Bringing a new life into the world is both a thrilling and a scary experience. Many prefer having kids at an early age whereas some have a long wait before the stork visits them.
What is the right time and age to have children is a question that has turned into a dilemma for a lot of people? Although it should be an entirely personal decision, often people decide to heed to others advice on the matter instead of their own.
Pressure from society
A lot of us feel the constant pressure of society that forces everyone to get married and then to have babies. Be it family members persistently pushing you to become a parent or friends advising you to have kids, the pressure always stays. Being a parent means being responsible for another life and also needs a person to be mentally, emotionally and financially prepared for the task. It is certainly not a decision to be taken lightly or under pressure.
(Image Courtesy: Kids Stop Press)
Is the right age a myth
Generally speaking, females are advised to get pregnant in their 20s or early 30s, and even men are advised to become a father soon before their testosterone levels drop. But then there are those who defied the norms and had kids in their late 40s or even early 50s. Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara is recorded to be the oldest woman who gave birth at the age of 66 through IVF. There is always a blazing argument between the two sides; one which stresses the importance of having kids at an early age and the other who advocates going ahead with life and to have children at a later stage. So, is the right age a myth? Only time will tell.
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Medically speaking
There are a lot of difficult questions regarding the idea of pregnancy, and it concerns both men and women. From a purely medical point of view the chances of getting pregnant are less after the late 30s, and after 45 it is impossible to get pregnant using your egg. A female is more likely to experience problems like high blood pressure and diabetes during pregnancy. There are higher chances of her experiencing birth complications if she gets pregnant at a later stage and there are more cases of miscarriages and preterm baby to older mothers. Men are not exempted from this problem as well; sperm count and quality play a significant role in impregnating a woman and determining the health of the baby. Older men may be able to father a child but their deteriorating sperm count can cause genetic defects in the offspring.
Other important aspects
Despite the fact that having kids at an early age could be beneficial health wise, often people are not mentally or financially prepared to bear the burden of a child at an early stage. A lot of parents who choose to have kids late may have had problems physically keeping up with their children, but they are better equipped with dealing with them mentally. A vast range of experience and being wiser than their younger counterparts certainly helps them in the upbringing of their child.
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Celebrities who had kids at a later stage
The following celebrities lived by their rules and defied the norm of to have children early:
Jennifer Lopez
(Image Courtesy: Heightline)
The gorgeous Latino is known for her music and brilliant physique. She didn’t let anything come in the way of her giving birth to twins at the age of 38.
Stellan Skarsgård
(Image Courtesy: Heightline)
The Swedish actor famous for Thor and Good Will Hunting became a father at the age of 61 with wife Megan Everett. He has another son with her who was born in 2009. Stellan’s eldest son Alexander Skarsgård is 40 years old.
Gwen Stefani
(Image Courtesy: PopSugar)
The singer and actress had her first kid at the age of 36 and the next at 38, she added another to her brood by having a child at the age of 44.
Mariah Carey
(Image Courtesy: In Touch Weekly)
The famous singer suffered a miscarriage in 2008 and had to stay on progesterone to help conceive at the age of 41.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
(Image Courtesy: theIndusparent.com)
The beautiful starlet from the Indian Film Industry gave birth at the age of 38.
Steve Martin
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No, we are not talking about Father of the Bride 2 movie here. The actor became a first-time father at the age of 67 in real life when his wife Anne Stringfield, 41 gave birth to a daughter in December 2012.
David Letterman
(Image Courtesy: Page Six)
The famous talk show host had a child at the age of 56 with his longtime partner Regina Lasko, 43.
Sibi Blazic
(Image Courtesy: NY Daily News)
Wife of superstar Christian Bale gave birth to their second child at the age of 44.
Shah Rukh Khan
(Image Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle)
The major Indian star and a global icon and his wife, Gauri Khan had a son AbRam through surrogacy in the year 2013. The star was 47 then and his wife 42.
Michael Douglas
(Image Courtesy: E! Online)
The star twice became a father after 50, his son Dylan was born when he was 56 and his daughter Carys when the actor was 59.
Sir Paul McCartney
(Image Courtesy: ArticleBio)
The Beatles star became a father very late at the age of 61, his daughter Beatrice was born to his then-wife Heather Mills.
Larry King
(Image Courtesy: Huffington Post)
The late night show host became a father at the age of 66 and 67 to his sons; Chance and Cannon respectively.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
(Image Courtesy: Hello Magazine)
The star of Terminator and former Governor of California had two kids at the age of 50.
So, what is the right age to have children? The debate continues, and while some prefer welcoming their bundles of joy at a younger age, others push the limit and with the help of medical science, are successfully able to sire children at a later stage. After all, it’s a personal choice, and no one can dictate the right age for becoming a parent to anyone.
(Featured Image Courtesy: The Sabbath Recorder)
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