Oh baby: The future of parenthood

Babies are everywhere! Though the international decline in population recently has been dramatic, I can't imagine how. The number of strollers I almost get run down by within a day, I can't tell ya. But aren't they so adorable...

Do I hear a biological clock ticking away?

I'm turning 30, so some people wonder where my children are, and then tell me "honey, you ain't getting any younger". Thanks for the update, I say, is that a fact? How long can you wait to have children I wonder? Can you believe women in their fifties are having babies???

I like the idea of being an older mom. Women for the first time in history have had more babies in the age group of 30-35. A friend of mine recently had a baby, she was 41. Wow, that's old, right? Not really. Check out this hot mama at 66 yrs of age?!?

But what about the birth defects?

Against popular belief, most children with Down’s syndrome, a complication believed due to age of the mother, are born to younger mothers: 51% to mothers under 30, 72% to women under 35. Older women are more likely to have complications during pregnancy like high blood pressure. But there is no reason why a fit and healthy woman in her forties should not have a successful pregnancy.

What if I'm not getting pregnant?

Technology is almost Sci-Fi, combined with ancient wisdom, its almost miraculous. Acupuncture actually improves I.V.F fertility treatments by 50%. How phenomenal! To me this means more options for women today who want to conceive later than traditional standards. Women in their 30's are having their eggs frozen so that they conceive later in life.

But then again, is parenthood really for me?

Good question.

Parenthood has lost its charm they say. Europe's plunging birthrate has hit new lows. A clinic in east Germany used to deliver around 2,500 babies a year, now the number has fallen to 880.

"The problem is that some people have become less tolerant of children. They see them as loud, stressful and a bit of a pain," Dr Schulz from the clinic, said. "They'd rather have a cat or a dog."

For myself, children seem way too much to handle. Maybe later, maybe never. But hopefully, not now.