[...]... work options and the best child-care situation for you and your family Chapter 3 Fathers, Partners, and Surrogate Fathers Most women embarking on pregnancy in their later reproductive years will do so with the active involvement and support of a partner And partners—male or female and with or without other children— will all have their own concerns about the pregnancy and the prospect of another person... week, and have been doing so for at least one year Most paternity leaves are unpaid, so the family’s need for income must be balanced with the need for time together Most fathers want some time with their newly expanded family just after the baby is born; others may need to take more time when the mother returns to work After a woman has had a Cesarean birth, the father’s presence at home at least in the. .. death or damage to women and their babies in the course of pregnancy and birth The interventions sometimes involved technologies that were new and, like many new things, had not yet revealed their limitations Certainly, the chances of a mother or baby dying during pregnancy or childbirth are now very much less than they were as recently as 1970, and most babies are now born alive and healthy This happy... take the appropriate steps to eliminate or minimize them Many tests are available to women during pregnancy and labor, and some of these are especially relevant for the older mother Other tests are routinely recommended for babies just after birth These tests are well researched, supported by evidence in the medical literature, and offered because they provide protection and improved outcomes for mother... normal: pregnancy and birth do have the potential for going suddenly and dramatically wrong If this happens, the presence of experienced obstetricians and midwives and other birth personnel can literally be lifesaving for a woman or baby We therefore recommend that you carefully consider the issue of your baby’s safety, and choose where you wish the birth to occur well before your expected due date There... history of heart disease and early morbidity and may feel that his future as a father is insecure He may fear other illness and be worrying that he will sicken and die, leaving his child and partner while the child is 21 22 planning a pregnancy still young Many men are very reticent about expressing such fears; sympathetic understanding from their partners will help them deal with these concerns Most men,... ability to work and parent in coming years Such health questions are best addressed well before embarking on pregnancy As you plan for your own work and for child care after the birth of your baby, you may want to consider the fact that many more fathers are staying home with their children and being the primary caregiver It no longer raises eyebrows when a mother resumes her career and the father stays... C-section The realities of being an older mother had sunk in, and she was grateful to be able to choose the planned C-section birth Caroline is an example of women who have had children earlier in life and then decide later to have more She has had seven children, the first at age 20 and the fifth at 33 For family reasons, eight years later, she and her husband decided on another pregnancy, and a wonderful... have probably discovered, there are many books about the physical changes of pregnancy, the normal growth of the baby, the search for a birth attendant, whether that person should be a doctor or a midwife, what happens in normal labor, and how to care for a newborn baby However, few of these books speak authoritatively on these topics as they relate to a woman experiencing a pregnancy at a later time... miscarry in early pregnancy, to have certain complications of pregnancy, and to deliver their babies via Cesarean section or with some other form of operative assistance This is just how it is, and ignoring it will not change the facts Most women in this age group feel well in control of their lives and able to plan and execute their life decisions It is important for them to realize that they may need . class="bi x0 y0 w0 h1" alt="" PREGNANCY and PARENTING after THIRTY-FIVE A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book PREGNANCY and PARENTING after THIRTY-FIVE  Mid Life, New Life Michele C. Moore, M.D. Caroline. 1 The Johns Hopkins University Press 2715 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363 www .press. jhu.edu Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Moore, Michele. Pregnancy and. M. de Costa, M.D. the johns hopkins university press baltimore © 2006 Michele C. Moore, M.D., and Caroline M. de Costa, M.D. All rights reserved. Published 2006 Printed in the United States of