Homebirths for mothers 35+ - Page 2

[greenmama66]

Age 44 here-  due 10 days before I turn 45- 6th baby- had them all at home- easy births and baby prior to this one born when I was 38

[contactmaya]

I had a homebirth when i was 41. My age didnt make a difference at that time.  

[BirthTender]

The oldest client that I have had was 48 yrs old & expecting her 6th. I've had quite a number of clients over the age of 40, no problems. The risk for chromosomal defects is higher.

Karen Benfield, CNM & owner of BirthTender, a homebirth CNM practice near Hickory, NC

[jodi5]

My doctor suggested I not have a home birth with my 3rd when I was 35 (although very supportive of using a midwife).  When I talked to the midwives, they were fine with me having a home birth as I had not had any issues with my previous two births.  It turned out to be my best birth of the three.  My first two were born in hospital.  I will always remember this birth.  It was an amazing experience. 

[LadyJennifer]

My mom had 8 children, 7 at home, and 3 after 35 at home. She never had any complications that warranted hospital care. Her labors actually went really well save for two of them, which were before 35 (and they were just prolonged, not anything more than that).

ETA, her last three were born at 37, 38, and 40.

[~~Sarah~~]

Originally Posted by Jane92 

Evidently the risks are not just chromosomal -- they include:

high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and stillbirth. Also, they are more likely to have complications during labor such as preeclampsia, placental abruption or placenta previa. 

Even when certain risks are statistically higher for women over 35, the treatment is always the same - transfer to the hospital. The vast majority of cases of the above-mentioned issues are diagnosed long before labor starts.

[Mamatoabunch]

I just had my11th baby, 9th HB, 8th UC at 37 eleven days ago. I had an easy pregnancy, complication free delivery. I have had thee born after magical "35".

[motherhendoula]

I was 40 with my last HB ...id love to have more - (but DH isnt on the same page as i am about more children.)

My midwife's oldest client at home was 48..   Age IS just a number!

[contactmaya]

 Sorry cant get the quoting system to work here, but i would love some answers! I hope you have the patience to wade through my post :-)

Quote:
<<<<Originally Posted by Jane92 View Post

Evidently the risks are not just chromosomal -- they include:

high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and stillbirth. Also, they are more likely to have complications during labor such as preeclampsia, placental abruption or placenta previa. >>>

End Quote

 


High blood pressure
Isnt this connected more to the general health of the woman than her age? Isnt it also monitored during prenatal care and monitorable during a homebirth? I never had problems with high blood pressure when I was 38 and 41. Im 44 now though. My health still seems to be pretty good. (you have to be reasonably healthy to get pregnant when you are older. Did you know studies have shown women who conceive naturally and carry to term after the age of 44 are more likely to live to 100?)


Gestational diabetes
Again, related more to general health than age, and monitorable prior to birth.


Stillbirth
Is still birth more likely in a woman purely because she is older, ie, although she has managed to conceive , and carry to term a baby, something somehow gives out, and causes her baby to  die at the last minute? What exactly is that? Is the  statistical increase in stillbirth  connected more to the fact that the baby already had an underlying condition, diagnosable at the 20 week ultrasound, with the option to terminate? Maybe some women choose not to terminate ( I wouldnt) We know that the risk of chromosomal disorders increases with age, is this why there is an increase in stillbirth? I would like that clarified.

Preeclampsia
Again, related to general health, and diagnosable before birth. Is there a reason, aside form general health, that an older woman would develop pre eclampsia during birth?


Placental Abruption
weaker uterus, weaker placenta, I don’t know. What is the cause behind this in an older woman? Perhaps this is the one true risk for an older woman. I know that the ovaries produce progesterone for the first 8-10 weeks of the pregnancy, after this the placenta takes over. The placenta is formed by the fertilized sperm and egg, and is therefore only as old as the embryo, ie by term, about 9 months old.  This is true for all women. I would love this to be clarified.  

Placenta previa
is this a true age related risk, or is it just  more likely in an ivf pregnancy, which is more likely in an older woman? Why should the placenta float down to cover the cervix just because a woman is older?


I would love answers to these questions, I didn’t worry too much at 38 and 41. But now at 44, I wonder if there are any true higher risks to  this age group. (ie over 42) I did wonder at  first if my aging ovaries would give out on the progesterone before  8 weeks, but the old girls have kept up pretty well so far.

Im especially interested to hear from midwives who attended births in women older than 42.

The reason I feel more cautious now than I did in previous pregnancies is that it took me longer to conceive this time. This reflects lower egg quality (I guess, but have no proof), and therefore might lead to lower quality embryo and placenta, leading to complications at birth if I get that far.
 

[nononose]

I just had a home birth at 36.  No additional risks were brought up in my prenatal care and nothing went wrong during the birth.  I'm a VBAC as well (the indication for my c/s was breech).  I think I made a comment about my age at one point, and the midwife said "but you aren't old".  

[contactmaya]

bump

[NishaG]

I am having a homebirth, and I am 38.  Will be 39 when this baby arrives.

contactmama:  I agree with you, most if not all of these conditions are diagnosed during the pregnancy.  Midwives are just as capable of detecting them as an OB.