Welcome to Pregnancy Over 35

[GeminiGoddess]

Hello Lovely Ladies. ;-) I'm 35 and 9wks pregnant with my 4th child, due to make an appearance March 7, 2013. I'm excited yet quite nervous and cautious this time around. 1st pg was to term, 2nd was to 28 weeks (2lb7), and 3rd was to 25 weeks (2lb7 she was big for gestation age and it helped Phew!). The reason for 2nd early delivery was said to be because of an "incompetent cervix". I also had bulging membranes. (Being a store manager was probably NOT the best job to have at that time... Mega Sigh) I am guessing IC had something to do with my prev pg too #2. (-_-) Anyway, now with two sons 18, 15 and a 5 year old daughter... I'm prepping for one more, ultra cautiously.... WHOA! I'm so blessed to have found this group. I can't wait to hear and share stories. ;-)

 

[onemoretime2]

Hi! I am 39 yrs old and have a little boy who will be 3 in 2 weeks and I am 6 weeks pregnant!! I am so excited! I am also so nervous. Im so happy there is a place here to call home and be with others who are like me!!! Hello everyone!!!

 

[maybesoon]

Hello everyone... I am 36, 4 weeks pregnant with my 1st! I have been ttc for a really long time and now that it has happened I think I might be freaking out just a little. I got my BFP last Thursday & it was super hard for me to leave the TTC forum as I had made several really good friends. I just wish I could have shared enough with them so they could all be with me during this journey. My DH has 2 kiddos from a previous marriage so he's a pro at this. This is my second pregnancy. The first several years ago ended at 7 weeks (twins). So I'm a little paranoid right now. Wishing everyone a healthy pregnancy!!!

 

[babyno.2]

Hi everyone, im 35 years old and am nearly 5 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child. My first is a boy who will be 3 next month. Im super excited and am looking forward to sharing info and chatting to u all while we wait. I have a pretty long way to go - estimated due date is 5th June 2013. Will find out for definite when i get a scan. xx

 

[Philomena]

Hi everyone! There wasn't much action on this board when I first came on, but there seem to be lots of new faces! I'm glad I checked back in....
A bit about me...
I'm 41 and almost 28 weeks pregnant with baby #2. My first is 15 and will be a month short of 16 when this LO is born.
This is baby #1 for DH.
I live in Calgary, Canada and have woken up this morning to quite a blustery day!
I was a little sick during the first trimester, felt pretty good during the 2nd trimester, and have been told that I am totally nesting here at the start of my 3rd trimester!
I'm in the middle of refinishing an old toy chest and upcycling it into a sideboard! I'm very excited.
My due date is January 3, 2013 and I look forward to chatting with all you ladies!
Phil.

 

[toppers]

Hi All,

I'm 40 and two weeks ago I've found out that i'm pregnant, not sure of the dates yet as when I took the test on the 30sep, it said i was 2-3 weeks since conception. My daughter is 16 and has started college this year, so thou my baby days were well and truely over, had hols booked for may and the dominican booked for aug, I really am in shock.
So i have few questions if thats ok, i have sharps pains like shooting on my left side, occasionally cramping, no bleeding, is this normal?
morning sickness has crept in with vengance and my boobs! my god! and thats not including the tears!

cant decide if im happy or totally overwhelmed, is this normal?

 

[Philomena]

Hi All,

I'm 40 and two weeks ago I've found out that i'm pregnant, not sure of the dates yet as when I took the test on the 30sep, it said i was 2-3 weeks since conception. My daughter is 16 and has started college this year, so thou my baby days were well and truely over, had hols booked for may and the dominican booked for aug, I really am in shock.
So i have few questions if thats ok, i have sharps pains like shooting on my left side, occasionally cramping, no bleeding, is this normal?
morning sickness has crept in with vengance and my boobs! my god! and thats not including the tears!

cant decide if im happy or totally overwhelmed, is this normal?

Hi there and welcome!

I am 41 years old and 7 months pregnant with #2. My first is 15 and will be a month shy of 16 when this one comes along. This baby was planned, but I know what you mean about starting all over again- especially if it was a surprise for you! I have noticed this pregnancy is very different from my first one.... I had morning sickness with this one, and feel a little less mobile etc than the last one.... of course, I was 15 years younger with the last one!
My boobs were uber sore but that has gone away (thankfully!).....

I don't remember any cramps or sharp pains in the beginning, but every woman is different.
Do you have your first appointment booked to see your doctor?

It can be very overwhelming especially since you weren't trying!!

Feel free to come on and chat and I will keep my eyes open for you!

Phil.

 

[maybesoon]

I'm 36 & pregnant with my first. I'm 12w3d. For the first few weeks I had really bad sharp shooting pains on my left side. I had menstral type cramping off & on & I spotted up until last week. Today will be my 3rd appointment with my doc & so far everything is going great. The sharp shooting pains & cramping they explained as implanting and growing. The spotting they explained that we have much more blood flow to our cervix while pregnant which causes irritation pretty easily just from walking & also from sex. They told me that as long as I wasn't bleeding bright red enough to fill a pad an hour it would be ok.

With that being said.... All women & pregnancies are different so I would call my doc/clinic what ever is in your area & see if I could be seen. There are so many other things that could be going on. Not to mention just to relieve any stress & worry these symptoms are causing you...

Best of Luck!!! And CONGRATS!!!

 

[Maddmim]

Hi all, I'm 35 and 5 weeks pregnant after 2 miscarriages, this is our first. With our history, im cautiously optimistic but very excited none the less. When searching for information and forums, I often find very young woman who have lots of experiences to share but most of which I do not relate to so I am very happy to find an over 35 group not riddled with "am I pregnant?" Posts.

 

[sba33]

hello fellow, am now 42 weeks preg and am starting the other week but no signs of baby coming, tell me, am i safe. ofcourse am ok and the baby is ok too but the doctors now want to operate me, help what should i do

 

[Dayce]

Its brilliant to find a forum for over 35's I've been on lots and many of the members seem to be in their teens!!!!

Thank you!!!!

 

[maybesoon]

Welcome Dayce!!!

 

[Philomena]

Hi Ladies!
So how is everyone feeling??

I'm 36 weeks today and starting to feel like I'm in the final stretch!
Since I was on last, I've been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes and have become an expert on it.... so if you've any questions, ask away!!

AFM: I am starting to feel overwhelmed.... all the prenatals, vitamins, supplements, exercises, monitoring my blood sugars, drinking enough water, moving enough, not enough, tired, awake.... sheesh! it's a lot of mental power when all I want to think about is meeting my little one on the outside!!

I am getting annoyed with some of the health professionals.... my midwives are great, but I've had to consult with an obstetrician and had to interact with hospital and clinic staff regarding the GD and I really take issue with the way they say things.... they don't just give me the information about my pregnancy, my body, my baby.... they say things like it's a done deal....

According to them I WILL have an overly large baby, my baby WILL get hypoglycemia after birth, my baby WILL have jaundice after birth, I WILL have to have an insulin drip during my labour, I am not allowed to have a home birth any longer..... I WILL have to be induced at 37/38 weeks because of my ginormous baby.... My placenta WILL stop working at 38 weeks..... and the list goes on....

the thing is.... these are all risks, but they are risks associated with 'UNCONTROLLED' GD..... my GD is very carefully controlled.... my baby hasn't yet measured Big for Gestational Age and my placenta has appeared fine in every ultrasound....

I would think that when things are well controlled then these risks become far less severe.... if existent at all.... but they don't talk to me like that.... it's all about making me feel worried and scared and their alarmist information is not empowering for me.... it took a lot of research, questioning, knowing my body, being informed, for me to advocate for my own choices.... I'm willing to make some concessions, but I am not willing to give up my right to make my own choices about my baby and my body.... *sigh*

I hate how they make it all sound so dire.... IF it was uncontrolled.... IF there was evidence that these risks applied to me, THEN I would consider some of these strategies.... but I NEED to go into labour naturally, and I NEED to make my own choices about what that will look like....
I go for another ultrasound on Monday to see how the placenta is doing and for them to see how big the baby is getting.... then another consult with an obstetrician the week following and then I find out if I'm 'allowed' to go into labour naturally or if they will be pressing me for an induction.... *sigh*
As if I didn't have enough to think about, right??

How is everyone else doing?

 

[brandy31575]

I'm 44w+6d still trying to be patient. I believe in letting the baby pic the birthday, but how long can you wait before it poses as a health risk?

 

[Philomena]

Hello All!

So an update.... I've been for 2 more scans since last I was on, and at both the baby was exactly normal for gestational age in size and the placenta etc is still looking good.
I had the second consult with an obstetrician (different obs since the first was on holidays) and in the end, we agreed that I would go for another scan on my due date (January 3rd) and see the original Obstetrician when she's back from holidays on Jan 7th.... which suits me just fine....

In answer to your question, Brandy31575, the general thought is that a normal pregnancy can go to 42 weeks without any concern and the pregnancy is not thought to be "post-dates" until then. The reason I go for so many scans is because there is some evidence that high blood sugars can wear out the placenta faster and most dr's are more comfortable having the baby of GD moms delivered earlier. But, IMHO, they need to look at each mom and pregnancy and not just lump all GD moms into one category. I think a lot of it has to do with liability and they are just covering their butts....

The things I have been told are risks for me and my baby are things that certainly can be risks, but they are presented to me as much greater and much more serious than might actually apply in my situation. For example: the risk of shoulder dystocia has been brought to my attention more than once and always as a massive problem that is highly likely... BUT when you look at the research and the statistics, only 0.05% of babies born in North America have been reported to have experienced 'shoulder dystocia' and nobody can give a clear definition of what it actually is that is being reported. Shoulder dystocia can mean anything from the baby's shoulder gets caught up on the pubic bone and the baby needs help turning to finish birthing but no injury occurs... all the way to broken collarbones and permanent brachial plexus injury. If you look at the actual statistics, the worst case scenario puts all those together and at most I've found a 5% risk to GD moms. In those cases, due to macrosomatic babies (large for gestational age). So worst case scenario I still have a 95% chance of having a perfectly fine baby, and more when you consider that with having well controlled GD this baby is NORMAL size....
Also, I had to listen to the obstetrician talk about how if I go over 40 weeks my risk of still birth doubles..... well, it doubles, perhaps, but it goes from 2% in the general population to 4% in moms with GD.... ok, so still a risk, but very low. The reason I agree to go for scans is to make sure things are going well.... of course if anything changes, then that's the time to look at alternate arrangements.... but not unless it's warranted.

So here I am... 39weeks3days.... and Babes is still moving around and things are good.... she's snug as a bug in there, and although I'm looking forward to meeting her, I'm excited she will most likely be able to pick her own birthday!!

How is everyone else doing? Make it through the holidays ok?

 

[PigtailedFury]

Hello! I am in my first week of ttc. I'm so excited. Fingers crossed, by this time next year I'll have a baby! Gah!

 

[ClipMyWings]

Hi everyone. I'm new here. I just found out on Saturday that I'm pregnant and around 5 weeks. Very exciting.

I've been sick with a cold/low grade fever/sore throat since Thursday but have been getting lots of fluids, rest and Tylenol since then, so hopefully everything is ok.

I'm a worrier, especially since having my first pregnancy last year and a loss around week 10, so I think I'm going into this pregnancy being super anxious.

Anyway, hi and happy to be here. I'm really glad there's a forum for those of us over 35!

 

[anorak]

I lost my baby at 15 weeks. Heartbeat stopped at 12 weeks. I will be 37 this year, I am holding off trying again for a year or so. Gonna try before my 38th birthday. The last try. Gonna focus on my running and my new house. Things come to those who wait. Gonna be signing off here for a while. Good luck to all your 35+ ladies out there.

 

[maybesoon]

anorak.... I'm so very sorry.... I know there are no words I can say to ease the pain. Been there too & it's a really hard place to be in and I had given up. Take care of yourself in the mean time & best of luck in the future. Don't give up. Good things do come to those who wait. I'm living proof of that.

 

[anorak]

Thank you Maybesoon x