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Ageism and birth

A had a call today from a pregnant woman who was looking for an independent midwife. She was initially thinking of a midwife who could attend her in a Birth Centre and when I mentioned home birth, she was surprised. She had been told that at age 34 she would never be considered for a home birth as she was "too old"!

This "ageist" stuff is really silly. When I was giving birth to my children, I was considered to be a bit on the "old side" as I was in my mid 20s. Anyone over the age of 30 had "elderly primigravida" written on the top of their notes and was treated as a walking time bomb.

Now that women are choosing careers ahead of babies and the average age of first births has risen to 30 years (which means that more than half of all women are having their first child will be older than this), these arbitrary definitions have had to be re-written. "Elderly" now refers to anyone over the age of 35, or even 40

It is all meaningless, of course. General health is a much better indicator for a good birth outcome and many women in their 30s and 40s are in very fit condition ( not like many of the rest of us!). It won't stop people (often doctors) from trying to scare women about potential problems because of their "age" however, and the barrage of tests and technology they will be subjected to will not necessarily enhance their confidence.

I was pleased to be able to at least put one woman's mind at rest today. She was certainly interested in a home birth but had almost ruled it out - I hope she takes the common sense approach and leaves the final decision about birth place until the labour is underway. Given the right midwifery support, she can safely leave her options open right until the last minute.

Posted by andrea at July 14, 2003 04:19 PM

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