Pregnant after 40 - what to expect from midlife pregnancy
Emma Elms, 47, an editor from London, explains how her midlife pregnancy felt a lot tougher on her body than her earlier pregnancies, and Boots superintendent pharmacist Claire Nevinson offers some advice on how you can help look after yourself if expecting a baby at this time of life.
When Emma became pregnant at 42, six years after having her second baby, she assumed she’d feel much the same as she had when she was expecting her first two children. But that proved to be not the case.
Immediately she felt drained of energy and a lot less fit than she had previously - and she’s sure it was down to her body being that much older.
'Being pregnant in my forties felt remarkably different'
“With my first two pregnancies, at 32 and 36, I was super-fit and would walk 45 minutes to work every day. I had a lot of energy and felt really good. But being pregnant in my forties felt remarkably different. I felt exhausted and uncomfortable, and towards the end of my pregnancy I could barely manage to walk across the playground to pick up my daughter from school.”
At 42, Emma was automatically categorised as a “geriatric mother”, something she found amusing as she “didn’t mentally feel or look that old”. She was warned that because of her age she had a higher risk of having a Down syndrome baby; however, at her 12-week nuchal test she was told the likelihood in her case was low.
But while there were no major problems, Emma’s lack of energy made it hard to fully enjoy her pregnancy. Her bump was, she says, “comically bigger” than her previous two – so much so that strangers would congratulate her on expecting twins –- and everyday activities became a real struggle.
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'My body was behaving differently than before'
Emma acknowledges that looking after two other children, aged six and 10, while pregnant must have played a part in her feelings of exhaustion. But, despite taking pregnancy multivitamins and eating healthily, she says she could just tell that her body was behaving differently than before.
“I had severe pelvic pain and felt intense pressure there, almost as if the baby's head was going to pop out at any moment,” she says. “These aches and pains would keep me awake at night, adding to my tiredness.”
(Mike Harrington / Getty)'My bump was comically big'
And it wasn’t just the pregnancy that Emma found much harder this time round. While both of her earlier births had been relatively straightforward – without much more than gas and air – her third proved trickier. Because of her age, she wasn’t allowed to go more than two days over her due date, so she had to be induced, which led to three days of stop/start contractions that were so painful she ended up asking for an epidural.
“It was so much harder and ended up being a very long, painful experience. I don’t know whether that is all down to my age, or just the way that birth was always going to go, but it wasn’t pleasant. Also, not that it matters, but after my first two I was able to get back into my size-8 jeans straight afterwards – but my body didn’t ‘snap back’ like that at 42.
“One thing I did do to give my body extra support was take a Boots multivitamin. I also applied Bio-Oil religiously to my gigantic bump; I have no stretch marks so it looks like it worked!”
'I worried a lot less, which was nice'
Emma at 9 months pregnantAlthough Emma says she wouldn’t change anything and that life is “plenty of fun” with three daughters – now aged five, 11 and 14 – she is likely to urge them to have children before they reach their forties.
However, on the flip side, she says that although physically much tougher, her midlife pregnancy caused her less worry than the other two, and that meant she was a lot easier on herself.
“Perhaps because I knew what was likely to happen, I was much more chilled out about all the medical examinations and the process in general,” she explains. “I worried a lot less, which was nice. Plus, when you get to your forties it’s easier to kindly ignore the “helpful” pregnancy and parenting advice people insist on giving you!”
Visit the Boots Health Hub for products, services and advice.
If you’re struggling to cope with your pregnancy symptoms or have any major worries, you should speak to your GP or midwife.
**Subject to availability. Most Boots stores. Boots superintendent pharmacist is not endorsing any of the named products above.
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