Natural Birth and Baby Care.com

Can I Still Have My Second Baby?

by Janis Theron
(South Africa Cape Town)

Hi Kristen

Me again!

I am 41 on 10 Dec this year - and we still want to have our second baby.

The catch is that I still have to wean Jordan (our 2 year old son) properly and I aim to do
this by my 41st birthday!

Until then we have very little chance of conceiving as this is what my gynae confirmed for me.

Thereafter she has recommended more vitamins, more iron, more omegas and more sex!

Do you have any further advice?

I am fit and well and vegetarian.

Kind regards

Answer:

Hi again Janis,

The answer is yes, you can have a second baby! There are a lot of mothers who are successfully getting pregnant, even in their late 30's/early 40's.



A lot of women do have trouble conceiving when their children are nursing - their bodies are really sensitive to prolactin and other nursing hormones (which help suppress ovulation).

Since you feel comfortable weaning Jordan go ahead and keep working towards weaning.

Other things you can do:

Boost your fertility through nutrition - it's especially important to make sure you're getting good fats. Not getting enough fat can really mess with your cycle. Full fat dairy products and eggs are really excellent if you eat those. Olive oil is good, too, especially just drizzled over salads (it's more beneficial unheated). Coconut oil is a good fat for cooking and it's very good for your body. It's especially important if you're not eating dairy or eggs.

Fish is also excellent if you'll eat fish. Fish is very high in the Omega-3's. Consider a cod liver oil supplement.

Nuts and seeds are another good source of healthy fats and protein.

Do be sure you're getting plenty of protein. Dairy, eggs, fish, and nuts as referenced above are good. Beans are good too - and lentils are especially high in nutritional value.

Try to get most of your carbs from vegetables and some fruits. Limit grains to whole grains only and in moderation. Quinoa is a good grain to choose because it's very complete nutritionally.

I image that you get a moderate amount of exercise every day chasing after Jordan - and that's very good. Getting out and taking a walk daily is really good for you. It gets your blood moving which increases circulation to all of your reproductive organs.

You don't need to overdo it with exhausting exercise. A moderate amount daily or at least several days a week will greatly increase your health.

If you're not charting your cycles doing so could be beneficial. It will help you identify when you're ovulating - using an ovulation predictor kit or fertility monitor can also help.

I've started a new website where I've written about charting and using different charting helps pretty extensively:

Getting-Pregnant.com

The charting info is under "TTC Basics" and info on monitors/test kits is under "Tips and Tools."

I haven't finished the site yet so I've still got a lot of articles to write under the diet and nutrition and other information - but the basics are up :)

I've also just finished up a review on Lisa Olson's Pregnancy Miracle. She's a nutritionst and health consultant who has done extensive research on getting pregnant and her special focus was with mothers TTC later in life. She covers lots of info on herbs and supplements, and gives good info on using acupressure at home to increase fertility.

Lisa is also offering 3-month one-on-one consultation services with orders right now, which may be helpful if you have specific questions about fertility issues.

Let me know if you have any more questions Janis - and best of luck as you try to conceive a precious new baby!