Older maternity is accompanying with an
increased risk of problems during gestation period with a greater likelihood of
delivering a child that is premature or born small. Older motherhood is an important
to understand the consequences for these children in adulthood. Children
born to elder mothers may have more heart threats later in life. Older mothers
will face more complications
during pregnancy and delivery, as did the risk of premature birth and infant
death also sometimes
Complications
include:
·
Extreme
bleeding during labour,
·
Extended labour
lasting time more than 20 hours,
·
Dysfunctional
labour that does not advance to the next stage.
Mother age is compared to 30 to 34 years are old.
Mother’s age is in three groups - 35 to 39, 40 to 44, and 45 and older. According
to researchers view they found that older women
were at much higher risk for problems during pregnancy and delivery. Whether or
not the women had before given birth also affected their risk of certain
complications. Women giving birth at age 45 or older were also the most likely
to have high blood pressure and diabetes while pregnant. The oldest mothers
were also at greatest risk for excessive bleeding during delivery, premature
delivery (before 32 weeks) as well as Caesarean delivery.
Older mothers can be understood from two perspectives –
·
First the
actual medical risks: it related to ageing on reproductive system and body
condition.
·
Second, the
suitability of the risks as defined through social discourse among different
groups within society: pregnant women can evaluate the risks subjectively,
through their own experiences, whereas healthcare providers assess the risks in
an apparently more objective way.
Pregnancy
Outcomes in Women of Advanced Maternal Age: a Retrospective Study
Risks of pregnancy after age 35
·
There are recognized health hazards
to both mother and child when the mother is older.
·
Females are born with all the eggs
they’ll ever have during their life. With age, the number and quality of eggs
starts decreasing, especially after a woman reaches her mid-30s. That’s one
reason it can be tougher to get pregnant at older ages.
·
Both older women and older men are additional
likely than younger parents to have pre-existing health disputes.
·
In older age pregnancy raises the
risks of complications such as hypertension, fetal growth restriction, premature
birth and sometimes death.
·
Older mothers have the higher the
probability of chromosomal abnormalities as well as age goes from 25 years old
1 in 1,064 chance of having a child with Down syndrome to 1 in 19 for a
45-year-old
·
At age 20-24 Miscarriage is 9 % and for a 45-year-old or above is 75%
·
The rate of stillbirths almost doubles
when mothers are more than 35 years of age,” he continued.
·
Diabetes and emergency caesarean
delivery are among the other possible complications of older mothers.
·
Older father’s sperm also has the
potential of having more genetic errors.
Benefits of older
parenthood
·
Now a day many women aged
35 and beyond are venturing into parenthood for the first time, as well as there
is good news for these older mothers and fathers.
·
There are some projections
that note, depending on socioeconomic status, the children have more
probability of going to college. There may be less verbal and physical
punishment, and it can be financially more stable,” said Shapiro.
·
A important
observational study stated that higher maternal age was associated
with better health and development for children up to 5 years of age.
·
The children of older
mothers in industrialized countries are healthier, taller, and get more
education than the children of younger mothers.
·
Prenatal vitamins and
physician follow-ups are vital.
·
Older parents should also
speak with their doctors about checking sugar levels as well as standard
testing for chromosomal abnormalities. If older parents will eating, sleeping,
and exercising well, this will improve outcomes.
Pregnant women over 35 years old, have issues and
concerns to which Midwives must
pay attention when in professional contact with these women health care. In order
to meet the needs of older pregnant women, midwifery themselves, need more
information concerning the experiences of older women during pregnancy, in
order to increase their understanding and knowledge of age-related pregnancy
risks. Nursing in healthcare providers should remember that pregnancy can evoke a broad range of
feelings in women of advanced maternal age, which can vary from happiness to
anxiety.