Not Too Old To Be Mum - Mairéad

This week’s "Not Too Old To Be Mum" is with Mairéad from Experimentangled.

First of all congratulations on your baby. How old were you when you had your baby/babies?

First baby at 36, second last year at 38. 

Tell me a bit about yourself and your main reasons for having a child(ren) after the age of 35?

I didn't meet my partner until I was 34. So really not an option before that!

Did you have any problems with falling pregnant? If you did, would you say age was a contributing factor?


No problems. Despite all the talk of it being more difficult to conceive as you get older. Maybe we were lucky..
 
Did you have any complications with your pregnancy or labour that you feel were caused by being older?


No, in fact I think I was better equipped mentally for it than I would have been 5 years prior.

Were you treated differently by medical professionals because of your age? If you were, how did that make you feel?


The only thing I found strange was that the midwives who attended the labour in hospital of my first baby were so much younger than me- late twenties. That felt weird! 

If you had children before and after you were 35, were there any differences with the pregnancy, labour and you as a parent? Would you put these down to age differences?

* not applicable 
 
What do you feel are the pros and cons for having a baby after 35?

Pros- my career was in a good place and I was reasonably financially stable. I had a great, stable relationship and I think I was better equipped to adapt to the necessary changes of being a mother- like if I'd have had a baby at 25 I would have resented not being able to travel etc. I was also more in tune with my emotions, and think better able to use tools I'd picked up like yoga and mindfulness to enjoy the pregnancy, and to deal with the demands of baby/small kids.

Do you plan on having any more children? If not, what are your main reasons? And if you would like more, what worries you the most about the prospect of having more?


Probably not- but never say never! 

If you could do your time over, would you choose to have your children younger?


No
 
What advice do you have for any women thinking of having a child past the age of 35?

Go for it! 


Thanks for taking part Mairéad and sharing your story.


To read other women's stories click here.


To discuss taking part in the Not Too Old To Be Mum series, please send me an email.