Every woman’s greatest challenge is entering the world of motherhood. However, the question many ask is what the optimal time for becoming a mother is.
Most mothers would say that there is no perfect time for having a baby and that nothing will prepare you for what lies ahead when you face this life challenge.
For many years, the science community has been warning women about the risks of getting pregnant at later age.
However, this conventional approach has been recently contested with new evidence. This new evidence focuses on the benefits of having a baby after the age of 35.
It has already been proven that if you have a baby after 35, the life expectancy of the baby will increase. Having a new study conducted at the University of Southern California came to a conclusion that giving birth after 35 years does not only have a positive impact on the baby, but also the mother.
Basically, having a baby after 35 years improves the mental abilities of the mother.
The reason for this is the surge of hormones, which are estrogen and progesterone. Namely, it has been found that these hormones have a positive effect on the brain chemistry and function among women that have a pregnancy during later years.
We are quite aware that there are some things that cannot be planned when having a baby, but there is so much more to be said about the life experience a woman has gained as well as about her maturity.
At a later age, women are usually professionally and financially settled and they have learnt how to handle stressful situation, which having a baby is considered one of them.
Thus, even though there are still existing risks of having a baby after 35 years and can be classified as a disadvantage, there are also many advantages that need to be taken into account.
First of all, the mental health of women at a later age is usually better in shape than of those who are about to enter adulthood and have not yet settled professionally in their career. This means that younger mothers face more life challenges and worry more about things besides raising a baby than elderly mothers do.
Older mothers tend to be more accepting of the newly created situation which can give a sense of calmness and excitement, rather than a sense of worry and anxiety which is common for young mother who face more challenges in their lives.
Secondly, the change of hormones due to having a baby has also incredibly positive influence on older women who lack estrogen and progesterone. Therefore, women who have a baby later in their life, often make this decision by choice and embrace the responsibilities of motherhood in a more organized and prepared way.
They are aware of the pregnancy risks, but they tend to see their doctor more frequently and pay more attention to the advice that is given to them in order to make sure that their pregnancy goes without any complications.
Unlike younger mothers*-to-be, who are sometimes less attentive when it comes to following directions and understanding the long-term complications of pregnancy.
Pregnancy is one of the things people cannot easily predict, especially how it will turn out. There are pros and cons related to pregnancy at any stage of life, but it seems that older women might find certain benefits from pregnancy in their older years, especially if they have already become familiar with the whole process at younger years.
Therefore, all things considered, if you are planning a pregnancy or suddenly find yourself faced with another pregnancy at a later age, make sure you see your doctor more often and follow his advice on looking after your health as well as the health of the baby in the best way possible.
