Travel nurse professionals know that the first baby means the world to mothers. Pregnancy may seem like a long road until the delivery date, but nurses can help mothers-to-be nurture a healthy, thriving child. According to new research, there are more women aged 35 and older having children, suggesting that medical staffing employees might need to give mothers an extra push to maintain healthy habits to help counteract pregnancy risks that come with age.
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the average age of first-time moms is at an all-time high. In 1970, the average age was about 21, which increased to 25 in 2012.
The most shocking part of the findings was that first births of women aged 35 and older increased dramatically. In 2012, there were nine times as many first births to females 35 and older than there were four decades ago.
"We've been seeing this for a while now, but it's somewhat breathtaking to see how broadly it has occurred among both age groups [those 35 to 39, and those 40 to 44]," T.J. Mathews, a demographer with the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the CDC, told HealthDay. The data was gathered from U.S. state birth certificates nationwide, taken from the National Vital Statistics System.
Possible driving factors behind the trend include delayed marriage – most women are 27 years old by the time they marry. There are also older life expectancies as well as more women in the workforce pursuing careers, leaving less time to become a parent.
Smaller family sizes
Healthcare professionals understand that the average age at first birth is important because it impacts the total number of children a female might have. For example, if one gets pregnant for the first time at age 36, she is likely not going to have three children. Since the ability to conceive drops with age, older pregnancy age means smaller families.
"After 34, your chances of getting pregnant spontaneously, without the help of reproductive endocrinology or fertility services, exponentially decline," Dr. Catherine Herway, assistant director of maternal-fetal medicine at Staten Island University Hospital, told HealthDay.
Heightened age-related risks
Most importantly, the increase in age of first-time mothers comes with health implications for both the child and mother.
After age 34, the rates of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy, where a fertilized egg implants itself outside of the uterus, go up substantially. Once a female gets past the first trimester, she still faces a higher risk of having a baby with a chromosomal problem. This risk increases every year. For instance, while 25-year-old women have a 1 in 1,250 chance of delivering a baby with Down syndrome, 35-year-old women have a risk of about 1 in 350, according to the National Institutes of Health.
The road to a healthy baby
To increase the chances of having a healthy baby, it's crucial for patients to utilize early and regular prenatal care – screenings, regular exams, pregnancy education – as the first eight weeks of pregnancy are essential for a baby's development. Prenatal tests are also something doctors might want to offer to older moms, helping to determine the risk of having a baby with a birth defect.
Those in healthcare staffing should encourage all women of childbearing age to take daily prenatal vitamins, maintain a well-balanced diet, exercise regularly, gain the recommended amount of weight, and stop smoking and drinking alcohol. Travel nurses can reassure patients that most healthy women who get pregnant after age 35 and even into their 40s have healthy babies.