My dr had a patient, 49, her 1st pregnancy

My doctor told me of a patient, 49, her first pregnancy and she didn't know she was pregnant until 34 weeks... She thought it was menopause!
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I'm 47 and due in October.
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I'm 45 and am pregnant with #5. I'll be 46 by the time the baby is born.
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I admit that although we weren't practicing contraception, we also weren't actively trying for a baby and just adopted the attitude, "If it happens, it's meant to be".

Well obviously it was meant to be because in September 2000, when I was 45½, I discovered to my delight that I was pregnant. We didn't tell anyone for about four months, which was really difficult because I wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but realistically I knew that I could miscarry. Yes, I was worried, particularly since everything that I read seemed so pessimistic.

I didn't have a difficult pregnancy, although I did suffer from a lot of backache, but then that's a normal symptom of pregnancy anyway, irrespective of your age. When I was one week overdue, I was admitted to hospital for an induction. After a very quick, 5 hour labour, Harriet was born, weighing in at a very respectable 8lbs 9oz.
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At the age of 44, my doctor advised me to stop taking the Pill because I had symptoms that suggested that I could be at risk of a thrombosis and, at my age, it was advisable to practice an alternative method of contraception.

Everything that I had read suggested that the chances of conceiving at 44 would be extremely slim, so rather irresponsibly my husband and I stopped using any method of birth control.

Two months later when my period was late, I didn't think for one moment that I could be pregnant. I was suffering from severe abdominal cramping and assumed that my period would arrive at any moment. When I began to feel nauseous and my breasts became very tender, I took a home pregnancy test.

Imagine my surprise to discover that I was pregnant - even though it hadn't been planned. My husband, Doug, didn't speak for about half an hour after I told him. He was totally shocked! He soon came round to the idea that he was going to be a midlife dad, but was naturally concerned about the risks involved to both me and the baby.

Our next shock came when we had the first ultrasound scan and we were told that there was not just one baby, but two. That explained why I had been suffering from really severe nausea and vomiting, but I was also told that the sickness was also the sign of a stable pregnancy.

We decided that since we had been blessed with two more children, we would love them no matter what and so decided against having an amniocentesis. Although we were told that the risk of miscarriage was very small, we just did not want to take that risk. By the fifth month of pregnancy, I was so huge that I did not think my abdomen could possibly stretch any further.

Yes, I suffered a lot of backache and abdominal "stretching" pains and the more my pregnancy advanced, the more difficult I found it to walk anywhere without having to sit down every few yards! Other than that, I felt very well after the sickness eased off around 22 weeks. I really enjoyed coming back with some smart comments to the few people who decided to impart their uncalled for and negative comments, most of which were based on limited knowledge of pregnancy after 40.

My last laugh came when I delivered Amy and Josh just ten days prior to my estimated due date. They were both born naturally following an eight hour labour, with minimal intervention from the medical staff. Amy weighed 6lb 8oz and Josh weighed an amazing 7lb 2oz.

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What I Thought I Knew: A Memoir
by Alice Eve Cohen
--A personal and medical odyssey beyond anything most women would believe possible

At age forty-four, Alice Eve Cohen was happy for the first time in years.

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Category: 1st, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49