a bad experience with a false positive in a previous pregnancy.

[BelovedK]

I haven't decided about all of the testing. I have the feeling that DH will want to do that, but he is worried now and will probably be worried the whole time which is a shame. I am trying not to worry and to enjoy the process.

A false positive is scary, I have heard about it happening though.

[lissame72]

I'm 37 and will turn 38 a few weeks after the baby is born. This is my first, so I do feel like I'm getting a late start! My DH & I started trying Dec 07, a couple months after our wedding, had some trouble, and just had a successful IVF, so we are thrilled!

I've started looking into the prenatal testing and am leaning towards skipping most of it, but not sure yet.

It's nice to be joining you ladies - hope everyone has a smooth & joyful journey to next March!

Melissa

[velveeta]

Hey there! I am 35, and will be 36 when Baby arrives in March. If you are over 35, I am pretty sure they call you an "elderly gravida". I get a kick out of that. This is our third baby, and we are pretty happy about it, even though it was a big surprise.

I won't be doing any testing. I never do because of unnecessary worry, and because I wouldn't do anything if they found something "wrong." Plus, it's cheaper!

I hope we are all here posting happy birth stories nine months from now. :

[staceychev]

Originally Posted by BelovedK

I haven't decided about all of the testing. I have the feeling that DH will want to do that, but he is worried now and will probably be worried the whole time which is a shame. I am trying not to worry and to enjoy the process.

That's so funny--I'm not testing because of the worry the last one caused...

[brightskye]

Originally Posted by velveeta

Hey there! I am 35, and will be 36 when Baby arrives in March. If you are over 35, I am pretty sure they call you an "elderly gravida". I get a kick out of that.

Velveeta, I think it's actually even worse than that... isn't it "senile gravida"?? That sounds so awful! lol

[lucy_v]

I'll be 39 in a few months, and this will be my first (I had a 12 wk m/c in Feb this year). I'm nervous, and will do prenatal testing to (hopefully) ease my mind. I was about to have a cvs when I found out I lost the baby last time (turned out to be a chromosome problem that isn't known to be related to age). I may have the cvs this time, but I'm not 100% decided yet. (My insurance covers all the testing---due to my age---so cost isn't an issue.)

I've got my first full prenatal visit this week, and hope to get some advice from my doctor. (I'm seeing a doctor first, because of the previous m/c, and then I can switch to a midwife if all seems normal.)

Anyway, I'm glad to be in the company of other "mature" mamas!

[lamp]

Hello. Another "over the hill" mamma here. I'm 37 and about 5 wks pregnant with my second. I will have testing done as it's fairly standard and I prefer to have a heads up if something is caught. My first appt with my midwife is in the middle of August, but I will have an ultrasound in two weeks as I have had a few miscarriages and would like some peace of mind.

[eternalsunshine]

I'm 37 and will (hopefully) be 38 when I deliver. I had my first at 35 so I was also considered "elderly" then. I only had the triple screen with my first and am leaning towards that for this pregnancy as well (unless the test shows a possible anomoly). I'm also considering CVS instead of the triple screen. It'd be so nice to know earlier on if there's a problem. However, not sure I'm okay with even the small amount of m/c risk (plus I don't think there's a doc in my area who does it frequently enough for my comfort). It took us a loooong time to get pregnant and I'm super cautious.

Good to join you ladies!