Late-in-Life Mom Selected as John McCain's Running Mate

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, 44, is Republican John McCain's pick for vice president.

Palin and her husband Todd have five children: sons Track, 19, and Trig, 4 months, and daughters Bristol, 17, Willow, 13, and Piper, 7. Trig was diagnosed with Down syndrome while Palin was pregnant.

While govenor of Alaska, Palin kept her pregnancy with Trig a secret. She confirming only weeks before the birth that she was going to have a son who she knew would have Down syndrome. She returned to work in April three days after giving birth.

**Contest celebrating new Mommy-Come-Lately® website continuing until Wednesday, Sept. 24th. Go here for details about winning a $200 AVEDA gift certificate!**

New Website for Late-in-Life Moms!

Enter to win a $200 Aveda Gift Certificate!

I have a new arrival to announce. But, this time it's not a new baby...it's a new website! As the author of Baby Changes Everything: Embracing and Preparing for Motherhood after 35, I'm excited to launch an updated website that helps moms love late-in-life motherhood. Moms over 35 need more support than ever. So, if you're a Mommy-Come-Lately®, I know my new website will provide real encouragement.

To celebrate the new website, I’m giving away the perfect treat

to pamper moms:

a $200 Aveda gift certificate.



Here’s how to win the gift certificate:

Visit Mommy-Come-Lately.com and sign up to receive my free e-mail newsletter. Don’t wait, because the winner will be selected on Wednesday, September 24, 2008.

Plus, everyone who signs up will also receive my exclusive article:

Three Secrets to Loving Late-in-Life Motherhood.
While you’re at the website, check out these new features:

1. Free resources to maximize your late-in-life pregnancy and understand prenatal tests
2. Important information on topics like infertility, adoption and postpartum depression

Please tell others about this announcement--or post it on your blog. When you promote it on your blog or website, I’ll enter your name twice, increasing your chance to win the Aveda gift certificate!

News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms August 25, 2008

News to know:

Woman, 55, has quadruplets
A 55-year-old Indian woman gave birth to quadruplets in Italy last week, according to news reports. The woman went through Assisted Reproduction Therapy (ART) in India.
The boys Manav, Manmeet, Roshan and Radveer, were born two months premature and weighed between one pound, 10 ounces and two pounds, two ounces.

Yoga soothes worst symptom of menopause
Yoga can reduce hot flashes and night sweats among women going through menopause, according to researchers.
Researchers in India randomly assigned 120 menopausal women, 40 to 55 years old, to yoga practice or simple stretching and strengthening exercises five days a week for eight weeks. Women in the yoga group showed a significant reduction in hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances, while the women in the control group did not.


Nebraska law allows abandonment of teens
Nebraska’s new “safe-haven” law allows parents to abandon unwanted children at hospitals with no questions asked potentially permits the abandonment of anyone under 19.
The month-old law raises the possibility that frustrated parents could drop off misbehaving teens or even severely disabled older children with impunity.


Riskiest sport? Cheerleading, report finds
Cheerleading is more dangerous than any other women’s sport, accounting for 65 percent of all catastrophic injuries in high school girls’ athletics and 67 percent in colleges, according to a study published by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research.

News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms August 22, 2008

News to know:
Latest celebrity Mommy-Come-Lately:Singer Gwen Stefani, 38, gave birth to her second son on Thursday. Zuma Nesta Rock joins big brother Kingston.

Vaccine-wary parents spark public health worrySmall but growing clusters of parents seek exemptions to keep their kids from being vaccinated.Skeptical of government mandates and leery of feared links to disorders from asthma to autism, parents say they’re exercising their rights to protect their kids from risk.But health officials say there’s no question that the risk of vaccination is far outweighed by the benefits of inoculation. Officials also believe that children who aren't immunized are at risk, while also endangering the collective resistance that keeps everyone else safe, too.

France ban broadcast of TV shows for babies Concerned about channels dedicated to 24 hours a day baby-targeted programming, France's broadcast authority has banned French channels from airing TV shows aimed at children under 3 years old.

Want to boost kids' grades? Get them movingMiddle-school students who performed best on fitness tests — which gauged aerobic capacity, strength, endurance, flexibility and body composition — performed better academically as well, according to recent research linking physical activity with better academic performance.Results from the study, which included 317 students in grades six through eight, showed that the fittest group of students scored almost 30 percent higher on standardized tests than the least fit group.

News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms August 21, 2008

News to know:

Surrogate mom, 61, gives birth to own grandchild
A 61-year-old Japanese woman gave birth to her own grandchild, the Suwa Maternity Clinic in Nagano, northwest of Tokyo said today.
The clinic refused to provide information such as the date of the birth or gender of the baby. News reports said the baby was born last year.
The woman's daughter has no uterus and the surrogate mother used a fertilized egg donated by her daughter, according to the clinic.

Latest celebrity late-in-life dads:
Matt Damon, 37, and his wife, Luciana, have a daughter, Gia Zavala
Latin American singer Ricky Martin, 36, father of twin boys via "gestational surrogacy"

Census Bureau: Fertility of American Women 2006

The U.S. Census Bureau isn't telling us anything we don't already know.
Sift through the data and the fact remains: More women are delaying childbirth.

In the newly released report "Fertility of American Women: 2006", one highlighted statistic concludes:

The level of childlessness among women 40-44 years old in June 2006, 20 percent, is twice as high as 30 years ago (10 percent).

That statistic is just another way of saying women are delaying childbirth--and that's why older women have a higher level of childlessness in 2006 than there was in 1976.

Just a reminder here: Medically speaking, Advanced Maternal Age is defined as 35 years old or older.

A report from the National Center for Health Statistics stated that births to older women continued to increase from 2004 to 2005. During that time, the birth rate:

• increased 2 percent for women 35 to 39
• increased 2 percent for women 40 to 44
• increased slightly for women 45 to 49, the highest rate for this group since 1970 (although this figure only reflects a small total numer of births.)

Information adapted from BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING: EMBRACING AND PREPARING FOR MOTHERHOOD AFTER 35 by Beth K. Vogt

News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms August 18, 2008

News to know:

When I read this headline, I thought: If I have to blog about the chemicals in plastic bottles one more time . . .
But, just in case you're wondering:

FDA: Chemical found in plastic bottles is safe
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined trace amounts of bisphenol A that leach out of food containers are not a threat to infants or adults.
The plastic-hardening chemical, similar to the hormone estrogen, is used to seal canned food and make shatterproof bottles. It is also used in hundreds of household items, ranging from sunglasses to CDs.

Study: Most kids' fast-food meals have too many calories
Nearly every possible combination of the children's meals at Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Sonic, Jack in the Box, and Chick-fil-A are too high in calories, according to a report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The report examined the nutritional quality of kids' meals at 13 major restaurant chains.Ninety-three percent of 1,474 possible choices at the 13 chains exceed 430 calories -- an amount that is one-third of what the National Institute of Medicine recommends that children ages 4 through 8 should consume in a day, the report said.
Subway's kids' meals came out the best among the chains examined in the report. Only 6 of 18 "Fresh Fit for Kids" meals -- which include a mini-sub, juice box, and one of several healthful side items such as apple slices, raisins or yogurt -- exceed the 430-calorie threshold. But Subway is the only chain that doesn't offer soft drinks with kids' meals, which helped lower the calorie count.

Study: Kids who eat junk food are slower learners
A British study of 14,000 children found a large number of children who ate snacks like potato chips, lollipops and take-out food at age 3 lagged behind the rest of their class in elementary school.
The researchers also found that if a child had eaten a lot of junk food at an early age, switching to a healthier diet a couple of years later would do little to improve their test scores.

News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms August 15, 2008

News to know:

Too little tummy time may delay infants
Infants who spend too much time on their backs have an increased risk of developing a misshapen head along with certain developmental delays, according to the the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

Darra Torres inspires older women to get fit
Darra Torres, 41, became the oldest Olympic swimming medalist when she anchored the U.S. women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay to a silver medal finish.
Eight years after retiring and two years after giving birth, Torres is the first U.S. swimmer to compete at five Olympic Games and oldest woman ever to make the U.S. Olympic swim team.
Her Olympic comeback and "age is a number" mantra is inspiring older women to get fit.

Mommy-Come-Lately delivers baby on front lawn
Jessica Higgins, 36, was caught by surprise as she drove home from the mall when her daughter decided to be born six weeks early. By the time police arrived in response to her 911 call, Higgins was standing in her driveway holding her newborn, with the placenta still attached. Her 2-year-old son slept in his car seat.

Baby boost: For some female athletes, pregnancy and childbirth may improve their performance
Some doctors now speculate that pregnancy may be a performance enhancer, according to an article in Sports Illustrated.
There is evidence that pregnancy can help an athlete. One change that occurs in a pregnant woman's body is an increase in blood volume. Once the baby is born, the additional red blood cells that remain in the mother's system carry extra oxygen to the muscles.

News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms August 13, 2008

News to know:

Celebrity mamas fuel post-baby body blues


New moms are coming down with "celebrity baby body blues", according to a msnbc.com article. A survey by the San Francisco-based Web site Babycenter.com on the impact of “teeny and toned new celebrity moms” reported:

• 31 percent of moms felt angry about the “extra pressure on regular moms to look that way”


• 24 percent simply felt depressed

Stay-at-home moms staying home even more

The term “stay-at-home-mom” has taken on a new meaning. Economic stresses, particularly sky-high gas prices, keeps many of these moms and their children closer to home than they’d like, a development some find isolating and deeply frustrating.

Mad Cow rule hit sperm banks' patrons

The United States has effectively barred sperm banks from importing from Europe for fear it might spread the brain-ravaging pathogen that causes Mad Cow Disease. The restrictions bar importing sperm from any donor who has lived in the United Kingdom or France for more than three months, or elsewhere in Europe for more than five years, since 1980.

California weighs chemical ban in baby bottles

California lawmakers are considering a bill that would require all products or food containers designed for children 3 years and younger contain only trace amounts of the chemical bisphenol A. This could be the first statewide restrictions on a chemical found in plastic baby bottles and infant formula cans.

News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms August 11, 2008

News to know:

10 infant deaths tied to cold meds
At least 10 infant deaths in Arizona in 2006 were linked to over-the-counter cough and cold remedies, researchers said.
The findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, do not prove that the medications caused or contributed to the infants’ deaths, but they underscore a recent warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that parents not give cough and cold remedies to children younger than 2.


Pregorexic? Are some pregnant women putting their fetuses at risk?
Some mothers-to-be are embarking on dangerous diet and exercise programs to prevent too much weight gain during pregnancy.
FOXNews.com managing health editor Dr. Manny Alvarez said he's "absolutely" had to tell some of his pregnant patients to eat more. An article in the Daily Mail discussed the growing problem of "pregorexics" in England.
Gaining too little weight during pregnancy is associated with poor fetal growth, lower birth weight and the chance of a baby's being born prematurely, according to a recent study.

Study casts doubts on fertility treatments
A new study in the British Medical Journal questioned the use of two common infertility treatments for couples who have unexplained problems having children.
Researchers tested the effectiveness of a drug that stimulates ovulation and artificial insemination against doing nothing in 580 couples who had no obvious reasons for their inability to conceive. Among the three groups, researchers found little difference in the numbers of couples who had babies.

Dim economy drives women to donate eggs for profit
As the nation's economy is slumping, some fertility clinics say interest in donating has surged.
An egg donor is typically compensated between $5,000 and $10,000. Experts say that although most women donate out of desire to help infertile couples, the financial allure is real.

Updated Web Site Coming Soon--Watch for Contest!

I'm in the process of revamping the Mommy-Come-Lately Web site. The new and improved site will be up by mid-August--with many thanks to Stacey over at DigitalPicnic, who is my Web guru, and also Rob Eager, my oh-so-wise mentor over at Wildfire Marketing.

Once it's up and running, I'll be hosting a contest for folks who sign-up for my newsletter. And let me say, Rob helped me come up with an over-the-moon giveaway!

So, watch for the new Web site coming soon! My goal is to provide over-35 moms with information and resources to help them love late-in-life motherhood!

News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms, August 4, 2008

News to know:

Mayo Clinic delivers Minnesota's first frozen embryo babies
Research at Mayo Clinic has led to a first in Minnesota — twin bay girls born from eggs that were frozen, then thawed before being fertilized in a petri dish.
The Star-Tribune reported the birth and said the doctors at the Mayo Clinic who treated the parents are now offering egg freezing as an option "for those with a good reason to use it."

Menopause raises risk of metabolic syndrome
Entering menopause increases a woman's chances of developing a collection of heart disease risk factors, according to a new study.
Researchers followed 949 U.S. women for nearly a decade and found the risk of developing metabolic syndrome increased during perimenopause. Perimenopause covers the years when a woman’s body begins to transition into menopause, usually starting somewhere in her 40s.
Metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of risk factors for heart disease, stroke and diabetes, including: high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, high blood sugar, low levels of ”good” HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides. The syndrome is usually diagnosed when a person has three or more of these traits.