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5 Things to Consider About Having a Baby

In a surprise turn of events, it seems that since the last time we looked, society has changed again! This never ending state of transition in society is affecting how people are planning their families and even whether people are starting a family at all. Japan, for example, is facing a crisis in that young people are so busy preparing to be a virtual superhero,  that they are no longer getting involved in real life romantic relationships, much less getting married or having children. The real population growth rate in Japan is actually negative, while online, Japan has at least 2 billion katana wielding slayers of evil.

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We were born like this
How the world sees us…
Japanese fantasy heroes
How we see us…

In Western countries, couples are deciding to have children much later in life than was the norm thirty years ago. In the 80’s the average age of first time mothers was in the mid twenties, whereas it has moved to around thirty years old nowadays. There are many reasons for this change, but one major factor is financial pressure. Couples will stay together for years, saving up so that they might have their fairytale wedding one day, hopefully before they find something better to do with their life savings, such as educating the kids or buying another 50” TV, this time with 3D and the migraine medicine to go with it.

The world population is also getting, on average, progressively older, with the baby boomer generation in America now reaching retirement, China’s one child policy and much of the developed world having progressively smaller families, the age balance is getting more and more out of whack. The baby boomers worked hard to offer their kids as big a slice of the American dream as they possibly could, but many have always kept one eye on their retirement, when they could actually slow down a little and enjoy life too. They will expect to reap as they have sowed, and no riot squad officer could ever even consider using a taser against a horde of unhappy septuagenarians, it is way too risky, even modern pacemakers aren’t designed to cope with the rigors of public disorder.
For developed nations, its not too late. If they act now, families in developed nations are in a position to provide their countries with much needed reinforcements.  After all, welfare programs for the elderly aren’t going to pay for themselves, and if we don’t have enough kids, who’s going to pick up the tab for all the debt we’re so cleverly heaping up?

If you’re one of those more “traditional” couples who do intend to eventually have children, we thought it would be helpful to see how the changing culture and global demographics affect maternity today. We’ve compiled a list of 5 current issues that you really need to bear in mind when thinking about your future family.

Older fathers have a higher risk of passing on genetic mutations to their kids

Picasso and son
Picasso was an older dad

A recent study by genetic researchers in Iceland regarding the genetic mutation rate in the Icelandic population has challenged the traditional view that the mother’s age is the major contributing factor affecting the incidence of diseases like autism and schizophrenia in children.

The study found that men who become fathers later in life pass on more new genetic mutations to their offspring, probably contributing to disorders such as autism and schizophrenia in the next generation. This lines up well with  earlier observations that rates of autism and some other disorders are more prevalent in children born of older fathers.

While it is true that older mothers are more likely to have children with chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome, the study found that practically all of the new mutations detected in children came from the father. It also showed that as the father gets older, the more mutations he passes on.

A 40 year old father hands off three times as many mutations to his child than a 20 year old. The 40 year old is also three times more likely to conceive a child that becomes schizophrenic, and twice as likely to conceive a child that develops autism.

Traditionally the main concern has been that if the mother is old, the chances of the child being born with some chronic disease were relatively high. This research challenges that assumption, in fact, the only genetically related risk that increases with the age of the mother is the risk of Down syndrome.

Older mothers have “happier, healthier babies”

Contrary to their male counterparts, for whom it may be better to have children as early as possible, at least genetically speaking, women seem to improve with age. Except for the chances of Down syndrome and the risk of complications during pregnancy going up with older mothers, research recently published in the UK seems to be showing that children of older women develop language and social skills faster in the early years, and have fewer admissions to hospital.

While it remains doubtful whether the potential benefits outweigh the risks of having children later in life, this research at least points to a silver lining. Healthcare professionals have generally only highlighted the risks, especially in the case of late first time pregnancy, but it seems the news is not all bad.

Apparently, older moms are generally better educated, have higher family income, and are more likely married, all factors that are associated with greater well-being for children.

I can understand this, we all, well, almost all, become wiser and more knowledgeable with age. However, I’m not sure that I want my kid to talk even more than the average kid already does. Especially not when I’m in my mid forties and more used to a boardroom than a kindergarten. Besides, I doubt the level of conversation among their 18 month old peers will be that much improved.

Another explanation for these interesting results also presents itself. A 20 year old mother, due to her comparative lack of life experience and immaturity, is way more prone to jump to “fix” whatever it is the baby is whining about, and in my opinion, way more likely to take the child to hospital. The older mother, on the other hand, takes a little more time before jumping to attention, and will more likely talk to her child, instead of being so ready to just ‘goo’ and ‘gaa’ back. Older moms, because of their generally more affluent situations, are also more likely to hire a nanny, who doesn’t have the luxury of ignoring the child’s incessant demands to read the story one more time. It would be very interesting to see a statistic about how many children born to older moms have the same accent as their parents, compared to those with the accent of their nanny.

But the term “happier” is very subjective, and dangerous when it comes to statistics. I prefer to stick to more measurable data.  One easily overlooked line in the report certainly deserves more attention: “The likelihood of a child being overweight increases with increasing maternal age.”

Let’s look more closely at that statement.

Obesity in parents is bad for baby too

Firstly, older women are more likely to be overweight, and obesity during pregnancy is a health risk for both the mom and the infant. Let me elaborate.

Overweight women are 65 percent more likely, and obese women 163 percent more likely, to have overly large babies. Gaining excess weight during pregnancy also contributes to having a large gestational age baby. Overly large babies increase the risk for birth complications as well as increasing the chance of being overweight or obese later in life. It would be safe to say that every pregnant woman would prefer delivering a smaller baby, and the risk doesn’t stop there, the incidence of physical and emotional stress or trauma for the father during delivery is definitely higher for above average size babies. While there is probably no data on this, it would be easily gathered simply by measuring how many times and with what intensity the words, “I hate you!” were heard during the delivery.

Secondly, obesity raises the risk of dementia, especially for the obese in their middle age. Researchers recently released the results of a ten year long study into the effects of obesity. It was found that obese participants, both male and female, showed up to a 22% faster rate of cognitive decline than those with a healthy weight and no metabolic problems. So if you are, or are planning to be, an older parent, be sure to watch your weight so you can remember who those pesky visitors are who keep calling you “mom” or “dad”.

Thirdly, obese women suffer about eight more fetal and infant deaths per 1,000 births than women who enter pregnancy at a healthier weight, according to the study.

obesity in the family
Like mother like daughter.

Globally, more people die today from obesity related illnesses than from starvation. Obesity is a major epidemic in the developed and even the developing world.

While going on a diet is not recommended during pregnancy, it is a good idea, actually it is extremely important, to develop healthier eating habits in preparation for pregnancy. If you eat badly, the chances of your children being overweight and also having bad eating habits that they will need to try and change are also so much higher. So its not only a decision for the short term, but applying yourself to the task of being healthier will definitely have a positive long term impact on your family’s health.

It can take a few months to recover from being on the pill

While there have been huge developments in contraception technology, with new devices and a variety of options to choose from, the venerable female contraceptive pill is still by far the most common. Aside from being convenient, cheap and easily available, it is also very easy to stop taking the drug and return to normal fertility levels typically within a few months.

However, some women have also experienced loss of sexual appetite and moodiness, as well as increased discomfort during intercourse, as some of the side effects related to the pill. Fortunately none of the side effects are permanent, and aside from returning fertility, the positive side effects to quitting the pill, which happily also aid in conception, are an increased sexual appetite and no more discomfort during intercourse, unless of course, you’re doing it wrong.

Bear in mind that although stopping contraception will generally cause a return to normal fertility, it is also normal for fertility to decrease with age, especially from around 36 or 37 years old, so waiting too long can have the unintended effect of a couple struggling to fall pregnant.

Pregnancy can be expensive, especially those with complications

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re living in a country where public maternity services are cheap but involve long queues and dormitory style maternity wards, and private maternity services can cost an arm and a leg but offer top class facilities.

The vast majority of births are normal and have no complications, so much so that in the USA, where we find some of the top maternity hospitals in the world, an increasing number of people are choosing home deliveries assisted by a midwife. This is a good thing, after all, pregnancy is neither a new nor rare condition and people have been delivering babies successfully for many a year.

One thing has changed significantly in the last few millennia, however. Even a midwife will expect some kind of payment, and if you decide to deliver your baby in a hospital, you’ll definitely need more than a goat and three chickens to settle the bill. Hospital bills are always high, a normal delivery will set you back at least USD10,000 in a private facility, and that’s without all the prenatal tests and treatments. Add in a few visits every trimester, with an ultrasound thrown in for good measure, and suddenly the bills become more than you had planned for.

You also need to plan for any unexpected complications. Pre-term births are more common than we’d like, with about 15 million babies born pre-term each year, and the treatment costs can be astronomical. The Sinconis family, who had a set of twins born at 24 weeks, racked up USD 2.2 million worth of medical bills in the first 18 months after birth. While they did have medical insurance, their co-payment amount came to USD450,000, forcing the family to file for bankruptcy. While their children did have many conditions that required surgery after birth, it is a good idea to take this kind of risk into account when planning for pregnancy.

Maternity health insurance and a low deductible is the best way to protect yourself from financial trouble when you decide to have a baby. Remember though, that most health policies have a waiting period before maternity cover comes into effect, so take that into account before you stop taking the pill. If you cut it too close, and you do have a pre-term baby, you might be stuck without insurance cover for the maternity costs, meaning serious financial struggles for most regular families.

The current state of the world and the healthcare available in it has made it the safest time ever to have a baby, and one of the more difficult. Who knows when, or even if, the financial system is going to implode? Will the next generation have air that is clean enough to breathe or enough natural resources to continue building, innovating and developing? Who knows. One thing is certain, no one wants the world to become an old age home, and there definitely won’t be much of a future if there aren’t any young people to live in it. It is also quite obvious that the benefits of having your children sooner far outweigh those of waiting until you’re almost forty and I’m not just talking about having the energy to chase the little ones around. With some forethought and preparation, it is even possible to make the whole process quite affordable, while ensuring the best medical attention available.

What are the lessons one might learn from all this research? Well, having kids is as important to society as it is to you, entire cultures hang in the balance. Also being healthy, developing a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise and a proper diet, is not just so you can look good and feel respectable in a swimsuit, but actually directly affects the life of your children, even from before birth. Finally, it is possible to overcome what is to most younger couples the biggest hurdle to having a baby; the medical expense. All it takes is some forward planning.