Pregnant at 40

My Story

I just turned 41 yesterday. I have a 6-month-old baby boy, and my other children are 19 and 22 years old. Back in June of 1994, I had a tubal. The doctor said he clipped, tied and burned my tubes and that I would never get pregnant again. My husband and I even went through counseling because this would be final and there would be no more children.

Low and behold, in May of 2005 I got very sick. In a week and a half I lost 21 pounds. I could eat nothing. I thought for sure I had a heck of a stomach virus that I just couldn't get over. I finally broke down and went to a doctor, who in turn sent me to a gastrologist, who in turn told me I needed to go see an ob/gyn. I was pregnant! My daughter was graduating from high school at the end of that week, so boy was I in shock. I could not believe it, pregnant and turning 40!

I was so scared. I heard all the negatives of getting pregnant at this age. The baby could come out sick, I could get sick, the whole nine yards. On top of all that, I was on medication because I was in a severe car accident which left my back and neck messed up.

My Steps

The first OB I saw acted like it was no big deal. He even told me I could continue to take the meds I was on for my back. I knew he was crazy, so my search for an OB began. Once I finally found the one that I liked, the tests began. It had been 19 years since I had been pregnant, and things sure have changed since then. I had more blood drawn over those nine months than I have ever had drawn in my life. So far everything looked good.

The Hard Part

I stayed sick throughout the whole pregnancy -- 24/7 morning sickness, potassium too low, not enough iron in my blood. Then came the amnio. I refused it. It was a risk to the baby, the triple sec came back all negative, I didn't want to know for the next four months that my baby was sick. We will take what the good lord is giving us. My blood pressure got a little high at about eight months, but nothing to where I was put on continued bed rest. I was just told to take it easy.

It was a Monday and I awoke feeling crampier than I had. I cramped throughout my whole pregnancy, and my doctor said it was my age. I saw the doctor on Thursday and told him I was really cramping a lot more than I had been. He did an exam and told me it would be at least another two weeks, that the baby was no where near being where he needed to be. I was due on that up coming Monday, Dec. 26, 2005. Then on the morning of Dec. 24, I awoke to even more cramping than the previous days. It was off and on all day long. We went and finished our last minute Christmas shopping and went to dinner that evening, that whole time I was still cramping. By 8:30 p.m. I was in bed hurting. At 10:30 p.m. my husband told me to get on the phone and call someone, anyone. I called the doctor on call, it was Christmas Eve, and she told me it sounded like maybe some preterm labor. She said to not come to the hospital until the cramps were seven to 10 minutes apart and steady. By 11:45 p.m. the cramps were steady. I waited until midnight to go to the hospital because I was having a Christmas baby. I call him my little miracle.

Me Now

I should have never gotten pregnant to begin with. It was Christmas Sunday and he came out perfect. What more could I ask for!

Life altering? Yes! Would I change it? No way! You can't imagine what it is like to have a baby in the house again. It is wonderful and amazing to have a child later in life. You notice everything. When you are young things just slip by. I so often say, "I don't remember my other children doing this or doing that." What a life altering experience. It is hard to adjust, but I love my little miracle.

My Practical Advice

So ladies, remember, nothing is forever. You can't change nature, the lord writes your destiny. If you're destined to have three, four, or five children, whatever the case may be, then so be it.