baby magazine-1

modern motherhood // By Sandra Gordon
Pregnancy in Your
20s, 30s & 40s
T
here’s no “right time”
to have a baby —
but there are simple
steps you can take to stay
happy and healthy at
every age and make the
most of motherhood.
20s
Your Body Now:
“Physically, the 20s are ideal
for pregnancy,” says Peter
Bernstein, M.D., an ob/gyn at
Montefiore Medical Center,
in New York City. You’re at
the lowest risk for gestational
diabetes, chronic hypertension,
pre-eclampsia or having
a baby with spina bifida. And
at 25, you’re risk of having a
baby with Down Syndrome
is also low – one in 1,250. (At
35, it’s one in 378.) You’re also
less likely to have a C-section.
“When a woman is in her 20s,
doctors tend to be more patient
with a vaginal delivery,” says
Dr. Bernstein. Once your baby
is born, caring for her may not
be as taxing as it might be for
an older mom.
Your Mind Now: If
few of your pals have kids,
“Get emotional support from
other moms-to-be,” says Shellie
Fidell, a psychotherapist in
private practice, in Chesterfield,
Missouri. Connecting
with other moms online is a
22 www.GVParent.com/RochesterBaby
great way to get parenting tips
and feel part of a like-minded
community. You can also join
a local moms club or group to
find support and friendship.
If you’re newly married, get
a babysitter occasionally so
you can forge an identity as a
couple.
Modern Mom –
Monika Bogumil, 23
“My husband Marcin, and
I have been married for two
years, and we thought we’d
hold off on getting pregnant
because we’re both still in
school — I’m studying to be a
labor and delivery nurse. But
we finally decided we couldn’t
wait. My mother was 20 years
old when she had me, and I
love how close we are. She really
understood me growing up
because she was such a young
mom, and I want to have the
same kind of relationship with
my child. I’ve had a healthy
pregnancy so far, although
my whole body’s gotten more
swollen than I expected.”
30s
Your Body Now:
Although many healthy women
have uneventful pregnancies at
this age, the risk of gestational
diabetes and pre-eclampsia is
higher now. “By age 35, the
risk of chromosomal abnormalities
in general is about 1 in
200, which is roughly the same
risk as having a miscarriage
from an amniocentesis,” says
Lorraine Chrisomalis-Valsiadis,
M.D., maternal fetal medicine
specialist at Columbia-Presbyterian
Eastside, in New York
City.
Your Mind Now:
Since you’ve had time for yourself
and accomplished some
professional goals, you may
be psychologically ready for
motherhood. You’re also likely
to know other pregnant women,
so finding a support system
shouldn’t be a problem. Your
marriage is probably on solid
footing since you’re older and
more confident in yourself and
in your relationship, points out
Margaret Howard, Ph.D., director
of postpartum disorders
at Women and Infants Hospital
of Rhode Island.
Modern Mom –
Andrea Pietronuto, 34
“I’ve been married for four
years, but I wanted to delay
pregnancy so that I could focus
on my career. Then one of my
cousins, who was just 36 and
had two children, died suddenly,
and that spurred me on to
have a baby because it made
me realize how short life can
be. Now my husband, Richard,
and I both feel ready to take
that next step. I’ve always been
very active, and I’ve continued
to work out during my
pregnancy, which gives me tons
of energy. I even take kickboxing
classes (though I’ve had to
modify some of the moves!).”
40s
Your Body Now:
Pregnancy is riskier. At 40,
your chance of having a baby
with Down Syndrome is 1 in
106. If you’re having multiples,
there’s an increased chance of
delivering preterm or lowbirth-weight
babies. The good
news? If you’re physically fit,
eat well, and don’t have preexisting
health conditions such as
diabetes or hypertension, your
overall risk of other pregnancy
complications isn’t markedly
higher than someone in her 20s
or 30s, says Dr. Bernstein.
Your Mind Now: The
self-confidence and perspective
you have by now may make
you more patient with a demanding
newborn. However,
you may expect more of yourself
since you’ve waited so long
and perhaps invested so much
to get pregnant. Don’t feel
guilty for going back to work or
missing your old, pre-baby life.
Remind yourself, “Your baby
doesn’t have to be perfect and
you don’t have to be the perfect
mother,” says Dr. Howard. If
you don’t have many friends
with small children, make
friends with younger moms.
“Motherhood is the great uni-