by Melissa Willets posted in Pregnancy

It seems everywhere you click, there's a story about the risks of having a baby after age 35. From trouble conceiving to a higher chance you'll miscarry, have a baby with chromosomal abnormalities, suffer from placenta previa, deliver prematurely, and experience postpartum complications, there is no shortage of scary potential problems a woman of such a severely-advanced age is instructed to worry obsess about.
Obviously, we all know once you hit age 36, your life basically becomes a slow, steady decline toward senior-citizen status. I mean, at the certainly-senile age of 38, I'm amazed I can still get out of bed in the morning, let alone parent three young children (and we want more kids; scandalous!). Without falling asleep in my Jell-O. So, it's understandable that all these risks are so widely discussed.
But there are some potential side-effects inherent in getting pregnant after 35 that aren't talked about as often.
An acute chance of being seriously annoyed at how often people mention the risks of pregnancy over 35.
 

 
Complications resulting from no one understanding that there are also a lot of awesome things about being pregnant later in life. Like perspective, maturity, a more developed sense of self, and having more financial security.
Genuine confusion over why you are grouped with women in their 40s and 50s who want to have a baby. Being pregnant at age 36 is often talked about in the same sentence as that...