Advanced Maternal Age
Today many women are bearing children after the age of 35, at which point they are medically considered to be at an advanced maternal age. According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, since 1990 the number of births for mothers age 35-39 has increased by 57% even though the population of women in this age group has only increased by 5%. Also, since 1990 the birth rate for mothers 40-44 has increased by 70% and the birth rate for mothers 45-49 has tripled. In 2006, 494 children were born to mothers age 50-54. In the past it was not unusual for women to bear children later in life. The difference today is women are having their first child after age 35. The number of women having their first child over the age of 35 has increased eight-fold since 1970. In the news and in the entertainment industry we see plenty of examples of later in life mothers: Halle Berry, Geena Davis, Elizabeth Edwards, Nicole Kidman, Holly Hunter, and many more.
So why is a distinction made with respect to moms having babies later in life rather than sooner? Well, the main reason is that later in life moms are more at risk for pregnancy complications. Pregnant women over the age of 35 are considered at higher risk for miscarriage, twins, gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, placenta problems, preterm birth, stillbirth and having a c-section. Such mothers are also more likely to have pre-existing health conditions (i.e. diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems) that can affect pregnancy. Babies born to mothers who are over the age of 35 are at greater risks for birth defects.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, a twenty year old woman has a 1 in 1667 chance of having a baby with Down’s Syndrome and a 1 in 526 chance of having a baby with any chromosomal abnormality. A forty-year old woman, however, has a 1 in 106 chance of having a baby with Down’s Syndrome and a 1 in 66 chance of having a baby with any chromosomal abnormality.
It’s imperative for women of all ages who are considering pregnancy to weigh the risks and benefits of pregnancy for themselves and their babies. Prospective parents should talk with their physicians about any health risks from pregnancy for the mother and child. If desired, the prospective parents may also want to discuss with their physicians the use of assisted reproductive technology. Some later in life mothers choose in vitro fertilization in combination with donor eggs from younger women. Genetic screening can be done on both parents before pregnancy to determine the risk of having a baby with genetic defects. During pregnancy, women are offered certain genetic screening and/or diagnostic tests (i.e. amniocentesis, chronic villus sampling, and fetal blood sampling). The important thing to consider is what to do with the test results once you have them. Pregnant mothers-to-be can also decline to have genetic screening or testing done.
From a non-medical standpoint, prospective parents should consider their finances and support system. Later in life parents may be concerned about paying for college during their retirement years, taking care of elderly parents and young children at the same time, and the lack of friends at the same life stage. There are a number of social groups that have sprung up to meet the needs of moms having babies later in life: www.motherhoodlater.com, www.mothersover40.com, and www.fertilityover40.com.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Baby Planner Q&A
Good Day Everyone - Below are our responses to commonly asked questions on baby planning!
Happy Reading!
Lisa Lee
www.Angels4MommiesBabyPlanning.com
_____________________________________________________________
What is a baby planner?
A baby planner is similar to a wedding planner except instead of helping couples plan for their wedding, a baby planner helps couples plan for the birth of their baby or babies. A good baby planner is a good listener, non-judgmental, and truly understands that every pregnancy, like every person, is unique.
What type of services does a baby planner offer?
It depends on the baby planner but a number of baby planners offer a host of select services that generally fall into the following five categories:
Birth Prep – Oftentimes, moms-to-be want to know about their birth options (e.g. midwife, OB, homebirth, natural, medicated, etc.). A baby planner can discuss each birth option and recommend providers that have been highly rated by other families who desired similar birth experiences. A baby planner can also provide referrals for labor and postpartum doulas as well as lactation consultants. Finally, a baby planner can help with designing and stocking the nursery, getting the car seat installed, organizing the baby shower, packing the hospital bag, and doing other big or little things that the parents may appreciate as part of the birth preparation process. Baby planners can help adopting families prepare as well.
Support - Many moms I speak with through my baby planning business are interested in some form of support in the postpartum period. It’s important for moms to have a period of recovery from childbirth and time to bond with their brand new baby. They may need support with breastfeeding, and/or help with other children, housekeeping, and making meals. A baby planner can help moms get the help they need by recommending and/or interviewing helpers on behalf of the family. The baby planner sees to it that the helper meets the parents’ basic requirements and has the appropriate experience and/or training.
Products – A number of parents use baby planners to help with the baby registry and product selection. There are a plethora of resources to help parents select baby products wisely, but some parents don’t want to spend their baby preparation time shopping. Some parents are paralyzed by the sheer number of product choices and/or are concerned about the number of recalled baby products and really would like an expert to help them select the baby products that fit their values, lifestyle, and budget. This second group includes parents who want environmentally friendly baby products. A good baby planner should not push certain products because she or he receives a commission from their sale or works for the store that sells the product. It’s important for the baby planner to offer her or his client families an objective viewpoint.
Child Care – For moms heading back to work, finding someone to watch over and care for their baby is a priority. For moms staying home, they still need a few hours here and there without the baby, so they may look to hire a mother’s helper. In any case, a baby planner can visit daycares, interview and screen nanny candidates, and help coordinate nanny shares. The baby planner doesn’t actually select the provider but she helps the parents narrow the choices to viable candidates who would be a good fit for the family’s needs.
Concierge – Families can use baby planners to find reputable providers in baby related services, such as baby photographers, childbirth educators, child proofers, doulas, lactation consultants, night nannies, etc. Some baby planners may also offer concierge services themselves (e.g. doula services, child proofing, etc).
How much does a baby planner cost?
Baby planners generally cost about $75/hour and up, depending on the market. Some baby planners will do projects on a flat rate basis. In addition, concierge services may be complimentary depending on the baby planner.
Are baby planners certified by any organization?
There are currently two international baby planning associations: International Baby Planner Association (www.internationalbabyplanners.com) and International Academy of Baby Planner Professionals (www.babyplannerintsitute.com). Unfortunately, there is not yet an unbiased third party certifying organization for baby planners. The International Baby Planner Association is working on a third party certification program that would meet the needs of parents in evaluating baby planners.
What type of questions should you ask when interviewing baby planners?
It’s important for parents to understand exactly what to expect from their baby planner, so possible interview questions include the following: What experiences do you have that are relevant to baby planning? Do you belong to any professional organizations for baby planners? Do you have references that I can contact? How will we communicate? How often? How many clients do you take at one time? Will you provide a written summary of services? Which resources do you use for your research? Will you keep our information confidential? How long do you keep client files? How much do you charge? Do you offer flat rate services?
Should people who use baby planners have children?
Many people question the need for baby planners. Their general viewpoint is that the parents and their respective families should themselves be able to handle baby preparation, birth, and the postpartum period. However, many parents don’t have much or any family support, some parents undergo unanticipated changes during pregnancy (e.g. bed rest, moving across country for work, death of their own parent, etc.), and some parents find they need more assistance than originally anticipated. The baby planner’s role is not to judge who truly needs a baby planner or not, but to serve families with compassion, integrity, and professionalism.
Happy Reading!
Lisa Lee
www.Angels4MommiesBabyPlanning.com
_____________________________________________________________
What is a baby planner?
A baby planner is similar to a wedding planner except instead of helping couples plan for their wedding, a baby planner helps couples plan for the birth of their baby or babies. A good baby planner is a good listener, non-judgmental, and truly understands that every pregnancy, like every person, is unique.
What type of services does a baby planner offer?
It depends on the baby planner but a number of baby planners offer a host of select services that generally fall into the following five categories:
Birth Prep – Oftentimes, moms-to-be want to know about their birth options (e.g. midwife, OB, homebirth, natural, medicated, etc.). A baby planner can discuss each birth option and recommend providers that have been highly rated by other families who desired similar birth experiences. A baby planner can also provide referrals for labor and postpartum doulas as well as lactation consultants. Finally, a baby planner can help with designing and stocking the nursery, getting the car seat installed, organizing the baby shower, packing the hospital bag, and doing other big or little things that the parents may appreciate as part of the birth preparation process. Baby planners can help adopting families prepare as well.
Support - Many moms I speak with through my baby planning business are interested in some form of support in the postpartum period. It’s important for moms to have a period of recovery from childbirth and time to bond with their brand new baby. They may need support with breastfeeding, and/or help with other children, housekeeping, and making meals. A baby planner can help moms get the help they need by recommending and/or interviewing helpers on behalf of the family. The baby planner sees to it that the helper meets the parents’ basic requirements and has the appropriate experience and/or training.
Products – A number of parents use baby planners to help with the baby registry and product selection. There are a plethora of resources to help parents select baby products wisely, but some parents don’t want to spend their baby preparation time shopping. Some parents are paralyzed by the sheer number of product choices and/or are concerned about the number of recalled baby products and really would like an expert to help them select the baby products that fit their values, lifestyle, and budget. This second group includes parents who want environmentally friendly baby products. A good baby planner should not push certain products because she or he receives a commission from their sale or works for the store that sells the product. It’s important for the baby planner to offer her or his client families an objective viewpoint.
Child Care – For moms heading back to work, finding someone to watch over and care for their baby is a priority. For moms staying home, they still need a few hours here and there without the baby, so they may look to hire a mother’s helper. In any case, a baby planner can visit daycares, interview and screen nanny candidates, and help coordinate nanny shares. The baby planner doesn’t actually select the provider but she helps the parents narrow the choices to viable candidates who would be a good fit for the family’s needs.
Concierge – Families can use baby planners to find reputable providers in baby related services, such as baby photographers, childbirth educators, child proofers, doulas, lactation consultants, night nannies, etc. Some baby planners may also offer concierge services themselves (e.g. doula services, child proofing, etc).
How much does a baby planner cost?
Baby planners generally cost about $75/hour and up, depending on the market. Some baby planners will do projects on a flat rate basis. In addition, concierge services may be complimentary depending on the baby planner.
Are baby planners certified by any organization?
There are currently two international baby planning associations: International Baby Planner Association (www.internationalbabyplanners.com) and International Academy of Baby Planner Professionals (www.babyplannerintsitute.com). Unfortunately, there is not yet an unbiased third party certifying organization for baby planners. The International Baby Planner Association is working on a third party certification program that would meet the needs of parents in evaluating baby planners.
What type of questions should you ask when interviewing baby planners?
It’s important for parents to understand exactly what to expect from their baby planner, so possible interview questions include the following: What experiences do you have that are relevant to baby planning? Do you belong to any professional organizations for baby planners? Do you have references that I can contact? How will we communicate? How often? How many clients do you take at one time? Will you provide a written summary of services? Which resources do you use for your research? Will you keep our information confidential? How long do you keep client files? How much do you charge? Do you offer flat rate services?
Should people who use baby planners have children?
Many people question the need for baby planners. Their general viewpoint is that the parents and their respective families should themselves be able to handle baby preparation, birth, and the postpartum period. However, many parents don’t have much or any family support, some parents undergo unanticipated changes during pregnancy (e.g. bed rest, moving across country for work, death of their own parent, etc.), and some parents find they need more assistance than originally anticipated. The baby planner’s role is not to judge who truly needs a baby planner or not, but to serve families with compassion, integrity, and professionalism.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Q&A
Good Day Everyone - This month we're taking questions to answer and post on our blog. So please ask us any baby related question and we will do our best to answer. We're taking ten questions this month! Just visit our website
www.Angels4mommiesBabyPlanning.com and "contact us" to ask your question. Thanks!
Lisa Lee
CEO & Founder
Angels 4 Mommies Baby Planning
www.Angels4mommiesBabyPlanning.com and "contact us" to ask your question. Thanks!
Lisa Lee
CEO & Founder
Angels 4 Mommies Baby Planning
Monday, July 5, 2010
Party Favor Bags
Good Day - I was just reading another recall report on children's jewelry. The report starting me thinking about the times I run into the party store to get some cheap trinkets for party favor bags for my kids birthday parties. You know the drill, big faux gem rings, fake pearls, minature cars and basketballs and other whatnot. Now I'm starting to wonder why toys are so cheap? Perhaps the manufacture cut corners? How do I as the consumer really know? All I know is that my favor bags should probaby just contain tooth decaying candy from now on:)
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Thursday, June 3, 2010
Mei Tai Baby Carrier
Good Day Everyone - I know a lot of folks swear by baby wearing as a way to bond with your baby. I have to say my goals were not so lofty. I wore my second child as a baby quite a bit just to have my hands free! In any event, now that he is 20 months I decided to test out a mei tai carrier so I could carry him on my back. The mei tai is a simple carrier with a square/rectangle piece with one tie at each corner. I'm astounded by how much I love this carrier. It looks complicated but is actually fairly easy and best of all it distributes my son's weight over my back so I can wear him without difficulty. My mei tai saves my sanity in those moments when my son wants to be close to mama at the same time my daughter needs my help with one of her art projects. Check out more information on mei tai baby carriers at www.meitaibaby.com.
Parenting Quote of the Day: "Affection without sentiment, authority without cruelty, discipline without aggression, humor without ridicule, sacrifice without obligation, companionship without possessiveness." William E. Blatz
Parenting Quote of the Day: "Affection without sentiment, authority without cruelty, discipline without aggression, humor without ridicule, sacrifice without obligation, companionship without possessiveness." William E. Blatz
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Klean Kanteen
Important Update: Klean Kanteen Recalls Water Bottle Spouts Due to Choking Hazard http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10218.html
Product Review
So summer will be here soon and my kids will be spending a lot of time outdoors playing so I bought them both Klean Kanteen stainless steel bottles, BPA free, no lining on the inside, non-toxic caps, and I'm completely surprised by how much they love having their own water bottles in colors they like. But best of all they are drinking tons more water. Not sure how long this trend will continue once the novelty of having the new bottle wears off but for now I'm loving it. You can purchase at www.kleankanteen.com. The website also has a list of stores where you can purchase.
Quote of the Day
"It sometimes happens, even in the best of families, that a baby is born. This is not necessarily cause for alarm. The important thing is to keep your wits about you and borrow some money". ~Elinor Goulding Smith
Product Review
So summer will be here soon and my kids will be spending a lot of time outdoors playing so I bought them both Klean Kanteen stainless steel bottles, BPA free, no lining on the inside, non-toxic caps, and I'm completely surprised by how much they love having their own water bottles in colors they like. But best of all they are drinking tons more water. Not sure how long this trend will continue once the novelty of having the new bottle wears off but for now I'm loving it. You can purchase at www.kleankanteen.com. The website also has a list of stores where you can purchase.
Quote of the Day
"It sometimes happens, even in the best of families, that a baby is born. This is not necessarily cause for alarm. The important thing is to keep your wits about you and borrow some money". ~Elinor Goulding Smith
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Unsafe Products
I just finished reading "Label Reading: How to Skip the Hype and Find the Truly Safe Products" by Dr. Marny Turvill in this month's Family Time Magazine. The article describes the many unsafe ingredients that are in a number of products today. Fortunately, the author provides resoures on how to buy truly safe products for you and your family. Reading the article is not going to automatically make you a green shopper, however, the more you read about "green" products the more you just know and the more critical a shopper you become.
Links
www.familytimemagazine.com
www.healtygreengoods.com
Lisa Lee, CEO & Founder, Angels 4 Mommies Baby Planning
(www.Angels4MommiesBabyPlanning.com)
Links
www.familytimemagazine.com
www.healtygreengoods.com
Lisa Lee, CEO & Founder, Angels 4 Mommies Baby Planning
(www.Angels4MommiesBabyPlanning.com)
Having Faith
Book Review
I just finished reading "Having Faith: An Ecologist's Journey to Motherhood" by Sandra Steingraber. The book was recommended by my labor doula after the birth of my first child and that child is now almost 5 and I've just now gotten around to reading it! However, I'm so glad I did. The book is a wonderfully lyrical description of one mother's journey through pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. The book is a little dated as it was written in 2001, however, I still found the historical and biological information fascinating, especially the information in Chapter 12 which describes the intersection between the food chain and environmental toxins and the impact on breastmilk. The book is not like anything I've read in other pregnancy books (and trust me I've read a lot!). You can find the book at www.amazon.com.
Quote of the Day
Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone
Lisa Lee, CEO & Founder, Angels 4 Mommies Baby Planning -
www.Angels4MommiesBabyPlanning.com
I just finished reading "Having Faith: An Ecologist's Journey to Motherhood" by Sandra Steingraber. The book was recommended by my labor doula after the birth of my first child and that child is now almost 5 and I've just now gotten around to reading it! However, I'm so glad I did. The book is a wonderfully lyrical description of one mother's journey through pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. The book is a little dated as it was written in 2001, however, I still found the historical and biological information fascinating, especially the information in Chapter 12 which describes the intersection between the food chain and environmental toxins and the impact on breastmilk. The book is not like anything I've read in other pregnancy books (and trust me I've read a lot!). You can find the book at www.amazon.com.
Quote of the Day
Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone
Lisa Lee, CEO & Founder, Angels 4 Mommies Baby Planning -
www.Angels4MommiesBabyPlanning.com
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Boys Adrift
Book Review
When my son was a few months old I stumbled across a book by Dr. Leonard Sax called Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men. I picked up the book out of curiosity and ending up reading the entire book in a few days. The book covers changes in the way children are taught, video games, medications for ADHD, endocrine disruptors, and the importance of male role models. I found the information on bisphenol A and phthalates immensely helpful. Check out page 105 which has a section titled “Bottled Water, Pacifiers, and Baby Bottles.” You can buy the book on Amazon (www.amazon.com)
Quote of the Day
"If you bungle raising your children, nothing else matters much in life.” Jackie Kennedy Onassis
Post by Lisa Lee, Founder & CEO of Angels 4 Mommies Baby Planning
(www.Angels4MommiesBabyPlanning.com)
When my son was a few months old I stumbled across a book by Dr. Leonard Sax called Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men. I picked up the book out of curiosity and ending up reading the entire book in a few days. The book covers changes in the way children are taught, video games, medications for ADHD, endocrine disruptors, and the importance of male role models. I found the information on bisphenol A and phthalates immensely helpful. Check out page 105 which has a section titled “Bottled Water, Pacifiers, and Baby Bottles.” You can buy the book on Amazon (www.amazon.com)
Quote of the Day
"If you bungle raising your children, nothing else matters much in life.” Jackie Kennedy Onassis
Post by Lisa Lee, Founder & CEO of Angels 4 Mommies Baby Planning
(www.Angels4MommiesBabyPlanning.com)
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