Lastly as an older mom I thought I’d add myself to the CELEBRATING THE OLDER MOM series. I really wanted to highlight the older mom. As the mom of 7 of my own children I know that raising my older 6 was completely different to how I raise my toddler, Hamish, now in my 40’s.
A little bit about me …..
How many children you have.
I’m Judy and I’m the mom of 7 amazing children. My eldest daughter is 26. My boys are 24, 23, 21 and 18. My youngest daughter is 15 and Hamish is 2 and a half.Having a big family people always ask if any of the kids are multiples …. No, each child was an individual natural birth pregnancy.Secondly they ask if all my children are from the same father ( why this matters will always remain a mystery to me) … No! My first 6 children are from my first marriage and Hamish is from my second marriage.
Why you chose to have a baby after 40.
We went on the most amazing December holiday and were living a pretty busy social life when I discovered I was pregnant with Hamish.I was more than a little shocked.The first question. I asked myself was do I want to do this again? Next could I parent alone if this wasn’t what Brent wanted… when I didn’t hesitate to answer Yes on both those questions I realised this was the next part of our journey. My age just happened to be a number.
How this affected your health, if it did.
My pregnancy was certainly a lot harder than when I was younger. I was still able to have him naturally but I was put on bed rest at 32 weeks and was much more anxious than I remember being with my other children.
How you feel being an older mom has it’s benefits.
I’m much more patient. I’ve ironed out all my ideas and theories on my older children so I’m much more confident in the choices I make. I don’t sweat the small stuff. Also because I’m aware of how fast the kids grow I tend to be more in the moment with Hamish and enjoy our time together much more than I did the busy days of my youth rushing after 6 small children.
Have you come across any negativity being an older mom?
Not much that I’ve noticed. I think making mom friends is harder as we are in a different space to our friends and as I often only have Hamish with me people assume I’m a first time mom so I get mountains of advice I’ll never take.
Something you would change this time round ( if you have other children)
I think having more patience through the harder moments is making me a calmer parent than I may have been with my older children.
Words of wisdom to younger mom’s.
Make memories. Take time to slow down. Enjoy the small things.
Thank you for reading. I’d love to hear more about your experience as an older mom.
