Healthy Baby At 38?

[CuriousGeorg]

Went to the doctor today to get a script for prenatals and discuss plans to become pregnant.  I am 38 years old.  She immediately began to spout off statistics about Down's and other problems associated with advanced maternal age.  I must be living in a bubble because I didn't realize that 38 was such a negative number for pregnancy.  Now I am freaked.  Are the statistics that grim?  I have one healthy seven year old son.  Does this help my chances of another healthy pregnancy/baby?

[Regggie]

I think a little of that must be your DR.....I'm 37 now 38 at delivery and my Dr is just the opposite. She is very positive and suggested tests other than Amnio IF I WANTED THEM. That's a bummer, sorry about that!

[chiromom]

Change doctors immediately.  You need a provider that is positive about pregnancy over 35.  There are plenty out there.  Your Doctor will only be negative thought your entire pregnancy.  Run for the hills - and get another opinion.

[RunningL8]

I agree--switch doctors!  38 is not old at all; find a doctor who sees lots of women your age.  (I got pregnant at age 45 and 1/2--which really IS old--and my doctors were really supportive and positive!)

[butterfly_kisses7588]

I agree, see another DR.  Mine said at 38, the biggest concern I had was multiples....not such a bad thing!

[CuriousGeorg]

Thank you all for responding so quickly.  I am going to make a few calls today AND get the prenatal vitamins filled.  I was up quite a while last night reading on the internet about advanced maternal age.  Needless to say, woke up with a killer headache and a whole lot of the same negative info.  I appreciate you all for the positive words.

[mlb1234]

What the heck????  Your doctor must NOT be very well informed.  I am 37y.  My risk at deivery (I will be 38y then) for trisomies using age and weight alone was something like 1:180.  That is LESS THAN 1% without doing any advanced testing.  Now after the first trimester screening my risk went down to like 1:3000 for Down's and 1:6000 for trisomy 13/18.  My AFP also came out totally normal.  Yes chromosomal abnormalities occur more often with advanced maternal age but by no means does it mean you can't have a completely healthy baby even in your 40's.  Even the genetic counselor we saw basically said we didn't really need to do the screen because the risk was very low anyways.  Do not freak out, just get another doctor and talk to a genetic counselor who really understands the numbers.  The early screens are also quite good if you are on the fence about deciding to do amnio.  Our results came back so good that the amnio would be very unnecessary and we did not do one.  Best of luck!!!!

[Baby Vol]

poo on that doctor..thats ridiculous.

[tina1111]

Ditch the doc, lol. I got pg for the 1st time at 40. Unfortunately mc due to lifting something too heavy. They did genetic testing on the baby and was 100% normal. My dr gave me the statistics for Down's, etc because I asked her. After she gave them to me she said "It's funny how the statistics are so much higher for AMA women when the majority of babies with Down's are born to women under 35." She made me feel much better. We do run a higher risk of mc, though. I've had 2 chemical pgs since the 12wk mc. We'll just keep trying :)

[shesherm]

Yeah the ladies are right swith Dr and switch now :O)  The risks do go but they are not off the charts.  good luck and SSBD

[Leila's_Mom]

Congratulations on your pregnancy!!!! How wonderful for you. I concieved my first child at the age of 38 and gave birth to her at 39. She in 2.5 years old and is such a beautiful and healthy child. Yes, the risk of certain complications to you and the baby are higher, however, you still have greater than a 98% chance of having a healthy child.

My approach to genetic testing was to take blood screens; the triple screen. Bare in mind that these screens are only predictive and also have relatively high false positive and false negative rates. We decided that if any of our screens or ultrasounds indicated that there might be a problem, then we would have amniocentesis. Anyway, our screen indicated that our child might have Down's Syndrome (one of my "older" friends also had the triple screen that indicated an abnormality). My friend chose to have amniocentesis as did I. Neither of our babies actually had Down's Syndrome.

All that I can say is that you need to find a good OB who is experienced working with women of so, called advanced maternal age. The OBs I consulted did give us the stats. They have to. But they were also VERY reassuring. In the end, we went with a group of midwives and loved the care theat we recieved. We also chose a natural birth (hynobirthing) that was nice and normal. Lots of women are having babies in their 3rd and 4th decades of life. Lots of us and our kids do JUST FINE! Congratulations and enjoy your pregnancy.

[Leila's_Mom]

I should say that I met 5 or 6 OB groups before we found the right fit. I had to sign on as a new patient for each consultation. It was a pain in rear with all the paperwork, but we wanted to work with people who would monitor our pregnancy and help us feel at ease, not raise fears just because I was over 35.

[April2]

Hey, I just wanted to let you know I got pregnant at 38 and gave birth at 39. I had a very uneventful pregnancy and had a beautiful healthy baby boy. It was a surprise baby. I already had two teenagers! Today he is the joy of my life. Don't worry. Just get plenty of rest, eat right and take your vitamins. You'll be fine. Take care.

[CuriousGeorg]

Thanks everybody for the kind words.  I am going to meet with a new DR next week for a "preconception consultation".  I find myself trying to make small talk with strangers with babies just so I can ask them how old they are.  I am taking prenatal vitamins and doing a lot of thinking.

[cadrmr]

What is a chemical pregnancy