I will be 44 years old in April.

I am fifteen weeks pregnant with my seventh child...

YIKES!

My six children are 21, 18, 15, 10, 4 and 2 years old.

All of my children are happy about my pregnancy (the youngest two don't know or care).

Except the 15-year-old, who had problems with the news.

What's up with that?

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Hot Flashes Warm Bottles: First-Time Mothers Over Forty
by Nancy London

-- The first prescriptive and anecdotal guidebook for the multitudes of older moms, and distills the wisdom, insight, and practical advice gathered during her years as a therapist and support group leader.

With tips for renewing physical and sexual energy, parenting after infertility and adoption, balancing career and family, and caring for elderly parents, the personal stories from these older moms are often humorous, sometimes surprising, but always reassuring.

Without exception, the reader will be left with the comforting knowledge that she is not alone on her journey. Hot Flashes fills a much-needed place in the parenting field, at a time when more and more women are embracing motherhood later in life.

📚 Paperback: 192 pages
Click to order/for more info: Hot Flashes Warm Bottles

Just to let all you hopefuls out there that this does happen!

Women can frequently become pregnant after their 40s and 50s but can struggle to sustain their pregnancy due to lack of hormones and health-related complications, such as blood pressure problems, etc.

When there is a problem with menses, often their OB/GYN gives progesterone to promote sloughing of the lining of the uterus; this may also slough off an early embryo.

Being a nurse, I never assume anymore a woman over 50 years old isn't pregnant, as the last call I received was from a 56-year-old woman who sustained a pregnancy unassisted in any way.

She gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, with no complications at all.

She even had a natural birth, with no medical assistance!

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Take Charge of Your Fertility (Teach Yourself)
by Heather Welford

-- Explains everything the prospective parent may need to know as they face the physical, emotional and practical challenges of trying for a baby.

It covers health issues in full, from basic biology and an explanation of fertility and cycles to outlining what supplements are useful and what isn't, and how you can maximize your chances by following a healthy diet and cutting alcohol or nicotine intake.

There are plenty of resources and guidelines for parents facing difficulties, including a guide to the medical options, and advice on how to seek further help.

It will help couples to deal with the emotional issues faced when trying for a baby, and will also give practical information on who you should tell and who you must tell, and when.

With coverage of all aspects of very early pregnancy, from do-it-yourself tests to the very first scan, it will be a useful resource that will help all prospective parents, whether looking to start or to expand their family.

📚 Paperback: 192 pages
Click to order/for more info: Take Charge of Your Fertility

📚 Start reading Take Charge of Your Fertility on your Kindle in under a minute!

📚 Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

MOST women from about age 13 to age 52 can get pregnant after sexual intercourse.

These are called the reproductive years.

If you're sexually active, and you don't want to get pregnant, you DO have to use a reliable form of birth control.

Otherwise, you DO risk getting pregnant.

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Eat, Love, Get Pregnant: A Couple's Guide To Boosting Fertility and Having A Healthy Baby
by Karen Daniels

-- A breakthrough revolutionary plan for getting pregnant fast, solving common fertility problems and having a healthy baby – this is NOT your average book on getting pregnant!

Renowned fertility expert Dr. Niels Lauersen and women's wellness expert Colette Bouchez help readers take charge of their fertility with a revolutionary new self-help plan designed to show couples how to work together to boost their conception odds, plan for a healthy pregnancy, and get pregnant faster – all without the use of expensive fertility treatments or medications.

Based on scientific research and tested on thousands of couples Eat-Love- GET PREGNANT is a simple yet revolutionary plan that provides the quintessential missing link absent from most other fertility programs – namely, the importance of not only boosting both male and female fertility simultaneously, but bold new evidence showing how, when couples work together in certain special and unique ways, they can create a unified fertility power boost strong enough to take them from infertile to fertile in as little as three months

Paperback: 116 pages
Click to order/for more info: Eat, Love, Get Pregnant

Start reading Eat, Love, Get Pregnant on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

I haven't posted in a while even though I have been lurking around every once in a while.

About eight weeks ago, I started acupuncture. I feel it's helped me a lot.

I changed how I ate based on my acupuncturist's advice, and she treated me according to where I was in my cycle.

I visit her weekly.

Anyway, the other day my best friend blurted out I think you are pregnant!

The same night, my mom told me my son said he wanted a brother.

The next morning (yesterday), I decided to test as my temperature was still up.

The second pink line was faint but got darker towards the three-minute mark.

I used a FRER [First Response Early Result pregnancy test].

I have an appointment to see the OB [obstetrician] this afternoon for blood work.

I am still in a fog! Think sticky bean!

Don't give up - we 40-somethings can do it!

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Secret Diary of a New Mum Aged 43 1/4
by Cari Rosen

-- Whatever your age, becoming a mum for the first time brings with it excitement, anxiety and numerous challenges.

But how do you cope when, to top it all, you discover you are old enough to be the mother of everyone else in your NCT group?

The story of one woman, one new baby, a slipped disc and rather too many wrinkles, The Secret Diary of a New Mum (Aged 43 1/4) follows the tale of a midlife mum as she tries to make the transition from experienced TV producer to utterly inexperienced parent.

One in five babies is born to a mum over 35, and the number of over 40s giving birth has doubled.

The first humorous narrative account of what it's really like to be a midlife mum - whether it's deftly side-stepping any questions about age and baby number two or weeping as younger counterparts ping back into their size ten jeans within thirty seconds of giving birth.

This is the thoroughly entertaining, insightful and often hilarious account of what happens as you face up to menopause and new motherhood at the same time.

Paperback: 256 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Secret Diary of a New Mum Aged 43 1/4

Start reading The Secret Diary of a New Mum Aged 43 1/4 on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

In 2005, there were more than 104,000 births in the United States to women ages 40 through 44, and over 6,500 to women 45 years old and older.

The birth rate for women in the 40-44 age group has risen steadily since 2000, by 2% annually! It rose 4% from 2015 to 2016.

The birth rate for women 45-49 years old remained unchanged from 2008 till 2012. It rose 0.8% from 2015 to 2016.

The birth rate for women aged 50 and over has remained unchanged since 2006.

Let's check the latest birth stats over 40!




Women in their 40s
—The birth rate for women aged 40–44 was 11.4 births per 1,000 women in 2016, up 4% from 2015 (11.0) (Table 2) to the highest rate for this group since 1966 (11). The number of births to women in their early 40s increased by 1% from 2015 to 2016.

The birth rate for women aged 45–49 (which includes births to women aged 50 and over) was 0.9 births per 1,000 women in 2016, up from 0.8 in 2015. The number of births to women aged 45 and over was essentially unchanged from 2015 to 2016.

Women aged 50 and over
— A total of 786 births in 2016 were to women aged 50 and over, essentially unchanged from 2015 (754) (Table 3) (10). The number of births to women in this age group has generally increased since 1997 (144) when data for women aged 50 and over became available again. The birth rate for women aged 50–54 was 0.7 births per 10,000 women in 2016, unchanged from 2015. Because of the small number of births to women in this age group, the birth rate for women aged 50–54 is expressed per 10,000 women. For rates shown elsewhere in this report, births to women aged 50 and over are included with births to women aged 45–49 when computing birth rates by age of mother (the denominator for the rate is women aged 45–49).

Source: National Vital Statistics Reports | CDC.gov

Photo credit: Births and Natality,
Births: Final Data for 2016 by CDC - All rights reserved

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Infertility Cure: The Ancient Chinese Wellness Program for Getting Pregnant and Having Healthy Babies
by Randine Lewis

-- Infertility affects one out of six couples today.

Dr. Lewis presents a groundbreaking alternative approach to infertility, explaining how she used traditional Chinese medicine to treat her own infertility, successfully conceiving and giving birth to two children.

In Lewis's experience, women who have undergone three to six months of the dietary changes, herbs and acupuncture treatments become pregnant with no further effort.

Lewis intersperses her somewhat technical examination of the program with anecdotes about her patients, weaving in discussions on diet, herbal supplements, acupuncture, older women and problems related to infertility.

Paperback: 320 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Infertility Cure

Well, you can add me to your list!

I am the oldest of all of you at 48 years old.

This is not planned, but we have been married 21 years, and there are a lot of worse things than another baby.

We have five healthy children: Steven - 01/87, Jonathan - 12/89, Joshua - 07/91, Jessica - 03/95 and Samantha - 05/01!

We had seven years of no children, and altogether I have had 23 miscarriages.

My doctor said she had never known a woman to conceive naturally after the age of 44 years old, without help.

I didn't believe her for four years, and then just when I started feeling safe......

Well, here we are!

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Fertility Code
by Dermot O'Connor
-- The Fertility Code program delivers a powerful and practical step-by-step approach for those who wish to give themselves the best chance of starting a family.

As many as 500,000 couples in the UK and Ireland actively seek help with fertility, such as IVF treatment each year. While some are legitimate candidates, many have been proven to just need proper lifestyle and fertility advice and assistance in order to conceive.

The Fertility Code is designed for these people, and for those who need more serious intervention, to optimize their fertility. There are a variety of factors that can contribute to preventing a couple from having a baby.

This is why it is important that a fertility plan should address as many of these potential issues as possible. Through many years' experience of helping thousands of couples to become parents, Dermot O'Connor knows that such a plan must be easy to understand, easy to implement and genuinely effective.

The Fertility Code combines the best of both Eastern and Western medicine to provide a comprehensive guide to conceiving successfully and carrying a baby to full term.
It details the optimum plan to enhance fertility, and delivers a proven strategy, incorporating the key elements consistently utilized by the couples Dermot has helped:

• Fertility Awareness Strategies
• The psychology of fertility
• Optimum nutrition for conception and pregnancy
• The importance of detoxification

Paperback: 224 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Fertility Code

Start reading The Fertility Code on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Photo credit: Isabella,by Bev Sykes

My sister in law from Toronto, Canada had her first baby at 45 years old - she had a beautiful baby girl!

She said her OB/GYN was so supportive.

I have to remember... my grandma gave birth to my uncle in her 40s.

My mom also gave birth to my little brother in her 40s...

I'm gonna follow the pattern!

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
When You're Not Expecting: An Infertility Survival Guide
by Constance Hoenk Shapiro

-- Surviving the challenges of infertility

Often enduring years of heartache, couples with infertility number over 7.3 million. Enduring the daunting difficulties of treatment is something few women are prepared for.

Based on the personal stories of 200 women determined to overcome infertility, this surprisingly upbeat survivors' guide gives the kind of hard-won wisdom essential to making it through the process.

Not only does the book detail coping strategies, it also presents tips for strengthening stressed relationships and addresses the unique needs of single women and lesbians.

An essential guide for women and couples, friends and family, and health care providers and therapists, this book offers the solace and strength needed to prevail even after years of struggle.

Written by a therapist, consultant, and public speaker dedicated to the study of infertility and its emotional impact.

For any woman or couple who feel as if they're facing infertility alone, When You're Not Expecting is a must-have book.

Paperback: 272 pages
Click to order/for more info: When You're Not Expecting

My mum's friend had a lovely boy at the age of 48 years old.

Her son is now a lovely grown-up man.

I just had my second boy when I was 41 years old, and my friend, Elibean, had her second daughter at 46 years old.

Good luck!

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Unsung Lullabies: Understanding and Coping with Infertility
by Martha Diamond, David Diamond and Janet Jaffe

-- For people experiencing infertility, wanting a baby is a craving unlike any other. The intensity of their longing is matched only by the complexity of the emotional maze they must navigate.

With insight and compassion, Drs. Janet Jaffe, Martha Diamond, and David Diamond-specialists in the field of Reproductive Psychology who have each experienced their own struggle with infertility-give couples the tools to:

 • Reduce their sense of helplessness and isolation
 • Identify their mates' coping styles to erase unfair expectations
 • Listen to their unsung lullabies--their conscious and unconscious dreams about having a family -- to mourn the losses of infertility and move on.

Ground-breaking, wise, and compassionate, Unsung Lullabies is a necessary companion for anyone coping with infertility.

Paperback: 304 pages
Click to order/for more info: Unsung Lullabies

Start reading Unsung Lullabies on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Although I am a fertility expert at a top UK clinic, which shall remain anonymous for obvious reasons, I can confirm I have witnessed some highly unscrupulous tactics used by certain fertility specialists and clinics.

I have spoken to many couples who had allegedly undergone fertility tests at some of these clinics and were told they had a 0% chance of conceiving naturally.

When these couples then came to me for a second opinion, I performed the same tests and from the results, I would estimate approximately 80% of these couples should have eventually been able to conceive naturally.

These practices horrify me since there are enough genuinely infertile couples out there who need help.

There is no reason why a healthy woman over the age of 40, who is having regular periods and who is otherwise in excellent health, should not be able to have a baby.

These women should be encouraged, not discouraged, especially since they will undoubtedly provide the strong foundations a child needs in order to develop into a delightful young person.

There are too many children in the world who are unwanted and unloved - often born to young parents - so maybe all the people who are opposed to older parents should refocus their sights on those neglected children.

-- Brian MB ChB, PhD, FRCOG, UK

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Garden of Fertility: A Guide to Charting Your Fertility Signals to Prevent or Achieve Pregnancy--Naturally--and to Gauge Your Reproductive Health
by Katie Singer

-- A guide to using fertility awareness - that is, reading fertility signals in order to prevent or achieve pregnancy.

Certified fertility educator Katie Singer explains how to observe and chart fertility cycles to determine when a woman is most fertile to increase chances of conception or to exercise birth control naturally - a method, when followed precisely, is as effective as the Pill.

Unlike other books on fertility awareness, The Garden of Fertility also describes how to use the charts to gauge gynecological health and offers non-medical options for strengthening reproductive wellness.

This book provides all the information women never learned in sex education class but should have.

Paperback: 320 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Garden of Fertility

Photo credit: Averie samples the M, by David Amsler

I became pregnant at 44 years old, and I gave birth at 45 years old.

My first clinic was Yale Fertility Center.

I felt it didn't matter what the protocol the clinic put me on, because the clinic was so disorganized and poorly run.

They just kept overcooking my eggs, the timing of ovulation was off, residents doing egg retrievals, I could go on and on.

Yes, I am bitter. Changed to NYU Fertility Center.

Dr. Grifo was good but he was not comfortable with AMA [advanced maternal age].

Overall, a really good clinic.

Changed to Cornell Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility, and RE [Reproductive Endocrinologist] Owen Davis.

He put me on EPP [Estrogen Primping Protocol]. It worked!

I am also a poor responder, with an FSH [Follicle Stimulating Hormone] on the high end of normal, with a past history of one live birth at 41 years old, without the help of an RE [Reproductive Endocrinologist].

I also have PCOS-like [Polycystic ovary syndrome] profile.

Insulin resistant, high cholesterol, acne (yuck), but regular periods.

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The PCOS Diet Plan: A Natural Approach to Health for Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
by Hillary Wright

-- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age, and if left unchecked, is linked to serious health issues like infertility, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and endometrial cancer.

In this groundbreaking book, registered dietitian Hillary Wright explains this increasingly diagnosed disorder and introduces the holistic symptom-management program she developed by working with hundreds of patients.

With Wright's proven diet and lifestyle-based program, you can influence your reproductive hormones and take charge of your health.

Featuring a carbohydrate distribution approach at its core, The PCOS Diet Plan also zeroes in on exactly what exercise, supplements, and self-care choices you can make to feel better every day.

Paperback: 256 pages
Click to order/for more info: The PCOS Diet Plan

Start reading The PCOS Diet Plan on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

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Photo credit: Tiny and Mom, by Brian

Just wanted to share I ran into a woman at the Reproductive immunologist's office today.

She had just given birth two weeks ago, and she was 46 years old!

She had IVF [in vitro fertilization] - believe it or not!!

This was only her second try.

Her first child was born with IVF when she was 41 years old.

She didn't have high FSH [follicle stimulating hormone], but thought you guys would like to hear this story!!

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Garden of Fertility: A Guide to Charting Your Fertility Signals to Prevent or Achieve Pregnancy--Naturally--and to Gauge Your Reproductive Health
by Katie Singer

-- A guide to using fertility awareness - that is, reading fertility signals in order to prevent or achieve pregnancy.

Certified fertility educator Katie Singer explains how to observe and chart fertility cycles to determine when a woman is most fertile to increase chances of conception or to exercise birth control naturally - a method that, when followed precisely, is as effective as the Pill.

Unlike other books on fertility awareness, The Garden of Fertility also describes how to use the charts to gauge the gynecological health and offers non-medical options for strengthening reproductive wellness.

This book provides all the information women never learned in sex education class but should have.

Paperback: 320 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Garden of Fertility

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Photo credit: Eli enjoying Megan's company, by Shawn Anderson

My obstetrician said his oldest mum, who conceived naturally, was 47 years old.

She had a problem-free pregnancy.

He says he has had quite a few mums in their 40s.

So he is very hopeful for me.

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Infertility Cure: The Ancient Chinese Wellness Program for Getting Pregnant and Having Healthy Babies
by Randine Lewis

-- Infertility affects one out of six couples today.

Dr. Lewis presents a groundbreaking alternative approach to infertility, explaining how she used traditional Chinese medicine to treat her own infertility, successfully conceiving and giving birth to two children.

In Lewis's experience, women who have undergone three to six months of the dietary changes, herbs and acupuncture treatments become pregnant with no further effort.

Lewis intersperses her somewhat technical examination of the program with anecdotes about her patients, weaving in discussions on diet, herbal supplements, acupuncture, older women and problems related to infertility.

Paperback: 320 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Infertility Cure

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Photo credit: My daughter, by Rus M

I've come across TONS of medical articles on the internet, warning women they still need to use birth control during menopause!

Because some women DO get pregnant during menopause.

It seems odd these same medical experts aggressively tell older women they can't get pregnant.

They talk out of both sides of their mouths.

It is becoming clearer to me many older women are fertile - but society wants to make us think otherwise.

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Belated Baby: A Guide to Parenting After Infertility
by Kelly James-Enger and Jill S. Browning

-- Infertility is a mindset and every woman who experiences infertility is forever changed, even when she eventually has the child she yearned for.

When many women who have gone through fertility treatments describe their experience, they say it abused their soul.

The experience may have also hurt their relationship with their husband, and sometimes permanently altered relationships with their extended families.

Studies show even after the desperation of infertility subsides, emotional wounds still fester, and an asterisk accompanies her bundle of joy.

Paperback: 242 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Belated Baby

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Hi, my name is Carol.

I am 45 years old and pregnant!

Unfortunately, I have had many early losses in my early 40s.

But I am so hopeful for this precious baby!

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Belated Baby: A Guide to Parenting After Infertility
by Kelly James-Enger and Jill S. Browning

-- Infertility is a mind-set and that every woman who experiences infertility is forever changed, even when she eventually has the child she yearned for.

When many women who have gone through fertility treatments describe their experience, they say it abused their soul.

The experience may have also hurt their relationship with their husband and sometimes permanently altered relationships with their extended families.

Studies show that even after the desperation of infertility subsides, emotional wounds still fester and an asterisk accompanies her bundle of joy.

Paperback: 242 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Belated Baby

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Photo credit: My Little Angel, by Simona Balint

He impressed me as perhaps one of the most brilliant doctors I have met in a very long time, and very personable and kind and compassionate as well.

And the VERY first thing he said to me was Your age doesn't bother me in the least.

Then later on he told me he has had women come in to see him up until 50 and have babies.

He feels VERY STRONGLY the line oh your eggs are too old is a bunch of hogwash.

He maintains there is no such thing as old eggs, but what there is, are bodies ravaged over the years with infections - making it almost impossible to house a baby.

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:

Dr. Richard Marrs' Fertility Book: America's Leading Infertility Expert Tells You Everything You Need to Know About Getting Pregnant
by Richard Marrs

-- A pioneer in the field of assisted reproduction, Dr. Richard Marrs has spent his life counseling couples who struggle with the pain of infertility, developing new treatments, and helping thousands to experience the wonder of birth.

Now Dr. Marrs shares his knowledge and expertise in a groundbreaking book that answers all your questions, understands your concerns, and covers every aspect of fertility problems, including infertility's emotional price as well as its financial one.

Based on the latest research and technologies -- and the real-life experiences of thousands of couples -- Dr. Marrs tells you everything you need to know about getting pregnant.

Paperback: 528 pages
Click to order/for more info: Dr. Richard Marrs' Fertility Book

Start reading Dr. Richard Marrs' Fertility Book on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

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