Children

[MacFall]

I want to have them when I'm about 24 or 25.

 

[TheOliveSeed]

I love kids and would love to have them someday, but I don't know when.

 

[Blank123]

Yes, I want kids.

 

[Miss Spaulding]

Yes, I would like to have my own children. I have doubts if that'll ever happen though (Not being pessimistic, I honestly just have doubts). I always thought being married and having kids by 24-ish was perfect, but seeing as I'll be 24 in July and I don't even have a boyfriend.....lol. I don't hold such a opinion now though, so if God does bless me with a husband and children one day, then whenever that happens will be just dandy. Besides, I don't want to be married nor a mother right now.

As for the 'older women are at more risk having babies': that's pretty much crap. It doesn't matter what your age is, risks happen. The only thing that poses a problem for older women is their actual chances of getting pregnant. It is harder for many older women to conceive, which isn't surprising at all. Now, should this stop older women who long for a child to try for one? Absolutely not! And certainly don't let a doctor convince you not to. People need to not hang on a doctor's every word. They're not God.

I'm the youngest of 5 children. My mother was 35 when she had me. No problems conceiving (though I was a surprise. ) and no problems throughout the pregnancy or delivery. My oldest sibling/sister will be 37 later this year and she and her husband plan to try for another child as soon as the time is right.

 

[ReAnn89]

No I don't. I ADORE children (I'm a teacher afterall and love my nieces to death. But, having them myself, no. If I got married and hubby wanted kids, I'd be open to adopting an older child.

 

[Going Merry]

I love children.
They taste great with hotsauce

 

[EazyMack]

I'm on the fence about it.

 

[anewday]

When do you guys want them?


I would rather have them when I'm 40. And that's bad because you either have a real bad chance having them at that age or the kids could come out having bad mental/physical health.

Do not want.

Then again, it's not like I want children. I'm a bit depressed about this.

I want kids more now than in my 20s. I have no prospects, so my cat will have to do for now.

 

[TwistTim]

When do you guys want them?


I would rather have them when I'm 40. And that's bad because you either have a real bad chance having them at that age or the kids could come out having bad mental/physical health.

Do not want.

Then again, it's not like I want children. I'm a bit depressed about this.

Five years ago maybe?

I still want them, just that's about the time my father gene kicked in. (Until then I was always in Uncle mode.)

I guess I can really relate to Ted from "How I meet your Mother" in the first few episodes anyways, except I don't have that close group of friends to go the bar with, and no one ever plays "Have you Meet Tim?" for me, when I do hang out with my friends. But the part about wanting to be married and having some kids, because he realized one day, hey I'd be a good dad and husband... that's me.

 

[SnowyMacie]

30-ish, or about 3-5 years after I get married

 

[Neve]

I'm the youngest of 5 children. My mother was 35 when she had me. No problems conceiving (though I was a surprise. ) and no problems throughout the pregnancy or delivery. My oldest sibling/sister will be 37 later this year and she and her husband plan to try for another child as soon as the time is right.

Yeah, you can have a special needs child at any age. It happens. My mother had my older sister at age 32 and unfortunately, she is special needs whereas I, a surprise baby born to my mother at 38, am perfectly formed and of good intellect (working on the personality). But life is funny like that. You never know what you are going to get.

 

[redblue22]

I want children, but I know they'll ditch me. Get married, get divorced, the wife gets everything and meets a guy with a better job. The kid likes the stuff they buy and finds it boring with me. My own kid divorces me for money and prefers his new dad. But yet I still find myself wanting to take the risk.

 

[Toro]

Well if I don't have kids within the next coming years (6-7), I will probably abandon the idea (thats not to say I am desperate or nothing, just a reality)

Im not getting any younger and obviously people can have kids later and later in life, but that's not fair to a child to have a father who breaks a hip playing "catch" or has no energy to run around and play games with the kid. I want to be able to teach my kid things without having to ice down every part of my body cause I am to old to do anything without getting sore as a price.

I will save the role of Mr Miyagi when/if I am a grand father.

 

[Keri]

Yes, I would like to have my own children. I have doubts if that'll ever happen though (Not being pessimistic, I honestly just have doubts). I always thought being married and having kids by 24-ish was perfect, but seeing as I'll be 24 in July and I don't even have a boyfriend.....lol. I don't hold such a opinion now though, so if God does bless me with a husband and children one day, then whenever that happens will be just dandy. Besides, I don't want to be married nor a mother right now.

As for the 'older women are at more risk having babies': that's pretty much crap. It doesn't matter what your age is, risks happen. The only thing that poses a problem for older women is their actual chances of getting pregnant. It is harder for many older women to conceive, which isn't surprising at all. Now, should this stop older women who long for a child to try for one? Absolutely not! And certainly don't let a doctor convince you not to. People need to not hang on a doctor's every word. They're not God.

I'm the youngest of 5 children. My mother was 35 when she had me. No problems conceiving (though I was a surprise. ) and no problems throughout the pregnancy or delivery. My oldest sibling/sister will be 37 later this year and she and her husband plan to try for another child as soon as the time is right.

Not to be a brat but there are greater risks for women over 35 to have a baby with Down Syndrome. It happens when nondisjunction occurs and the chromosomes fail to separate during egg (though sometimes in sperm) formation. Yes, females are born with all the eggs she will need in her lifetime, but they are immature. As they mature, they are released for possible fertilisation. When the eggs of an older woman matures, because of her age, nondisjunction may be more likely to happen and an extra copy of the 21st chromosome is produced. If that egg is then fertilised, the child will have 3 copies of 21 and therefore have Down Syndrome. There is another way that a Down Syndrome occurs but it's a bit complicated to explain and it's more of a "carrier" type process so that it doesn't matter the age of the woman, it will likely happen anyway.

Source: grew up hanging out in the lab my mother worked in when she worked in genetics and IVF. That, and genetics is truly fascinating and the one thing I've studied far too much, for fun.

 

[HazelWings]

Older women do pose a greater risk for having a child with a disability. That doesn't mean younger women can't also have a special needs child. I had my son at 24 and he was diagnosed with autism before he was three. I had my daughter almost 6 years later and she's fine.

And I'm done having kids

 

[Miles]

Not to be a brat but there are greater risks for women over 35 to have a baby with Down Syndrome. It happens when nondisjunction occurs and the chromosomes fail to separate during egg (though sometimes in sperm) formation. Yes, females are born with all the eggs she will need in her lifetime, but they are immature. As they mature, they are released for possible fertilisation. When the eggs of an older woman matures, because of her age, nondisjunction may be more likely to happen and an extra copy of the 21st chromosome is produced. If that egg is then fertilised, the child will have 3 copies of 21 and therefore have Down Syndrome. There is another way that a Down Syndrome occurs but it's a bit complicated to explain and it's more of a "carrier" type process so that it doesn't matter the age of the woman, it will likely happen anyway.

Source: grew up hanging out in the lab my mother worked in when she worked in genetics and IVF. That, and genetics is truly fascinating and the one thing I've studied far too much, for fun.

Greater? Yes, but still quite low. If 1% of babies born to 40 year old mothers have Down Syndrome, that means the other 99% don't. The chance of birth defects increases with age, but it's just one of several factors including lifestyle, substance abuse, medical conditions, and family history.

Here are a couple pertinent links:

Advanced maternal age - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Q&A: What's the risk of birth defects for older women? | BabyZone

 

[Rose of Eden]

I always wanted to have kids and be a mother one day. But lately, I just don't know if I want that anymore.

 

[Keri]

Greater? Yes, but still quite low. If 1% of babies born to 40 year old mothers have Down Syndrome, that means the other 99% don't. The chance of birth defects increases with age, but it's just one of several factors including lifestyle, substance abuse, medical conditions, and family history.

Here are a couple pertinent links:

Advanced maternal age - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Q&A: What's the risk of birth defects for older women? | BabyZone

"The risk of Down syndrome increases with the mother’s age:

At age 25, the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome is 1 in 1,250.
At age 30, the risk is 1 in 1,000.
At age 35, the risk is 1 in 400.
At age 40, the risk is 1 in 100.
At age 45, the risk is 1 in 30."*

* American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Your Pregnancy and Birth, 4th Edition. ACOG, Washington, DC, 2005.

 

[MehGuy]

"The risk of Down syndrome increases with the mother’s age:

At age 25, the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome is 1 in 1,250.
At age 30, the risk is 1 in 1,000.
At age 35, the risk is 1 in 400.
At age 40, the risk is 1 in 100.
At age 45, the risk is 1 in 30."*

* American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Your Pregnancy and Birth, 4th Edition. ACOG, Washington, DC, 2005.

Yikes..

 

[Miles]

"The risk of Down syndrome increases with the mother’s age:

At age 25, the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome is 1 in 1,250.
At age 30, the risk is 1 in 1,000.
At age 35, the risk is 1 in 400.
At age 40, the risk is 1 in 100.
At age 45, the risk is 1 in 30."*

* American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Your Pregnancy and Birth, 4th Edition. ACOG, Washington, DC, 2005.

That's why I posted the link. Considering the media hype about older mothers, one might conclude that most children born to mothers over 35 will have Down syndrome. The reality of the situation, however, is quite different. At 40, the risk is only 1 in 100. Although the likelihood increases, DS remains unlikely. Even at 50, when the incidence is closer to 1 in 10, the overwhelming majority of babies are born without the condition. It's more likely that an older woman will simply become infertile.

That said, I'd be curious to learn how the risk varies when accounting for things like lifestyle etc. I'd imagine that certain demographics of older mothers are at greater risk than others. Especially considering the cumulative effects of junk food, sedentary lifestyles, and other risk factors over time.