Photos: Midlife Baby Boom--Famous Over-40 Moms

Had my first and only baby, naturally, at the age of 42. Had what I considered to be "miinor" complications--blood clot, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. Remarkably, with all that, my high blood presure went down to normal while I was pregnant. I suspect it was because I was HAPPY! Having my beautiful son at the age I did made me more appreciative of life, my family, etc.; though my pregnancy was not planned and I am a single mother (working 2 jobs as a lawyer and part-time community college instructor). I just know that whatever age you are, whether it is 20 or 40, you need to be ready to be unready for motherhood--it is an unpredictable, sometimes bumpy glorious ride. It's just that at 42, I thought I was more ready to be unready than some people (not all mind you) half my age. And, by the time had my son, I had the education and job to support him

I had a miscarriage at 39, and I gave up the possibility of being a mom. It took me a long time to find the right man to marry. I got married at 40. I had my first baby at 43. It was a very easy pregnancy. I never felt more healthy than when I was pregnant with him. Of course, I watched what I ate, and I got 8 hours of sleep every night. I think that it is not so uncommon these days to have a baby after 40. You just got to try not to worry about what people think. It's your life, not theirs. There are not a lot of historical stats on women having babies after 40, so the risks look even higher because of it, but you can have a very healthy baby after 40.

I had a baby #3 at 43. I did get a lot of whispers and groans from other women (and men). Many thought I was crazy. But I didnt care. I am in better physical shape than most 25 year olds. Energy is not a problem. If you are thinking of it, I say DO IT !!

LOL Madonna had no business having a kid when she was younger....what a role model.

I am 41 and pregnant for the first time. My baby is due 2 months shy of my 42nd birthday. So far, so good. I'm hopeful I'll be able to have one more because I want this child to have a sibling so once myself and the father pass on, he or she will not be without immediate family. We shall see. I thought I'd need infertility treatments, but this baby made it onto the scene all on its own! I love stories like these...they are encouraging...and before I got pregnant, hearing them gave me hope!

I'm 45 and spontaneously pregnant again (after two miscarriages). My third child was born when I was 40 and my forth child was born when I was 41.

I'm 45 and spontaneously pregnant - again. I gave birth to my third child at 40, and my forth child at 41. Here we go again (after two miscarriages) and we couldn't be happier.

I became a mom at 42 and founded www.MotherhoodLater.com for those parenting later in life. We have chapters nationwide and no fee to join.

I'm 47 years old now and my son is 3 1/2, born 4/14/2005. I was 43 years old when my 2nd son was born and my husband was 51 years old. My husbands first son too so he is pretty happy to finally have a son of his own. We don't plan on any more since my risks of health problems are much greater and I just don't think I have any more energy for another little one.

I had my first son when I was 23 years old and when I met my second husband I was 41 year old and had my 2nd son when I was 43 year old naturally too. I had 3 misscarages before but I didn't seem to have any problem getting pregnant at all. I was induced a week early due to high blood pressure and pre-clamsia. My son is a very healthy and happy boy. My first doctor said women at 40 don't have any chances of ever getting pregnant and after changing doctors I had a great midwife and even she had her last child at 42. So don't listen to any crazy doctors that tell you it isn't possible to even get pregnant at 40 or more.

I am 42 and finally pregnant naturally after many years of failures and miscarriages. Opportunity and failed marriages had me wait until later in my life for this pregnancy. I am viewed as an oddity amoung the young mothers I know, but I feel as young now as my 20 year old friends. I am considering my pre-experienced life mistakes and current financial security benefits to being an over 40 new mom.

I join the long list of first time moms over 40. I had my first child at 42 and my second at 44. Both were conceived naturally. Maybe, it's time we reexamined old data concerning childbirth after age 35. I don't consider myself a late in life mom but an "InSeason Mom." www.inseasonmom.org

This kind of article continues to perpetuate the myth that it is easy for a woman to have a child in later age without the help of an ovum donor. This is misleading to other women experiencing infertility and also to younger women that falsely believe that they have all the time in the world to start their families. While it is possible that some of these births did not use 3rd party help, it is likely that most of them did. While I respect the right to privacy in these individual families I wish this article had presented a more balanced and realistic picture with some mothers over 40 who used ovum donation. As a young woman in my 30s experiencing premature ovarian failure and likely turning to ovum donation, I hope that the mainstream media will work harder to portray the DISEASE of infertility in a more true light rather than brushing the reality under the rug. This is not a dirty little secret. Ovum donation is a wonderful, amazing option to build families and I wish that the world would start to see it as such. It must begin with the media. That being said, how wonderful that these women have been able to enjoy the gift of these children in their 40s. What a blessing. No matter how they got there, it is a beautiful thing.

Did you know that having children younger (before 30) is a preventive factor for breast cancer, but having children when older is a risk factor for it? (No physician ever told me this until I was 35!) My mother and sister both died from breast cancer at 46 years old. My sister had both of her kids in her 40s, and my mom had my brother & sister in her 20s and had me at 40. I'm 44 now (the age my sister was when she was diagnosed). I don't have children (this is also a risk factor!) I spent my "child bearing years" in graduate school, and I'm now enjoying a great career. I had surgery for an ovarian problem problem a few years ago, and I elected to have my tubes removed at that time. No man in my life right now. I may want to adopt (or foster) children in the future, but only with a partner. My fear is that I'll die too young to raise them. Discuss!

About the time I was starting to empty the nest, I found out I was pregnant again at 41! I call myself a "Mommy-Come-Lately"--a maternal spin on the phrase "Johnny-come--lately. I'm a woman who's a mom later-in-life and I'm loving it!

After 6 years of trying and too many failed fertility treatments, I discovered acupuncture and Chinese herbs. I became pregnant within months. I gave birth to my daughter at 38, and just gave birth this summer to another healthy girl at 41. We are so blessed. Western medicine is not the only option.

My Lily was born 8 months ago, right after I turned 43! Our first. We tried for two years, with infertility treatments to concieve and I was told, after the last failure, that it would never happen. One month later we concieved naturally. On her birth announcment we wrote "The most astonishing thing about miracles is that they happen".

I feel much more equipped to handle the "joys of motherhood" then if this were to have happened in my early 30's. I feel like all of my experiences and adventures give me greater knowledge, strength and appreciation.

I had my 1st child, a beautiful daughter, at 37. My 2nd, a handsome son, 4 months ago at 42. My husband is 55!! We conceived naturally, and consider ourselves extremely blessed. I love being a Mom, and I am glad I waited. Life is good.