"Advanced Maternal Age" Anyone??

[Mrs_Hos]

Well, since I am 35 I will be called Advanced maternal age...and I have no idea what tests they are going to try and throw my way...I'm thinking amnio and I will have NOTHING to do with that...Hell NO!
Anyone else "old"???

I'm feeling GREAT though! :)

[SagMom]

I was "old" when I had my 6 y/o! :lol

My midwife was cool about it then. I didn't want any testing and didn't have any. With my last pregnancy (2 years ago--ended in a m/c) the midwife's OB backup insisted on a 20 week ultrasound. If I didn't go along with that, she wouldn't back the m/w and then the m/w couldn't attend my birth, so my arm was pretty well twisted. :irked: I'm not planning on using the same m/w this time around.

I want no testing this time. If a convincing argument is made, I'd *consider* one ultrasound, but there is no way I'm having the afp or amnio.

(I'll be a couple of weeks shy of 44 when I have this baby, btw.)

Are you seeing an OB or a midwife?

[Mrs_Hos]

I'm hoping to see a lay midwife with a NMW as a backup...not sure if it will work that way ...
From what I can tell, all parties that I have picks should be respectful of my decisions...
I also 'could' be talked into a 20wk u/s...mainly because my u/s with my dd detected a possible placenta problem (we thought it was covering my cervix) and I would like to have a nice clean green light (at least in my mind) for the HB. I definitely need to do more research...but I trust the people (lay mw etc) I will be working with and I know they will aim me in the right direction if needed.
:)
How are you delivering this time?

[zen-ozz]

I'll be 37 when I deliver. I go to a midwifery practice in an OB office. The midwife that caught my last two was great, but I wont necessarily have her again. They want you to see all the mws throughout your pregnancy. I suspect they will try to push amnio, but there is no way . . . NO WAY! that I will allow that. I had the afp with my first and got a false postive for spinabifida. I will not go through that trauma again. I will probably have the 20 week US, though I haven't made the final decision.

I am considering a homebirth this time, but from what I understand, it is difficult in NY. I guess I have to find out more information.

BTW, I love my "advanced" age!

[janola]

I'm 39 and this babe is due two months b4 my 40th b-day. I'm seeing a great OB who doesn't push testing and is optimisitc and happy about nearly 40 year old women having babies. This opposed to the OB I saw with my last pregnancy in Nov. (m/c at 11wks) who whipped out her little book on my first appt. to tell me my chances of having a child with Downs syndrome. Who needs that? I was very happy with my first appt. and am hopeful this babe will stick around.

[SagMom]

This opposed to the OB I saw with my last pregnancy in Nov. (m/c at 11wks) who whipped out her little book on my first appt. to tell me my chances of having a child with Downs syndrome.

grrrrrrrrrrr. I hear you. The backup told me last time that she strongly recommended amnio. "Do you KNOW what the odds are of a woman your age having a Down's baby?" I didn't know the actual number, and didn't care--if I cared, I would have looked into it BEFORE getting pregnant, yk? UGH.

How are you delivering this time?

I'm assuming I'm having a homebirth again, although WHO will attend is up in the air. I've found 3 more m/w I can try, but I don't know anyone who's used them. I'd love to go back to the m/w practice that I used for my first baby, but they don't do homebirths, so I'd need to birth at the birth center. I'm not sure how that would be after having homebirths, yk? But, it's a backup plan, still.

zen-ozz, are you any where near Suffern?

[~gilli~]

I just asked about this on the Oct. board. I am 37 now, and will be 38 when I deliver. I am torn, because the testing is wrong so often.

[SagMom]

I just asked about this on the Oct. board. I am 37 now, and will be 38 when I deliver. I am torn, because the testing is wrong so often.

Yeah, that's definately one of the things to consider.

One of the things that strongly influences my opinion is considering what I'd do with the results. Would knowing X (even if the testing was accurate and risk-free) change my plans?

For me, it boils down to this: IF there was some reason to believe that there was something wrong with my child, and IF there was a test that was risk-free, and IF the test was accurate, and IF there was some action that could be taken to improve the baby's health if diagnosed prenatally, then I'd do it.

But otherwise, I'll just deal with things as they come along.

[SagMom]

duplicate post

[SagMom]

duplicate post--

[boscopup]

I'm not AMA, but I was under the impression that amnio isn't usually recommended unless you get a positive on the AFP or quadscreen, both of which you can turn down.

I'm currently seeing an OB, and I know for a fact that he would have NO problem with me not having the AFP, quadscreen, or an amnio if I were AMA. He lists the AFP as being "optional" in the first place, and when I said I didn't want it, he said no problem and moved on. But then again, my OB is not termination happy either. So I guess what tests are pushed on you would depend on the type of OB you have. Mine understands that I don't want to terminate, so there's no use in getting any of those tests in that case.

If you would terminate for an abnormal result, then you would probably end up doing afp or quadscreen, followed by an amnio if you got a positive result on one of those. If you wouldn't terminate for abnormal result, just refuse the tests in the first place and state that you wouldn't terminate. It's that easy.

I would think it'd be easier to turn down tests like AFP than to turn down u/s (which actually has some use during the pregnancy and isn't just "is there something wrong with my child?" type of testing).

[Juliensiss]

I was 37.75 and 40 when I had my last 7 months ago. I refused everything! My MW was OK with it and didn't push. She was 40 when she had twins. She did say that at every appointment they had to offer them to me. After I passed the time mark they stopped asking.

[LeosMama]

35 is advanced maternal age, LOL. i have a good friend who had her first child at 41, and another who had her first at 51. They both have healthy, bright, strong toddler boys now.
Even if you're "old", your chances of having a healthy child are far greater than having a child with problems or challenges.

Not a technically helpful post, sorry, just wanted to give you a hug and tell you it will all be okay. :) :hug

[Mihelinka]

I'm advanced maternal age as well, in my late thirties. Had ds after 35 as well.
This time i'm torn about testing. The only reason I had genetic testing the first time is that i was concerned about hydrocephaly which occured in a close relative, well i went to the testing and they couldnt tell me anything about hydrocephaly:irked: so why did i go? I wound up having a triple screen test positive & then had the amnio which i was expecting to be no big deal but was a horrendous experience, plus waiting for the restults.

This time I want to avoid those screening tests. Ultrasound about not sure about yet.

[Cathy T]

had baby number 3 when I was 38.9 and will have baby number 4 when I will be 40. I had the amnio - it was a decision we came to before getting pregnant, and it went fine. I will have another amnio again this time. Difficult decision but I have two friends who are my age or older with sibs that have serious issues and they are now the caregivers of their sibs.... It may work for some, but I can see all the hardships too and don't know if I want to foist that onto my other kids. I mean, things happen during life and they will have to adjust to those as they come as it is. I think to each their own and no one way is the right way for everyone.

[soccermominsd]

I LOVE being 42yo!!!

With regard to a list of tests they will try to offer especially because of our lovely ages:
NT Scan (screening done by 12 weeks)
CVS (done by 13 weeks)
AFP (screening)
US at 20 weeks
Amnio

I don't intend to have any of the AMA testing. One midwife told me to practice saying NO now because the mainstream medical community is supposed to offer these tests. However, sometimes they don't state it as an offering...they often make it sound like you HAVE to get them and don't give you room for saying no. I had my last DD when I was 27yo and I don't remember them saying that I had a choice for the 20week U/S or any of the other tests. UHG, I was so naive.

Hey with age comes WISDOM and I'm sure none of us will be going into our appointments blind :)

[zen-ozz]

zen-ozz, are you any where near Suffern?

I'm in Saratoga Springs, which is a bit north of Albany. Is Suffern in NJ?

[Mrs_Hos]

I LOVE being 42yo!!!

With regard to a list of tests they will try to offer especially because of our lovely ages:
NT Scan (screening done by 12 weeks)
CVS (done by 13 weeks)
AFP (screening)
US at 20 weeks
Amnio



Thanks for the list of tests...I never even heard of the NT Scan...where've I been?? Anyways, I am suspicious now...I went for the 'official blood test' and they set me up with 2 appts within 2 weeks of eachother in mid/end Apr...I'm thinking the only reason I have the 1st one is for them to throw this at me...damn them.
Oh well...Once I get my ducks in a row and decide how I will deliver this baby (and who will be helping) I will dump the military doctors...yay!

ps...I'm very proud of being a 35 yo mom...and a 35yo in general! :) My mom always said her 40s were her best years...so I have something to really look forward to...no looking back to my naive 20s! (well, I was naive, some people aren't!)

[SagMom]

I'm in Saratoga Springs, which is a bit north of Albany. Is Suffern in NJ?

I was going to suggest a hb midwife practice to you, but it's way south of you. Suffern is in NY, just over the line from Jersey. Why is a hb difficult in NY?

[JasonsMom]

I'll be 43 when this baby arrives and I am torn as to what tests to get, especially the amnio. Just that my son was born with severe bilateral clubfoot, so of course, there is a chance this baby may have it too. I'd like to know just to be more emotionally prepared and have the necessary clothes as only certain things worked to accomodate the casts and then the brace he wore. But I'd had blood screening tests and ultrasounds before, and nothing detected the abnormality. They blamed this on old equipment:irked: and said if I'd had the amnio done, it would have for sure detected it, but who knows?

So I wonder what's the point? I just wish the tests were more accurate.

[mbhf]

I'm in Saratoga Springs, which is a bit north of Albany. Is Suffern in NJ?

you may want to check poughkeepsie for midwives. i lived in ballston spa for a while a few years ago. HB midwives are difficult to find upstate, but they're plentiful near the city, and you may even be able to find a midwife down here to travel to you. if you go to LLL, i'm sure someone there can help you find a midwife.

[soccermominsd]

I responded previously, but having seen the wonderful amount of responses just wanted to say how GREAT it was to see so many 'older' moms here. On my DDC I think there are maybe 4.

[egoldber]

Hi! Just sticking my toe in, but I'm 37 and will be 38 when this baby is born.

[StellasMommy]

I'll be turning 40 one month after this baby is due.