Benefits of Having a Child Later in Life

People rarely discuss the advantages of having a child after 35. Instead, we frequently hear solely about concerns about pregnancy later in age. This makes sense because knowing we have a ticking biological clock might be terrifying. And it is true that the amount of eggs in people’s ovaries diminishes with age. Pregnancy above the age of 35 increases the chance of difficulties such as hypertension or diabetes, as well as genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome for your kid.

However, there are a number of strong reasons to have a baby after 35. In fact, there is no one right moment for pregnancy, and there are several benefits to delaying motherhood.

Learn more :The Facts About Having a Baby After 35

Potential Advantages of Having a Having a Child Later After 35

There is no ideal age to have children, and it’s always a good idea to talk to a health care practitioner about your family-building goals to ensure that you’re aware of any health risks to consider. But the good news is that more and more research shows that there are some unexpected benefits to being an older parent—for both the parent and their child.

Having a baby beyond 35 may improve your mental ability.

According to studies, having children later in life can help you stay cognitively bright as you age. A research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined 830 middle-aged women to see if there was a relationship between having a baby later in life and cognitive function.

The researchers discovered that people who had their last kid after the age of 35 had better cognitive and language memory following menopause. They also discovered that persons who had their first child after the age of 24 were better problem solvers than those who had children earlier.

You are likely to feel happier and less worried.

Research indicates that older parents experience less stress and more pleasure and joy after having children than their younger counterparts. According to the authors of a 2017 review, “existing studies show that happiness increases around and after childbirth among older mothers, whereas for younger mothers the effect does not exist or is short-lived.”

Your youngster may have a lower risk of injury.

Parents of all ages want to do their best to protect their children. However, some studies show that as a child’s mother age increases, the chance of an unintentional injury requiring medical attention decreases, probably because older parents are more aware of threats and/or better able to protect against them.

One study, published in the British Medical Journal in 2012, indicated that at age three, a child’s risk of unintentional injury decreased from 36.6% for women aged 20 to 28.6% for moms aged 40.3. Another more recent study from Japan, which examined the chances of unintentional injuries and hospital admissions at 18 and 66 months based on maternal age, reached the same finding.

“Although the precise reasons for fewer injuries are unknown, it is clear that one health benefit of being born to an older mother is a lower risk of suffering an unintentional injury,” says Patricia Salber, M.D., creator and Editor-in-Chief of The Doctor Weighs In.

You might be more emotionally ready.

There is no doubt that being older brings a sense of maturity. (Think about how much you’ve changed since you were a teenager!) Research suggests that maturity also contributes to better parenting.

In a 2017 study published in the journal European Journal of Development, Dutch researchers investigated the psychosocial development of two groups of children aged 7, 11, and 15. One set was born to mothers over the age of 31, and the other to mothers under the age of 31. When they examined their psychosocial development, they discovered that older mothers were less prone to scold or physically discipline their children.

“Overall, the children of older moms were better behaved, well socialized, and emotionally healthy in their pre-teen years,” said Dr. Salber. “In other words, older moms’ more relaxed parenting behaviors appear to have paid off for these youngsters.”

Your youngster is likely to be more technologically savvy and more educated.

Your child is more likely to grow up comprehending increasingly sophisticated levels of technology if you wait longer to have them.

“The educational, technological, and social advancements made during the years of postponed parenthood are beneficial to children of older parents,” says Kameelah Phillips, M.D., OB-GYN in New York City. “A Swedish study noted that when these advances are considered, children of older parents tend to be healthier and more educated.”