Pregnant women by the Census Bureau's numbers

Pregnant women are working longer into pregnancy and returning to work sooner than they did in the 1960s, according to a report released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

As I read through the article, I kept wondering, "Are they going to say anything about the huge increase in late-in-life moms?"

I scanned past the statistic stating 67% of women who were pregnant with their first child from 2001 to 2003 worked during pregnancy, compared with 44% in the early 1960s. The report found that about 80% of women who worked during pregnancy from 2001 to 2003 worked until their last month of pregnancy, compared with 35% from 1961 to 1965.

And--Eureka! There it was. The report also found that the percentage of first births to women 30 and older increased from 4% in 1970 to 24% in 2000. That's quite an increase in older moms--and I would wager a good portion of those women fall into the over-35 catergory, which earns them the Advanced Maternal Age Label.

So--those are the stats. I have to admit, I was a bit surprised. Not by the increase in over 30 moms. But because I keep reading about more women leaving the business world to be stay-at-home moms. But, according to the numbers, from 2001 to 2003 about 55% of women returned to work within six months after giving birth, compared with 14% in the early 1960s.

Motherhood--it's an interesting experience, any way you look at it.