Moms-to-Be Over 35: Don’t Let the Term “High-Risk” Get You Down
Older moms have healthy babies every day. Follow your doctor’s orders, educate yourself and stay healthy in mind and body.
Google “geriatric pregnancy”—the medical term given to pregnancies involving women over age 35—and you’ll find way too many articles with a negative spin, presenting a laundry list of increased risks. But talk to a seasoned high-risk OB-GYN and you are likely see a brighter picture.
The stigma that women can’t—or shouldn’t—get pregnant after age 35 is as tired and unsubstantiated as the myth that women can’t be sexy after 40. That age limitation is based on antiquated birth and complication rates from an entirely different era. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for older women to conceive and carry to term. In fact, the number of women age 40–44 giving birth has been on the incline since the early 1980s. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports, even in the midst of declining general birth rates, the only group having more babies year after year are women over 40. And new mamas giving birth in their 30s now surpasses those in their 20s! Let’s do away with both “geriatric pregnancy” and “non-traditional mom,” shall we?
If you are on your way to becoming a mom and you’re considered high-risk, you should be aware from the start that there are some additional requirements and steps that you’ll need to endure to tip the safety scales in your favor. But if you’re of the same mindset as I am, there’s no such thing as overcautious when it comes to your little one. Though I found it somewhat stressful to be labeled “high-risk,” I counterbalanced that fear by completely surrendering to the process and listening to my doctor wholeheartedly.
The first thing you need to do is find an OB who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. After a three-week wait just to see if my high-risk doctor would take me on, I was lucky enough to get confirmed by the head of the high-risk program at a local hospital. During the initial visit, she never made me feel singled out for my age. And I love that she avoided skipping ahead to all of the “what-ifs” and stayed focused on the next few weeks. That’s a very important thing to keep in mind for successful, calm high-risk pregnancy management. You’ll likely be asked to come in for a checkup once a month, and will need to do several ultrasounds throughout the pregnancy. You’ll take a battery of tests to check that you’re in the best health possible to support your growing baby—and while waiting for results is scary, it’s really a smart way to get ahead of any potential issues. I was borderline low for my thyroid numbers. While this would not trigger any kind of treatment normally, my doctor said that I’d need a thyroid supplement during pregnancy just to be absolutely certain it wouldn’t cause any problems.The great thing about being deemed high-risk is that your doctor will cast a wider net than usual and go above and beyond in the caution department.
One issue that does affect a large percentage of all pregnancies is elevated risk of UTI (urinary tract infection). I contracted my first while out of town visiting my family for Christmas last year and it was a frightening experience for one reason — the urgent care clinic I visited did a culture and tested negative for bacterial growth, and they didn’t know what to do with me. The nurse practitioner had given me an antibiotic that I started taking, but he told me, “Sorry, it’s not a UTI, so stop taking the meds and follow up with your OB.” So here I was on Christmas eve with no OB practices open, thinking something went horribly wrong. I even considered flying back to Montreal, but then my doctor was out of town, too. It took a few calls to my home hospital, a talk with a nurse and substituting OB, but a few hours later I found out that 60% of pregnant women with UTIs test negative at the first culture! It would have been helpful if my urgent care doc had this knowledge, so I’m pretty adamant about sharing this stat with all the newly pregnant women I come across. At the nurse’s advice, I continued the meds, had relief about day 9, and promptly contracted another UTI two weeks later. That one was treated successfully as well, and when I felt the rumblings of a third, the nurse recommended a home remedy that knocked it out. If this happens to you, know that that 100% pure blueberry juice is the new cranberry juice and it’s a miracle cure.
Whether you Google it or your doctor fills you in on the nuances and risks of carrying a child as an older mom—low birth weight, high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, C-section, etc.—these risks don’t exist in a vacuum and you are not reduced merely to your age. Each woman’s body is unique and believing the blanket statistics can be stressful and misleading. Many health and safety strategies exist in the world of high-risk pregnancy care to counter whatever may come up, and there are a lot of things you can do to mitigate potential problems. Healthy diet, regular exercise (adhering to high-risk guidelines such as avoiding overexertion), regular screenings and a positive outlook are all extremely beneficial. Call your doctor for any concerns no matter how small, nurture a loving home environment and don’t feed into fear. Enjoy the day-to-day changes your body is experiencing, plan for baby’s arrival, and focus on the anticipation and excitement of meeting your sweet one.
