Age isn't just a number

In my previous poll I asked "what is the best age to start a family?" Most people answered in the 25-30 age range, but I did get a few votes for over 30. While I would really like to be finished with having my children before the big 30 hits, it is becoming more and more common to start your family in your 30's. My husband recently met a couple who waited until they were 40 to start their family. They said it provided them with  better financial freedom and time together as husband and wife before introducing children. Is this the reason more and more people are waiting to have kids later in life? 1 in 5 babies are now born to parents over 30. That's a pretty big number! My biggest concern would be that with age comes more risk. Women who wait longer to have children have more fertility complications and are at a higher risk for having a child with a birth defect. At age 35 the chance of having a child with Down Syndrome is 1 in 400, more than triple the rate of someone at age 25 ( 1 in 1250). Not to mention the increased chance for miscarriage. Could waiting too late in life be the cause of all the fertility problems we are hearing of? Are women choosing to wait until their 30's to have kids or are they just not able to find 'the right one' earlier in life? As a married woman in her mid-early 20's, I can certainly say that I will not be waiting, I'd rather not take a chance on those statistics.

Newest baby bin addition!

My husband and I decided to add the CD "Lullabies for baby" by Timothy Frantzich to our baby bin this time around.( See the original baby bin post here) I have a friend who uses one of these CD's to help put her little one down and her child falls asleep much faster than others I've seen. We have all heard how terrible things can be for the first few months you bring a new baby home, if this can even remotely help with that transition, it is surely worth a try. Plus, it was on sale for just $9.99 and comes with a 1 year subscription to the PARENTS magazine.

On a side note, we are getting closer to one of our major pre-baby must have items! We have put an offer on a house a few months ago and should hear today whether or not we were approved! It has been a long road to this point, so I'm hoping the sellers agree and we can start the closing process! I'd sure love to be in a new place before Summer!

Timing is Everything

When do you know for sure you are ready to be a parent? Many people do not get the chance to answer this question. They or their significant other is pregnant and they must become ready in 9 or so months regardless. Here is what I think should tell you.

First, for me, was emotionally prepared. I want a baby, a child of my own and want to give it all the love in the world. It sounds simple, but its really not. You have to want a baby enough to be willing to go through LABOR to get one!

Secondly, and this is most important in my mind, is to be financially ready. Can you afford to be out of work for 6 weeks with your baby? Can you afford the next year buying diapers at a rapid rate? Can you afford adding your new child to your insurance? Do you have a safe vehicle and a safe house?
Can you without a doubt say "I can provide for this child!"

Third, Physically prepared. Are you overweight or underweight? Are you ready to endure 9 months of carrying another person and then pushing them out?

Lastly, is your partner as ready as you? This one is tricky to know. They may say they are ready, but they may not be. I thought this to be the case with my husband, which is partially why we have been happy to have our TTC date in May of 2012. (Other than the financial part which we are still working on.)

I thought that, at least, until last night. I have had the flu for several days now and have not been able to do much expect sit/sleep on the couch and walk a few feet to the computer. Last night, going to bed, my husband offered to read another chapter of our book to me. I was too tired, so I rejected. I was nearly half asleep at that point anyway. I tried very hard to stay awake and watch what my husband did next. He grabbed "so your going to be a dad" and started reading. I could not keep my eyes open, but I heard him laughing and today I looked to see he had read a whole chapter last night. That small act, when he thought I wasn't paying attention at all, shows me that he is more ready than I thought.

Boy or Girl?

In my "What to Expect Before Your Expecting" book, it discusses choosing the sex of your baby. I never really thought that this was possible. It mentions that these methods might just tip the scales in your preferred gender's direction. If you weren't in a hurry to get pregnant would you use it?
Here are the basics of this theory (the Shettles method)
Female Chromosome Sperm are:
1) Slower  2) Bigger and 3) Can live longer in the harsh conditions of the female anatomy.
 Male Chromosome Sperm then are opposite:
1) Faster  2) Smaller and 3) die faster in harsh conditions of the female anatomy.

So the idea goes:
If you want a girl, have intercourse 2 days prior to your ovulation date so that the majority of the Male Sperm die and there are only the female sperm left to fertilize your egg. (this also means that if you are off on your date, you wont get pregnant at all)
If you want a boy, have intercourse as close to your ovulation time as possible, so the fast male sperm fertilize the egg first.
More information here:
http://www.fertilityfriend.com/Faqs/Gender-Selection-The-Shettles-Method.html
It is interesting though. Once we start TTC, I may give this method a shot for the first few months and see how it goes...