Babies. Forum

[Rock Chalk]

My sisters both had children in their thirties. One sister is 38 and has children that are 8 and 5, and the other will be 41 in August, and her son is 4 and daughter will be 2 next month. My mom had my sisters when she was in her early 20's, and me when she was 37. To the person who said that birth defects go up, that may be a theory, but all 4 nieces and nephews are quite smart. The 4 year old reads at a 3rd grade level...we're convinced he's going to cure cancer or something, the kid's a genius. It's sort of creepy how smart he is, actually.

I've had to actively try NOT to get pregnant...apparently we are a fertile bunch hahaha.

Oh, and on the job or kids note, my hubby to be is in outside sales, so he works from home most days anyway. He hopes to be the stay at home dad some days, and we'd have a nanny when he must be out on client calls.

Anecdotal evidence is anecdotal.

As for the bolded: Do your research. I'm not spouting off my personal theory, I'm telling you the consensus of the medical community based on extensive data collection. See the link above, and an intro level child psychology/development class.

[yinz]

He hopes to be the stay at home dad some days, and we'd have a nanny when he must be out on client calls.

Sounds like it's all set then, yeah? "Let the wild rumpus begin!"

[xyzzzzzzzz]

My sisters both had children in their thirties. One sister is 38 and has children that are 8 and 5, and the other will be 41 in August, and her son is 4 and daughter will be 2 next month. My mom had my sisters when she was in her early 20's, and me when she was 37. To the person who said that birth defects go up, that may be a theory, but all 4 nieces and nephews are quite smart. The 4 year old reads at a 3rd grade level...we're convinced he's going to cure cancer or something, the kid's a genius. It's sort of creepy how smart he is, actually.

I've had to actively try NOT to get pregnant...apparently we are a fertile bunch hahaha.

Oh, and on the job or kids note, my hubby to be is in outside sales, so he works from home most days anyway. He hopes to be the stay at home dad some days, and we'd have a nanny when he must be out on client calls.

Anecdotal evidence is anecdotal.

As for the bolded: Do your research. I'm not spouting off my personal theory, I'm telling you the consensus of the medical community based on extensive data collection. See the link above, and an intro level child psychology/development class.

Pretty sure rock is right. That is precisely why they test eggs for down syndrome after a woman turns 34/35.

[Snoopy1216]

Okay this had to be said.. 30-35 is not old to have children. Many of the professional women/big celebrities have children in the 30s and they are just fine! Heck half the women in my family had their first child in their 30s! It is called getting your career together! While you may not be as young as the other mothers out there, the women who had children in their mid 20s will not get to claim the success you had career wise at such an early age. You guys are just swapping life's perks! Just because you are bearing children at a different age does not mean you are losing out!

[kineticx]

I worked for a lawyer who had two young children and ran her own small practice, and did well (100k+ salary). She had an office in her home for when she didn't need to meet with clients, and another office elsewhere. She waited until her practice was on its feet before having her second child, and was in her early 30s. This seems like an ideal arrangement.

[slider]

Okay this had to be said.. 30-35 is not old to have children. Many of the professional women/big celebrities have children in the 30s and they are just fine! Heck half the women in my family had their first child in their 30s! It is called getting your career together! While you may not be as young as the other mothers out there, the women who had children in their mid 20s will not get to claim the success you had career wise at such an early age. You guys are just swapping life's perks! Just because you are bearing children at a different age does not mean you are losing out!

This.

[jayn3]

Many of the professional women/big celebrities have children in the 30s and they are just fine!

i love when people use celebrities as a viable reference group

[danidancer]

Many of the professional women/big celebrities have children in the 30s and they are just fine!

i love when people use celebrities as a viable reference group

Not the best argument, but the argument that having children after 30 is usually fine is valid. 35 is generally viewed as the "cutoff" for decreased fertility, so assuming there aren't underlying problems that would have made having children before 30 difficult, waiting until 30-35 really isn't a big deal.

[jayn3]

Many of the professional women/big celebrities have children in the 30s and they are just fine!

i love when people use celebrities as a viable reference group

Not the best argument, but the argument that having children after 30 is usually fine is valid. 35 is generally viewed as the "cutoff" for decreased fertility, so assuming there aren't underlying problems that would have made having children before 30 difficult, waiting until 30-35 really isn't a big deal.

no argument, just mocking celebrity gossipers.

anyone else strongly considering adoption?

[angioletto]

Once you are over the age of 35 if you get pregnant you are officially considered to be "advanced maternal age" and the risks go way up. Your body was designed to begin making babies soon after menstruation begins - not 20 years later. That may not fit with our society today, but that is the biology of it. Many people do have babies in their 30's and 40's and their babies are just fine, but the risks do go way up after you hit that magic number - 35. This does not mean 35 is too old. It just means the risks go up. Infertility is much more likely after 35 and the risk of Down Syndrome goes up as well. From March of Dimes:

A woman’s risk of having a baby with Down syndrome is (1):

At age 25, 1 in 1,250
At age 30, 1 in 1,000
At age 35, 1 in 400
At age 40, 1 in 100
At 45, 1 in 30
At 49, a 1 in 10

http://www.marchofdimes.com/professiona ... 2_1155.asp

Here is a chart from the AAFP:
--ImageRemoved--

Anyways, I have not yet started law school but I do have kids and I can say there probably is no "best time" to have kids when you want to have a career. I personally am very glad that I will not have to deal with pregnancy and having a newborn during my legal career because during my pregnancies and for a good 6 months afterwards I was just not myself. My brain didn't seem to work properly and I had trouble focusing on my relatively simple job. I was glad I didn't have any major responsibilities at work. And I won't even get into how difficult it can be to be a nursing/working mother.

[wizoz]

I think about this issue a lot and my husband and I are planning to get pregnant during my 3L and then 2 years into my career. I want to make sure that my body is at its prime for childbearing.

My advice to OP: marry rich , get a favorable prenup and live near family...I think it's the best way to manage / get trusted babysitters and be able to afford and raise a child right without the added stress of desperately needing a paycheck.

If you don't agree, I don't care...this is the way I feel.

[bubiglaw]

I know so many girls at my law schools that say that the "clock is ticking" and when they are finally at a place to settle down a little bit (i.e. make partner) that they will no longer be able to have kids. ( a little dramatic). Oh the thrills of being a guy and not having to worry about that (not trying to be an ass)

[Snoopy1216]

Many of the professional women/big celebrities have children in the 30s and they are just fine!

i love when people use celebrities as a viable reference group

Not the best argument, but the argument that having children after 30 is usually fine is valid. 35 is generally viewed as the "cutoff" for decreased fertility, so assuming there aren't underlying problems that would have made having children before 30 difficult, waiting until 30-35 really isn't a big deal.

I think the argument is just fine (and it really was more of an opinion/statement)... I used professional women (lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc.) as my main focus. I included celebrities because while many ppl look down on them they still had to go through many years to build a career (im talking about the credited ones, not the megan foxes of the group). So you see, I was just trying to cover my bases. 35 may be the cutoff, but in this day and age, with medicine, technology, and better health, fewer and fewer women have cause to feel desperate by this age.

And, instead of just reading the first line and making a judgment read the rest smartass... How annoying. Focus on the topic.

[jayn3]

And, instead of just reading the first line and making a judgment read the rest smartass... How annoying. Focus on the topic.

oh i did read the rest. if i had disagreed i would've mocked that too

[Snoopy1216]

And, instead of just reading the first line and making a judgment read the rest smartass... How annoying. Focus on the topic.

oh i did read the rest. if i had disagreed i would've mocked that too

Lol smh *hides in the bushes preparing to shoot jayn3*

[hellokitty]

Wow that chart just scared the shit out of me.

[slider]

Wow that chart just scared the shit out of me.

It should only scare you if you are planning to have kids past age 40, lol

[hiromoto45]

I plan to deliver my babies in my office to show my commitment to the firm.

[jayn3]

Wow that chart just scared the shit out of me.

agreed. 1/1,250 at age 25?? why don't i see more people with down's than i do??

[hellokitty]

Wow that chart just scared the shit out of me.

agreed. 1/1,250 at age 25?? why don't i see more people with down's than i do??

Yeah all of those numbers alarm me actually.

[hiromoto45]

...

[12262010]

Wow that chart just scared the shit out of me.

agreed. 1/1,250 at age 25?? why don't i see more people with down's than i do??

smashmortions.

[Snoopy1216]

I plan to deliver my babies in my office to show my commitment to the firm.

+1 Problem solved!!

[jayn3]

Wow that chart just scared the shit out of me.

agreed. 1/1,250 at age 25?? why don't i see more people with down's than i do??

smashmortions.

true enough. by the time i have kids anyway i expect to be able to choose their sex, height, eye/hair color, and size of genitalia.

[hellokitty]

Wow that chart just scared the shit out of me.

agreed. 1/1,250 at age 25?? why don't i see more people with down's than i do??

smashmortions.

true enough. by the time i have kids anyway i expect to be able to choose their sex, height, eye/hair color, and size of genitalia.

I hope not. I feel like that's the sort of thing that could eventually spiral and we'll end up with millions of white, blonde, blue-eyed kids or something.