Birth Begins at 40 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781912615582)

What is it like to try for a baby over forty? How easy is it to be a midlife mum? The past two decades have seen a trend in first-time mothers leaving it until their mid or late thirties to try for a child. Now 2% of first time births are to women over forty, and the trend is set to continue.Women are putting their careers first, and it can often be hard to find Mr or Ms Right. There is also a need to feel 'ready' to have a baby, which can take some psychologicalor therapeutic preparation. Also, increased longevity, technological developments and better health and fitnesslevels means being an older parent is a real possibility today. But what are the pitfalls? What are the benefits? And how acceptable is it to be an older mother? This book tells the heartfelt first-person stories of fifteen women trying for a baby in midlife. It looks at the prejudices, the dangers, and the joys of finding out that birth can begin at forty.