First Mothering Over 35 Years: Questioning the Association of Maternal Age and Pregnancy Risk

Women having a first baby at 35+ years are commonly considered to be “at risk” for pregnancy complications. This understanding appears to be based primarily on age, and curerntly many healthy women are included in this category. There is clear evidence to suggest that, for these women, being considered “at risk” is anxiety provoking.

In this Australian qualitative study of first mothering over 35 years, we found four risk-related themes, “realizing I was at risk,” “hoping for reassurance,” “dealing with uncertainty,” and “getting through it/negotiating risk.” We concluded that successful adjustment to motherhood related principally to participants negotiating risk and also to the infant growing and becoming more responsive. Attitudes of health professionals were found to contribute to rather than ameliorate participant dilemmas.

Understanding how healthy women over 35 years engage with and negotiate notions of risk may assist health professionals in the provision of more meaningful maternal support for this growing group of women.