Jezebel: baby blabber

British Women Are Having Bushels Of Babies After 40

Jessica — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:30:00 EST

More babies are being born to women in their 40s than ever before, according to the Guardian. In Britain, that is. Apparently, our sisters across the pond are telling all those haters who niggle about their biological clocks to sod off: the conception rate among ages 40-44 is now 12.2 per 1,000 women, up from 11.5 the year before. In fact, in the past decade, conception among women there over 40 has risen 50%. (According to the CDC, in 2005, the U.S. had a conception rate of 9.1 per 1,000 among women in that age group, a figure has increased each year since 2000). Julie Bentley, the chief executive of the Family Planning Association, says: "The figures illustrate that the traditional approach of 'get married young and have children' isn't the reality for many British women... Improved education and career opportunities, different lifestyle choices and expectations mean their lives may take a different path."

And "different" lifestyle choices are the norm these days in England and Wales. Conceptions outside marriage increased from 47% to 56%, meaning that now the majority of English babies are bastards. Heh.

Not surprisingly, fathers over 40 are also on the statistical rise. Ten percent of all babies born in 2004 were born to daddies over the big 4-0. In fact, having babies over 40 is such a phenomenon in the UK that there's an entire website devoted to it called mothersover40.com, and it provides fertility info, community and other resources for mamas close to menopause. Says Bentley: "As long as women are aware that their fertility naturally declines over the age of 35, and that it will probably take a bit longer to get pregnant, late motherhood is a valid choice." In fact, three months ago, Helena Bonham Carter, 41, had her second child; and Halle Berry, 41, is expecting her first any day now. Oh, and also? Susan Sarandon had son Miles when she was 46. If it's good enough for a politically aware, intelligent, talented lady like Susan, it's good enough for us.

Pregnancy Among Over-40s Reaches 'Record High' [Guardian]

Earlier: Having A Baby: Doctors Say Now Or Never; I Say No Fair

Do Bitty Babies End Up More Depressed Than Their Brawnier Brethren?

Jessica — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:00:00 EST

So it's not even 5 pm yet and it's almost completely dark outside and apparently ass-chappingly cold (so I hear! Not that I've been outside today), and it makes me want to crawl under the covers and hibernate until conditions are less soul sucking. Oh, can you tell I have a history of depression? Smart girl! But according to a new study I should be a reasonably happy adult because I was such a sizable baby. "We found that even people who had just mild or moderate symptoms of depression or anxiety over their life course were smaller babies than those who had better mental health," says Ian Colman of the University of Alberta. A completely unscientific poll of three people (myself included) with a history of depression shows that we were ALL big infants, each of us weighing in at over 8lbs. After the jump, an even less scientific poll, just 'cause I'm curious.

Smaller babies more prone to depression, anxiety later on [EurekAlert!]

MILFs

Jessica — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:30:00 EST

Pregnancy: Now with more unrealistic expectations! Maxim has just posted a slide show of the "9 Hottest Pregnant Women Ever." (Sample text on Heidi Klum: "She was making maternity clothes look like Victoria´s Secret outfits...with crotch pads.") In somewhat related news, Christina Aguliera, who is near the top of Maxim's gross list, has posed nude for the January issue of Marie Claire, looking vaguely demented in the face. We thought you weren't supposed to do 'ludes when you're preggo? [Maxim, Market Wire]

We're of two minds about this site, the...

Jessica — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:45:00 EST

We're of two minds about this site, the Shape of a Mother, where women post their pre, during and after pregnancy pictures and stories. On one hand, it's great that these new and almost-moms have a forum to discuss and revere their different, changing bodies — most real women are not going to look like Heidi Klum does post-baby and go back to their pre-rugrat shape in three weeks. Nor should they be expected to! On the other hand, some of these photos are fucking terrifying. Definitely NSFW, and possibly NSF procreating either. [The Shape of a Mother , The Shape of a Mother Photo Pool]

Lowering Rate Of Latina Teen Motherhood: What Works?

Jessica — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:00:15 EDT

Though corporate entities like Nike and Pepsi have found a way to peddle their wares to the Latino populace, the folks attempting to decrease teen pregnancy in Hispanic communities have not had the same sort of marketing success, says Newsweek. Rates of teenage motherhood remain at 51% for Latina teens, and while African American teens are still giving birth at 58%, the instances of teen pregnancy are "declining at a considerably slower pace." To combat the consistently high rates, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is launching a Latino Initiative. Differences between the Latino community and the white and black communities are not just language-based, according to the Initiative. Campaigns that work in the white community can come off as "anti-baby" or "anti-family."

According to a focus group in California, "community workers felt that men do not participate in the [contraceptive] process because they do not want to be viewed as being told what to do by their wives. One female participant even revealed that she used contraceptives without her partner's knowledge because of 'his accusations that her use of contraception is a mechanism to have an affair with other men [without becoming pregnant].'"

The Latino Initiative hopes to reach teens by emphasizing the importance of family and planning. The group has penned a manual that "Stresses the importance of using traditional Hispanic values—familismo (family-centeredness), simpatía (affection), respeto (respect)—as a compass." The pamphlet encourages teens not to get pregnant out of respect for their elders.

But are teen hormones any match for the amorphous notion of respect? Wouldn't the Initiative be better off handing out condoms?

Learning to 'Think Twice' [Newsweek]