Having Children in Your 30s and 40s

Having children in your 30s and 40s is becoming the norm today. It wasn’t all that long ago when most women would find their spouses in their 20s, and then settle down and have children. After WWII, women no longer worked in factories, healthcare, or other industries that required women to work, while men fought overseas.

In the 50s, 60s, and 70s, the ideal lifestyle was the one where the man was the primary breadwinner, and the woman worked inside the home. By the time parents were in their 40s, the children were already off to college.

Today, new parents may be in their 40s. Being pregnant while in your midlife can have implications that younger couples may never experience.

There is a changing social acceptance to having children when you’re older. In the past everyone would say “a child may not be healthy”, or “your risks for a Down child are higher”, or “you’ll be too tired to look after a child in your 50s”.

Modern medicine, and increasing social acceptance of the Down child can allay the fears of a couple who decides to have children when they’re older.

Today, many young men and women in their 20s aren’t ready to have children. Since both genders work nowadays, they may wish to focus on their careers. In fact, in many vocations, a woman may need to study through her 20s before even landing that great first job. Engineer, doctor, or scientist, women may put pregnancy on hold, to complete an education.

A large portion of the population isn’t even meeting their soul mate until they’re well into their 30s or their 40s. Yet many people wish to have children. They’re not shelving the idea of having children just because they’re older than twenty.

While there can be health implications, having a child at any age can be a great risk. Mothers may face deficiencies in their bodies, they may suffer from gestational diabetes, strokes, and more. These diseases certainly aren’t limited to older women, though the risks can be higher.

Many couples accept the risks of having children when they’re older. That’s part of the selflessness of being a parent. Sacrifices must be made. If you’re changing diapers when you’re 50, and you won’t see your child graduate high school until you’re 60, well, that’s all a part of the fun.

One great new reason arising from having children when you’re older is that many older parents say that having children makes them feel young again. It’s certainly possible that your life span will increase by having a child to look after as you age.

A child can bring great joy to your life. There can be a lot of laughing and play time that results. Children can also get us outside, into the fresh air. An active lifestyle may help counteract that middle aged lifestyle of sitting on the couch all weekend watching TV.

More people are waiting longer to start families, and not only are the resulting children benefiting from being born to an older couple, but the parents are experiencing great joy that they didn’t let age deter them from doing so.