If you are considering putting off your decision to start a family, here are some facts that may help you make an informed decision:
Pros
The pros of having a baby after age 30 include the following:
- Financial Stability –This is perhaps the biggest reason why women choose to have children in their 30s. Most women are settled in their careers in 30s. In your 30s, you will be older, wiser, capable of saving money and making better financial decisions. Expensive baby items, diapers, nannies won’t make you break out in a sweat.
- Relationship Stability – By the time you are in your 30s, chances are, you will be in a stable, healthy relationship. Most women prefer to wait for a couple of years after marriage to get to know their husbands and discover themselves. Just think how stressful the initial few years of marriage would be with its difficulties and adjustments and throw a baby in the mix! Too much to handle, right?
- More Experienced – Just think back to what you were when you were 23. Barely more mature than a child! By the time you are in your 30s, you will have travelled, worked, lived and gained more experience. You will be wiser, calmer and can provide more support for your child.
- Having a support group – If you have a baby at 25, chances are you will be the only mom among your friends as most women wait to get pregnant until they turn 30 or something. You will find yourself running to your parents or to other much older women for advice. When you have a baby in your 30s, your support group will consist mostly of same-aged and like-minded mothers.
- You’ll Look and Feel Younger– Most mothers admit that having children made them age faster. If you are having a baby at twenty-four then by the time you are 30 years old, you will have a 6-year old on your hands. Most of your friends will just start having babies making them appear much younger.
Cons
Although the pros might convince you to have a baby after age 30, there may be certain tough situations you will have to deal with. It is better to bear these in mind so that you are prepared for them and can manage them properly. Here are some common pregnancy complications after age 30:
- Take Longer to Conceive: After age 30, some women may find it difficult to conceive. It is majorly because ovulation becomes more erratic as the female body matures. The number of eggs goes down considerably, and the quality of eggs released also starts diminishing. All these factors result in infertility, which might take longer to cure.
- Lifestyle Diseases: As you grow older, many medical problems such as thyroid, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure start to creep in and affect you and your baby’s health. These conditions increase the risk of premature delivery.
- Develop Pregnancy Complications: You are at a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes or high blood pressure during pregnancy. You will need to follow a strict diet plan, exercise and visit your gynaecologist.
- Need for a C-section: Pregnancy complications in the 30s also include problems such as difficult labour and sustained labour pain because of the following issues:
- The cervix isn’t opening properly.
- The baby movements are not right.
- The contractions are not powerful enough to get the baby out.
- Higher risks of miscarriage: The risks of miscarriage and stillbirth increase in pregnant women in their late 30s. Several factors like the quality of the eggs, age and biological restraints could lead to miscarriage after age 30.
- Health of your baby: A pregnancy in the 30s puts the baby’s health at a greater risk. Babies born to older women often run the risk of acquiring genetic problems like Down’s syndrome or a spinal cord defect. Gynaecologists conduct prenatal tests like amniocentesis and regular ultrasounds to make sure that the baby is healthy.
Check out our maternity department for further details or book an appointment with our experts.
