• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
A Mothership Down
  • Baby Sleep
    • The 4 Month Sleep Regression SUCKS!
    • Sleep Training Our 7 Month Old: What Were We Waiting For?
    • Should You Ever Wake a Sleeping Baby?
    • Improve Naps at Daycare
    • How to Make Nap Transitions As Smooth As Possible
  • Parenting
  • Reading
  • Kids Science
    • 5 Minute Fizzy Fun Jar
    • Liquid Density Experiment: Color Explosion in a Jar
    • Water Suspension Science Experiment for Kids
    • Lava Layers! Liquid Density Science Experiment
    • 10 Quick + Simple STEM Activities for Kindergarten
  • Babywearing
  • Recommendations
  • about
    • Who Am I?
    • New Visitors
    • Awards
    • Work With Me
    • Contact Me
    • Disclosure Policy
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Baby Sleep
    • The 4 Month Sleep Regression SUCKS!
    • Sleep Training Our 7 Month Old: What Were We Waiting For?
    • Should You Ever Wake a Sleeping Baby?
    • Improve Naps at Daycare
    • How to Make Nap Transitions As Smooth As Possible
  • Parenting
  • Reading
  • Kids Science
    • 5 Minute Fizzy Fun Jar
    • Liquid Density Experiment: Color Explosion in a Jar
    • Water Suspension Science Experiment for Kids
    • Lava Layers! Liquid Density Science Experiment
    • 10 Quick + Simple STEM Activities for Kindergarten
  • Babywearing
  • Recommendations
  • about
    • Who Am I?
    • New Visitors
    • Awards
    • Work With Me
    • Contact Me
    • Disclosure Policy
×
You are here: Home / All Posts / Advanced Maternal Age Here I Come!

Advanced Maternal Age Here I Come!

Published March 30, 2014. Last updated November 16, 2019 by Liz. This post may contain affiliate links.

teenage-pregnant-congrats-pregnancy-ecards-someecards

Sometime around the middle of my pregnancy with Nolan, my dad sought me out to offer the following consolation:

“Liz, I have a very interesting article for you on getting pregnant as an older women.  It’s very promising.  Hopeful even.”

“Ahh, thanks Dad, I’ll check it out.”

“I already went ahead and checked it out of the library for you.  I’ll bring it right over.  Very optimistic stuff Liz.”  His tone was serious.  Urgent.  It had the gravity of a man who sees his chances of having grandchildren dwindling with every moment in non-procreation based activity.

I want to pause here to highlight a key piece of information.  Namely that as this conversation is taking place I am very pregnant already.  I did not have any particular trouble getting pregnant, at my not-quite-yet Advanced Maternal Age of 34 years old.  It is unclear why my dad felt compelled to offer this hopeful science up to me, but then again my dad is an unusual fellow.  (Case in point: This is a man who exercises his neck muscles using the LEG LIFT MACHINE at his gym.  Yes, that is correct, he sticks that strong old neck right where a normal person sticks their calves, and lifts away, straddling the equipment in what must be a provocative position to behold.)  But that is not what we are talking about.

We are talking about Advanced Maternal Age (AMA).  Old eggs, ladies, old eggs.

The article by Jean Twenge that so pleased my dad was featured in The Atlantic, and it was indeed optimistic.  In a nutshell: older does not equal doomed.

“The widely cited statistic that one in three women ages 35 to 39 will not be pregnant after a year of trying, for instance, is based on an article published in 2004 in the journal Human Reproduction. Rarely mentioned is the source of the data: French birth records from 1670 to 1830. The chance of remaining childless—30 percent—was also calculated based on historical populations.  In other words, millions of women are being told when to get pregnant based on statistics from a time before electricity, antibiotics, or fertility treatment. Most people assume these numbers are based on large, well-conducted studies of modern women, but they are not.”  

Check out the complete article (unless you are under the age of 25 or so, in which case, screw the article, grab a drink, and think about kids in five ten years!).

Personally, I do not take offense, as some seem to, at being labeled as on the cusp of joining the AMA club.  I’m pretty sure it’s a compliment to be both advanced AND maternal at the same time!  Win win!  True, I don’t expect my AMA self to deliver a baby with the ease of a teenager (who, as I have seen first hand, describe their deliveries as if recounting nothing more trying than an ambitious pilates class.  Contrast that with moms my own age who describe their labors as unparalleled tales of horror and pain).  On the flip side, I spent the entirety of my twenties engaged in a state of freewheeling, unencumbered joy that I never could have had if I was a younger mother. I’ll call it a draw.

I’m not going to spend my time worrying about the fact that, yes, next time I (hopefully) get pregnant I will be of advanced maternal age.  I’m going to worry instead about how to encourage my dad to work out his neck on more appropriate gym equipment.  His current method is embarrassing the family.

[jetpack_subscription_form title=”Subscribe Via Email” subscribe_button=”Subscribe”]

Filed Under: All Posts, Parenting

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Elizabeth @ Bowl of Delicious!

    March 30, 2014 at 8:35 pm

    This reminds me, I’ve been wanting to exercise my neck a bit more. Bikini season is coming, after all. Maybe I should talk to your dad about strategy next time I see him?

    Reply
  2. Sue Faria Smith

    March 31, 2014 at 10:52 am

    Ya know, I always wondered how your dad had such a buff neck. It all makes sense to me now, except it absolutely doesn’t. He does what? Anyway, awesome start to your blog. I’ve enjoyed reading about your misadventures:) Keep them coming! Also, if I may make a suggestion for a future blog topic on potty training…dropping a child in a toilet may make for interesting discussion. Just sayin’.

    Reply
  3. Erin H

    May 8, 2014 at 4:24 pm

    I turned 34 two days after finding out I was pregnant with my little guy (who’s just about Nolan’s age) and I can only imagine how different my appointments would have been if I’d answered “yes” the 72 times they asked if I’d be 35 by my due date. It seems so arbitrary that it’ll be so different next time around.

    Your Dad sounds like a good egg. A little odd, but the bests ones always are.

    Reply
    • Liz

      May 9, 2014 at 9:09 am

      Hey Erin! Yes 35 seems to be doomsday at the OBGYN. I’ll be 35 next time around and therefore automatically “high risk.” That sounds edgy and exciting, so I’m really looking forward to it….

      Reply
  4. cvb

    July 7, 2015 at 1:42 pm

    Your description of your dad at the gym made me laugh and laugh and laugh. I have a feeling it’s one of those stories that I’m going to remember at random times and laugh some more.

    Reply
    • Liz

      July 7, 2015 at 1:57 pm

      He’s a real special character 😉

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Are YOU a Liger Mom? | A Mothership Down says:
    May 6, 2014 at 1:09 pm

    […] through post-doctoral programs. You will be REALLY OLD by then, especially if you are a mother of Advanced Maternal Age now. All you will want to do at that point is play some Keno and call it a […]

    Reply
  2. Grandpa Dan: A Legend of a Man | A Mothership Down says:
    May 21, 2014 at 10:34 am

    […] of you might also remember (from the post Advanced Maternal Age, Here I Come!) that my father strengthens his neck in an unorthodox fashion. Here is an artist’s […]

    Reply
  3. Are YOU a Liger Mom? | Lipstick & Politics says:
    July 2, 2014 at 9:37 am

    […] through post-doctoral programs. You will be REALLY OLD by then, especially if you are a mother of Advanced Maternal Age now. All you will want to do at that point is play some Keno and call it a […]

    Reply
  4. Are You a Liger Mom? (A Parenting Philosophy for Mothers With High Hopes But Low Energy) - BLUNTmoms says:
    November 24, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    […] post-doctoral programs. You will be REALLY OLD by then, especially if you are a mother of Advanced Maternal Age now. All you will want to do at that point is play some Keno and call it a […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Welcome to the Mothership!

Hi! I'm Liz, mom to 3 young kids. Like all of you, I have tons of free time on my hands to ponder the complexities of motherhood. Ok I have almost no time, these kids are taking me down. I write this blog to find camaraderie with the rest of you in the trenches. Welcome! Read More…

SEARCH

Popular Posts

The 50 Best Books for Toddlers

The 50 Best Books for Toddlers

I'm Glad We Knew

It Was an Early Loss. But I’m Glad We Knew.

mom and son

To The Parents Who Don’t Feel Like They Can Get It All Done

sleeping baby

In The Nursery, Where Time Stands Stills

Footer

Disclaimer

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Privacy Policy

You can find our Privacy Policy here.

Copyright © 2023 A Mothership Down on the Foodie Pro Theme