Waiting to Start a Family

Many women today are putting off starting a family and that can be a good thing, however, there is definitely an ideal time for conception and childrearing. One of the challenges modern women face among being competitive in the workplace is trying to make time to be just plain old mom. If you wait too long, it may become too late.

The typical twenty-something woman graduates college and then thrusts herself into the workforce. She has to, she's got student loans to pay off and wants to make the most of her education to please not only herself, but also her parents. Being educated, she knows that having babies is a financial hardship and probably not one that she should take on right away. Even if she is married, her and her spouse will probably want to wait a few years or more until they are more financially stable.

The idea of being financially stable is wonderful, and it shows that as a couple you two are being responsible, however, there is truth to people saying, "There is no ideal time to have kids," or "Things are never how you want them when baby comes." If a couple gets too committed to the idea of things having to be right, they may never get around to having a baby because there is always some bill you'd like paid off or some loan that is
too much.

The trick is to balance being financially responsible and taking a risk. The ideal time biologically speaking for women to conceive is from 24-33 I believe. A woman is most fertile at 24 and anytime in that age range would allow a woman to be young and vigorous enough to care for a baby or children. Being a mom is hard work and takes a lot of energy, it is not something you want to try if you are getting into your forties.

Waiting too long to have babies also puts women at a higher risk for having a baby with a birth defect. As a woman passes 35, her fertility gradually begins to decrease and her eggs become less viable. With age, also comes more risk for hypertension during pregnancy, diabetes and down syndrome. In today's world a woman may want to wait to have a baby, but her biological clock is ticking for a good reason.