Anyone have baby over 40, was difficult to get body back?

[Candiceena]

I have no experience or advice but wanted to say a few things:

1) Good luck to you and DH! I wish you the best & hope this option realizes your dreams

2) At 25, I don't have any children nor am I married. I plan on waiting until I am AT LEAST in my mid 30s to have children, if not closer to 40. I don't think 40 is "old" to have a baby. I think it is AWESOME! Family is family. Love is love. This is an issue I'm very passionate about so I hope I don't come across as too strong-headed but if anyone gives you any crap you just tell them to talk to Candice at Video Fitness and I will set them straight. I am so sick of hearing about "too old" to be a mom. I think it is much better to have some life experience under your belt and be dedicated to being a parent for your baby boy or baby girl!!

Seriously, I think it is awesome!! I hope it works out better than you ever dreamed it could

[momof10]

Good luck to you in your endeavor to have a baby.

I had there of my children over the age of 40. I was 41, 42 and 45. I really didn't have a hard time getting back in shape at all. I always worked out when I was pregnant and I had so many kids to keep up with (10) that I was busy all the time and always watched what I ate. The weight did come off, I just had to work at it a little harder with the last couple. Menopause was harder for me to get back in shape with than having babies. Actually, at one point about 4 years agog looked in the mirror after my shower and I looked like I had just delivered a baby. That was my wake up call.

Don't let any worry about losing weight or body image scare you from going through with the miracle of life. Once you hold that baby in your arms, it will all be worth it.

Cheryl

[Jane P.]

My Mom had me at 42. She maintained her body by healthy eating. I never in my life saw my Mom eat a snack between meals, or eat anything sweet. She was pretty indifferent to tempting food. Unfortunately, I'm not the same.

[Eibhinn]

Originally Posted by Jeanne Marie

Interesting comparison.... my mom had me at age 25 in 1956. She was considered a somewhat "older" first time mom. Thirty years later, I had my son at age 30 in 1987. I was considered a somewhat "older" first time mom. And now, almost 30 years after that, age 40 and above is the yardstick they use for somewhat older.

My grandmother had her first child at 39 years old in 1949, and two others after that. She was a nurse and the doctors she worked with thought she was completely insane, and tried to convince her to terminate the pregnancies because they were sure the kids were all going to be unhealthy. They weren't, and nor was my grandmother, who dropped the baby weight with little effort. Things have really changed over the years!

Good luck with your mothering journey, Cassy - it's great how much more support there is for people who wait longer to have children these days, and how much better the medical establishment is at caring for those moms. Every one's pregnancy and body is different, the key is focusing on your health, and then you'll have the healthy body of a mom, whatever that ends up looking like. Most likely different than now, but undoubtedly beautiful.

[LoveVA]

I had my twins at 41 via IVF and c-section. I lost all of my pregnancy weight within 8 weeks post-delivery. It was happening so fast that I had my doc do some blood tests to make sure there was nothing wrong. The only complication of my pregnancy was pre-eclampsia, which had me on bedrest for the last month of pregnancy.

I'm not sure why it happened, but I have a theory about why it was easy for me to lose the weight. 1) I was a healthy weight pre-pregnancy, 2) I only put on 55 pounds during pregnancy, which was pretty good for having twins. 3) I was back in the gym as soon as my doctor said it was okay, at 7 weeks, which probably help knock off those last few pounds. I'm not saying you'll automatically lose that fast, but I think those factors I listed above are probably just generally good habits that will help you post-pregnancy. However long it takes you to lose the weight, that's how long it will take. Everyone is different. Anyway, you'll be too busy enjoying your little bundle(s) of joy, especially in those first few weeks.

I also did some light, low impact exercising during pregnancy before I was put on bedrest. Once you become pregnant, you'll be classified as a high-risk pregnancy due to your age, so your ability to exercise at an intense level will be limited, but keeping active and moving your body will be of immense in helping you bounce back post-delivery.

Don't worry about being an "old mom at 40." Forget about the age and what other people say. How old do you *feel*? If you are a fairly active person in good health, you will be fine. I can tell you I don't feel any different than I did when I was in my 30s. D**t and exercise probably play a large role in that, but I really believe that so much of age is mental and what your outlook on life is at any given time. You can make yourself "old" just by how you feel.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll do fine. Don't let the fear of weight gain stop you from trying to get pregnant. If anything, I'm finding peri-menopause much harder in keeping my weight under control than pregnancy. Probably the only part of my body that doesn't look exactly the same would be my lower mid-section, but I'm okay with it. Plus, my Brazil Butt Lift is really doing some great things for my abs, even though that isn't my focus right now.

[Jacqi A]

Originally Posted by Candiceena

... I plan on waiting until I am AT LEAST in my mid 30s to have children, if not closer to 40...

There are many, many advantages to having children later, and above it all it would be great if we could decide when we want them, but sadly for many women it can be harder to conceive when they are older.

[Nuggie's Auntie]

Originally Posted by Jacqi A

There are many, many advantages to having children later, and above it all it would be great if we could decide when we want them, but sadly for many women it can be harder to conceive when they are older.

Yes, this this this! Of course, many of us can't control the circumstances that surround becoming parents, but I would humbly suggest if you meet the right person early in life, think twice before delaying parenthood! There are so many ways in which conceiving, carrying to term and birthing children goes more smoothly when you're younger. I was told at the age of 38 that I was running out of eggs, and had a less than 5% chance of getting pregnant. The doc. said the best he could do for me was IVF with donor eggs. I was kind of shocked b/c I didn't think 38 was that old, but he said my results were quite typical for a woman my age.

I don't mean to freak anyone out, but it's just a reality for many of us. Thankfully, I was already pregnant with my DS2 when the doc. told me that!

Anyway, congrats to the OP on embryo adoption! How great! I hope the implantation goes smoothly and someone's calling you 'mom' before you know it!

Like others have said, pregnancy/childbirth takes a toll, but it's absolutely worth it. I was 39 when DS2 was born and had him via C-section, and that really threw me for a loop. I worked out all through the pregnancy, but overnight my core strength was shot. Because I was compensating for my weakness by using other muscles that weren't designed to do what I was asking them to do, I developed many aches and pains.

This is why I'm so passionate about barre workouts, because I really feel like they did so much to get my strength, core stability and flexibility back. I love living in my body now, and my kids were absolutely worth it!

And how great that there are so many ways to become parents for those who struggle to conceive or carry to term naturally.

[Leonana]

Originally Posted by Jacqi A

There are many, many advantages to having children later, and above it all it would be great if we could decide when we want them, but sadly for many women it can be harder to conceive when they are older.

I happened to catch a show on Oprah on this topic. I think they said fertility started decreasing at age 27. I'm glad I already had my dd when I saw the show! We did want a second one, but I think we were lucky to get one child at my age.

[CatInTheHat]

Originally Posted by Cassy

Really in a perfect world I wasn't ready to have kids until like 37. Some of us just take time to be ready.

I do have a close friend who did embryo adoption and has a perfect little girl and I believe gave birth to her at 46.

Anyway back to your question. I did go through fertility treatments and gained a lot just from that. So I got pregnant heavier than I had ever been. I believe it was from the stress of it all I just wasn't eating at my best. I had to have a csection and that really did knock me on my butt. But I did lose about 25-30lbs within the first month just from water weight. Which was my whole pregnancy weight gain. It has however been harder to lose the weight gained from fertility treatments. I feel my legs and face have gone back but my belly is still big. So I've been trying to wear this ab thing they give you after delivery. I probably should have been more consistent with it before. I am breastfeeding but it's not magic for me yet. However I still have faith I can get the weight off. I would say don't let the weight be the reason you don't try. The baby is worth it. I think if I could have had a natural delivery weight could be coming off faster but my abs still hurt if I overdo it. I mainly walk and have just started getting back into workouts now that I'm 3 months past csection.

I just want to add that my mother had me at 28 and she passed away a few years back. However I have a few friends my age whose mother had them at 40 and their mothers are still alive. So there is no way to predict what will happen in the future.

I could have written all of this! Married at 37, not ready before that (or didn't find the right one until then) and we started trying actually before we were married but we had to go the IVF route. It was a long road for us, more because we kept choosing the wrong doctors (not all of them are good!) and I finally got pregnant at 38, had #1 and 39 and I'm now about to turn 41 and I'm 15 weeks pregnant. I don't worry about age other than that I want to be around for a long time to see the kids grow up and get married. But like Cassy pretty much said about her mom vs. her friend's moms: In life there are no guarantees.

I say do it. Because if you don't, or at least don't try, you will regret it. I didn't want to have #2 because I found pregnancy to be rough but there was no way I was going to be 45 and have it be "too late." So we dove in before we were ready. I'm working hard on not gaining too much but it's not easy because your body has a mind of its own. It's pretty easy to get your body back after 1 baby. I hear from friends the subsequent babies are tougher to recover from.

[Jewels5]

I had my youngest right after I turned 41. (I have 5 kids, my first being born when I was 31, and my last four were born via C-Section.) I nursed all of them for a little over a year and it definitely helped with weight loss in the beginning, even though I was always starving and ate way more than when pregnant!! I think more than anything, rest, proper nutrition, and consistent exercise helps.

Originally Posted by CatInTheHat

I hear from friends the subsequent babies are tougher to recover from.

This was true for me, in the sense that the weight didn't "melt off" as it did with my first two, but I think it was more due to the fact that exercise didn't come as easily. With my first two babies I was able to get out with hour long walks with the stroller and by the third it wasn't as convenient. But I worked at it and eventually was back to my pre-baby shape by the time they all turned one.

As far as being an "older mom" it doesn't bother me. I've found the ages of moms are across the board anyway.

I saw go for it, if that's what your heart is telling you. I wish you the best!!