Thinking of Having a Baby at 40?

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any women find themselves thinking of having a baby at 40 or in their 40s. Women’s lives are changing so much that this is becoming very common. However, it is important to take care of our health more intentionally if you are in your 40s then if you are in your 20s or early 30s. Here are some areas to nurture and take some time with to support your baby’s health and your overall experience of being a mother.

1. Make space in your life for pregnancy and a baby. Consciously let go of some extra commitments. Plan two years where you can place more energy towards your body and baby. This means shifting priorities.
2. Build up your nutrient reserves. Intentional eating that supports maternal health with foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin C and B-complex.
3. Strengthen your heart as it will work over time with the extra blood volume from pregnancy.
4. Build your support circle of family, friends, pregnancy/postpartum practitioners and sources for educational classes to have  as many resources you may need later on.
5. Learn to cook either with crock pots, or making freezer meals for one week at a time to reduce cooking stress after pregnancy.
6. Develop a simple 10minute mediation/yoga practice that can help you to relax. Relaxation helps conception, supports pregnancy, and restores you in that first year with a new baby.
7. If you’re overweight, aim to loose 10% of your body weight.
8. Cultivate a daily check in with your partner and a weekly “together” time so that you already have routines that nurture your relationship when baby arrives.

All these topics can be gone more into, but for the sake of this article, I wanted to give an overview of how to prepare yourself if you want to have a baby at 40 or older. Many women are in the best health of their life in their 40s, but for those who aren’t, it can be perfect motivation to really put your health first. Making a baby from our own body is a very demanding task, and afterwards, you want to be able to enjoy the time you have with your baby and not feel run down and depleted. Having a baby at 40 is a time to honor your female body as a powerful, but also vulnerable, vessel for creation that will thrive best with extra love and support. Investing in your health is the best gift to give to yourself and your baby.

If you want to know more about any of these topics I listed, please leave a comment below.