My infertility journey began just after my husband, Steve, and I were married in 2015. I was 46 at that time and he was 39. We waited about two years before we started to see if having a family of our own was an option. We wanted to see what the possibility of us having our own baby would be. I expected to be told, “you’re crazy!” There’s no way you can have a baby, “You’re way too old.”
I know you are wondering, “Why would I want to become a mom at my age. Who gives birth at 49 or 50?! Don’t you want to travel and see the world?” My answer to those questions is easy. I’ve always wanted to become a mom. It’s a been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I always knew that I’d be a mom until it wasn’t a reality any longer due to my age. Or at least I thought this was my reality. Once I started feeling this way, I became complacent and thought “Ok, if I can’t be a Mom, that’s ok, I can be an awesome auntie”. I am actually an awesome aunt, but being a fabulous aunt doesn’t fill me with the same love and joy that becoming a mom will. I had a glimpse of what becoming a mom would feel like in my early 30’s. I talk more about that in my start here post, but I also want to address the other two questions here.
- About why I want to do this now, at 49 soon to be 50. As humans, We are living to be much older and we are living healthier lives in our older years and not needing outside help or care until we are much older. I have lived a lot of life. I’ve had the corporate career. I have traveled to awesome global locales. I have had plenty of party time and girls trips. I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on any part of a life well lived. I’ve done everything I’ve wanted to do in this life EXCEPT be a mom. I have a ton of life experiences to pull from and I don’t feel like I’m 49. Most days, I feel more like I’m 29 at the most.
- I know this is going to be a wild ride and it probably seems a little crazy to be doing this at my age. It isn’t the conventional or “normal” thing to do in your late 40’s. Everyone’s normal is different and what is normal for me, may not be normal for you and you know what? That’s ok. I am in good company. There have been some recent celebrities (Brigitte Nielsen and Janet Jackson to mention two) who have gotten pregnant and delivered healthy babies in their late 40’s and early 50’s. I also have a couple of personal friends who have gone through this journey and had successful pregnancies and births. One of them was 46 when she became pregnant and the other has done this twice, once when she was 49 and again when she was 53. They are loving being moms and doing a great job too! They have both been such inspirations to me as I get started on this crazy, wild and exciting journey!
I hope that I can inspire other women who are older and have always dreamed of becoming moms with my blog. I plan to document our IVF journey, my pregnancy, birth and beyond in this blog. Some of the posts may be very personal and emotional. Other’s may be more technical and all about the facts or details of what we are going through. I can promise you that I will tell you the truth. I’m sure I will cry often, but I will be authentic and share my true feelings and experiences with you. Thank you for following our incredible journey!