5 Reasons why having a baby at 40 rocks!

Let me tell you my story about how my life changed after having a baby at 40 years old: 

It’s a hot Saturday afternoon- summer of 2019. We are staying in a friends’ condo because we are in between houses and can only move into our new place a few days after moving out of the previous place. We’ve been packing and carrying boxes and cleaning houses, so naturally everyone is feeling exhausted, and the heatwave isn’t helping. My Mom was visiting us from South Africa at that time (Thank GOODNESS), so we were sitting on the deck having an ice cold glass of wine when I suddenly realized…. I’m a day late… (I didn’t give it much thought- I mean I can’t POSSIBLY be pregnant?! Maybe it’s the stress of moving, all the physical work….?) Also- I was 40 at that time, no way I could be pregnant, RIGHT?? *Takes a sip of wine while contemplating buying a test*

WRONG!!! I took a test and immediately got a big fat positive.

Now just to humour you all: exactly a week before “all of the above” happened, my husband and I had a chat about having another child- and even though I’ve always felt that I want just one more baby – we have decided that our family was complete. The girls were now old enough so that we can travel more, they are old enough to help out in the house and be more independent with their homeschooling. And that meant that I could go all in with my blog and coaching business.

But in a heartbeat, everything has changed.

We were having a baby. I thought: We’re going back to no sleep, diapers, teething and forget about travelling. (I’m not a good person when it comes to travelling with small kids- ask anyone who has had the pleasure of doing that with me) Did I mention I was 40…..

Nevertheless, I felt SUPER excited. This pregnancy was a HUGE surprise, and, as I was mentally preparing myself for the “old-mom” and “geriatric-pregnancy” jokes, I didn’t realize just how amazingly lifechanging this would be for me.

Fast forward to today. We have a beautiful baby boy, his sisters adore him, and our family finally feels complete. And believe me: Age really is just a number!! So here are 5 reasons why having a baby at 40 rocks!

1. Less shits are given….

Seriously, being more “mature” made this whole pregnancy and our new life with a baby much easier. There were (and will always be) the “old-mom” and “geriatric-pregnancy” jokes I thought it would bother me. Truth is- I couldn’t care less what other people think. I had a tough pregnancy and stayed home when I needed to, slept when I needed to and same when baby Daniel was born. When I was younger I felt obligated to please everyone and couldn’t say no, which resulted in me being tired and extra bitchy during my pregnancies and the girls first years.

2. More life experiences.

This is a pretty big one. In only the last 4 years we have immigrated to Canada from South Africa, my husband and I both lost our dads, we’ve gone through a LOT of tough times which comes with immigration. You learn to appreciate family and friends on a different level. You learn to value life, live in the now and make the best of potentially crappy situations.

3. Kids keep you young!

It’s fun having a baby in the house again. He is bringing back the playfulness that seems to get lost when kids grow up. Don’t get me wrong- I love my tween girls and seeing them changing into amazing young women. I love how their interests changed from playing with playdough to caring about fashion and their Youtube channel. But, I’m grateful for my inner-child to come out again! And I love playing with playdough.

4. I know what I want in life.

I thought having a baby will stop everything I wanted to do in it’s tracks. Like starting my coaching career and blogging full time. Honestly, I did put it all on the back burner during my pregnancy, and I’m so glad I did. I’ve grown substantially on so many levels, and took that time to do research and grow my knowledge- and now I can create kick-ass courses which I couldn’t possibly do a year ago. And having a baby is certainly not keeping me from doing anything I love. It’s all about choices at the end of the day- I still get to work, even with him on my lap!

5. If they can do it- we can do it!

Here are some celebrities who had a baby over 40:

• Halle Berry- she welcomed her first child at age 41, then gave birth to her younger son when she was 47.

• Nicole Kidman- she gave birth to her biological daughter, Sunday Rose, in 2008, when the Australian actress was 41 years old.

• Brooke Shields-  she had her second daughter, Grier, in 2006, at the age of 40.

• Meryl Streep- The Oscar-winning actress has four children, the youngest of which she gave birth to in 1991, just before she turned 42.

• Celine Dion- she gave birth to twin boys at the age of 42.

• Gwen Stefani- welcomed her youngest son when she was 44 years old.

So there you have it, folks! Feel free to comment with your reasons why having a baby at 40 rocks! Be sure to check out my funny parenting memes post whenever you feel blue- it will cheer you up!

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Love, light and a splash of wine!