In the long run, having children can provide significant health benefits. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), women who have children are less likely to develop breast cancer. Being pregnant reduces exposure to certain hormones that have been linked to breast cancer.
The hormonal shifts that occur during pregnancy and breastfeeding also protect against ovarian and endometrial cancer, and the more full-term pregnancies you have, the greater the benefit. Scientists are investigating how carrying a baby can reduce a woman's risk of other cancers too.
Experts say the best time to get pregnant is between your late 20s and early 30s. This age range is associated with the best outcomes for both you and your baby. One study pinpointed the ideal age to give birth to a first child as 30.5. Your age is just one factor that should go into your decision to get pregnant.
As you may guess, pregnancy can be a very happy time. Whether that's true for you has a lot to do with factors outside the pregnancy itself. Studies have shown that women transitioning to the important role of mother do better when they: feel unconditionally loved.
Another study found that overall, people who have kids report being happier and more satisfied, and thinking more about meaning in life than non-parents do. Parents also reported more positive emotional experiences and meaning from moment to moment.
Having a baby is one of the most life-altering experiences. Whether you've always dreamed of parenthood, didn't see it coming, or fall somewhere in between, having a baby is bound to change your life in more ways than any parent could count.
You could feel a whole range of emotions – from complete exhaustion to total elation. If this is your first baby, it may even feel a little strange to be home. You may have an overwhelming sensation that life has changed forever.
Conception is truly a miracle
The fact that conception happens at all is truly a miracle. Failure of the sperm or egg to make an important connection anywhere along this complicated itinerary will prevent pregnancy from occurring.
It's normal to feel tearful, emotionally fragile, and tired during the first few weeks after baby is born. Eventually, you really will begin to feel like yourself again. If you begin to have suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming baby, you may have postpartum depression (PPD).
Temporary Physical Changes After Delivery. Afterbirth pains, body aches, vaginal pain, hemorrhoids, night sweats, swollen breasts, and hair loss are temporary physical changes that come with pregnancy. Dr. Elisha discusses what you should know and how you can get relief from common postpartum pains.
Sometimes people regret not having children because they believe that having a child would somehow make them feel complete. But, it's important to let go of this idea of completeness. Believing that a child will make you or your life feel complete is not a healthy expectation.
More Americans say that regret is common among adults who decide to remain childless than among parents: 40% say adults who have chosen to remain childless very often or somewhat often regret that choice, while 40% say they regret it not very often or not often at all.
Marriage has long been flouted as a health booster to couples, with those who tie the knot more likely to live longer and have fewer emotional problems. But a happiness expert has now suggested that it's men, rather than women, who benefit most from walking down the aisle.
You and Your Baby's Emotional Connection
Research has shown that, during pregnancy, your baby feels what you feel—and with the same intensity. That means if you're crying, your baby feels the same emotion, as if it's their own.
Pregnancy Side Effects
Gas, constipation, back pain, swollen ankles, growing feet, acid reflux, the constant need to pee – and on and on. The baby is totally worth it, of course, but that doesn't make the day-to-day experience any less difficult.
But many first-time parents find that after the first month of parenthood, it can actually get more difficult. This surprising truth is one reason many experts refer to a baby's first three months of life as the “fourth trimester.” If months two, three, and beyond are tougher than you expected, you're not alone.
A woman becomes able to get pregnant when she ovulates for the first time — about 14 days before her first menstrual period. This happens to some women as early as when they are eight years old, or even earlier. Most often, ovulation begins before women turn 20.
The pelvic floor muscles elongate during pregnancy and are stretched with birth. As a result, after birth “the muscles usually tighten up in response,” Mortifoglio says.
Part of the problem is that you're tired and have so much less time to spend with your partner than you did before the baby arrived. It's a lot harder to go out together and enjoy the things you used to do. Your partner may feel left out, and you may resent what you see as a lack of support.
"You become much more patient. Not just with day-to day-things, but with your future. Before kids, we would see something we wanted to buy, and we had to have it. Now, we're learning the joys of taking our time, saving up, and budgeting for the really important things in life, like college funds and 401(k)s.