To Baby...or Not To Baby

I'm sure that many of my friends can relate...as soon as you get a ring, the baby questions start flowing.  Nope...we're waiting.  Wedding...Nope, we're still waiting.  6 month anniversary...nope still no babies.  No intention of babies.  nobabiesnobabiesnobabies.  You get it, right?

Kate Middleton is pregnant.  oh.my.god.  FINALLY.  Hah.  I don't actually care, but it's breaking news, I'm sure my BFF Lexy is peeing with joy, and it brings up some interesting topics.  Apparently it is customary for royals to give birth/become pregnant within their first year of marriage.  It seems very common among us commoners, too.  But if you think about it...why?  All I want to do right now is enjoy being a WIFE!  After 5 years, I still love spending time with just my Mikey.  I still feel like we're in the honeymoon phase, and I want to riiiide that out as long a possible.  (Sappy, I know)  But really, I want us time before we become parents with opposite schedules who never see each other and only spend time with our child/children.

I AM NOT SAYING ANYTHING AGAINST YOUNG PARENTS/FRIENDS WHO HAVE KIDS!!  Trust me!  But, for me...I have no interest in becoming a parent right now.  That's just me.  And I have mad respect for my friends and classmates that have children.  I don't think I could do it.  I can barely contain Lola (our rabbit).  Haha!

I also found this article on the best age to have a baby.  The trends have been changing...I feel anyway.  It seemed popular to have kids young a few years ago, and now I feel as though the average age is going back up again.  I always wanted to get married and have kids right away.  Obviously, that has changed.  I see people in their thirties and I think, get going, people!  But according to the article, it's becoming safer and more preferable to wait until your thirties.  Obviously there are studies everywhere telling you what you want to hear, but this one provided lots of info from different sources.

From the article, linked above--- "You could also define "best" as meaning the best chance for the health of the infant, rather than the health of the pregnancy itself. With that definition, according to Mirowsky, one California study concluded that the "best age" for first birth, in terms of lowest rates of birth defects, is 26."  And in the next paragraph--- "Put it all together, he said, and the optimum age at first birth in terms of the mother's long-term physical well-being was 31 years old."  There are benefits for you, your baby, your pregnancy, and your health after the birth.  Depending on which is most important, the age varies from early twenties to 34 years old.

Needless to say...pick the age that is best for you.  And if you don't know, then WAIT!  I think about babies all the time, but have decided a dog is a good place to start...and that won't even happen for a while.  So, hopefully, this doesn't all come back in my face...karma, you know!  I told a friend this week, I do enjoy friends my age having babies, that way I can learn from them and they'll always be there with advice :)  I truly am so proud of people my age with children, and they are all great parents!  I will join you some day!

Violet Cole

 

For now...I will share some ADORABLE pictures of my "niece", my sister-in-law's sister's daughter, born the day after Thanksgiving :)  

Smiley Sweetheart :)