Modern pregnancies: Super-organised mums schedule births around busy lives

SURPRISE babies are becoming a thing of the past with modern mums organising everything from the date their child is born to the way they give birth and the new bub’s nursery — as well as the house they are bringing their kids home to.

Caren Reynolds planned the pregnancies for both her sons - William, four, and two-year-old Hudson. Picture: Tim Hunter

SURPRISE babies are becoming a thing of the past with modern mums organising everything from the date their child is born to the way they give birth and the new bub’s nursery — as well as the house they are bringing their kids home to.

Doctors and social researchers say the “modern culture of control” is having its impact on the way women are ­approaching pregnancy — with today’s mothers striving to get their pregnancies to adhere to strict schedules.

A new NSW Health report released this week reveals the number of women having children in their 30s is booming — with more than 55 per cent of babies in the state born to mums aged 30-39. The average mum is now 30.6 years old compared to 30.3 years in 2012.

Hannah Davidson delivered baby Leah with a water birth at Westmead Hospital. Picture: David Swift

And the percentage of mothers aged over 35 is up from 14.9 per cent 10 years ago to 23.6 per cent. At the same time the number of mums having kids in their 20s has declined 7 per cent since 2010. The number of women having elective caesareans is also at a record high — with 20.2 per cent of women of all ages choosing the surgery and 30.5 per cent of women over 35.

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Obstetrician-gynaecologist Dr Gino Pecoraro said while there were health reasons for elective caesareans, there was also a group of mothers who ­wanted to plan out their pregnancies.

“In our modern culture everything is about choice and control and being in control of your own destiny,” Dr Pecoraro said. “Women want to apply that to having children and plan it out, including when they’ve giving birth. Unfortunately though with labour and deliveries you can’t control anything, so mothers do need to relinquish a little bit of that.”

“We wanted to make sure we had our house, were financially stable and stable in our jobs first.” Picture: Tim Hunter

Social demographer Mark McCrindle agreed the data reflected a more planned approach to having children.

“There’s a clear trend towards mothers being older and having children moving from the 20s to the 30s,” he said.

“Parents are wanting to wait until they are financially stable and have bought a house. It’s interesting that there are greater number of elective caesareans … mums are wanting to take a very modern 21st-century approach where they are in control of everything.”

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Australian Medical Association Dr Michael Gannon said house prices and financial stability were a common reason people were having children later.

“It’s a complicated issue and there are multiple effects … the reality of house prices means many people are waiting until later when they feel they are financially steady,” Dr Gannon said.

“It was a lot less painful and felt more natural.” Picture: David Swift

The Ponds mum Caren Reynolds, 35, planned the pregnancies for both her sons William, four, and two-year-old Hudson. “We wanted to make sure we had our house, were financially stable and stable in our jobs first,” she said.

She runs the Northern Hills District Healthy Mummy group, which helps women with their weight during and after pregnancy. She said most of the women she worked with were “very organised” with their approach to having kids.

“You don’t hear about a lot of surprise babies. Most parents want to plan out their children including the age gap between each child,” Ms Reynolds said.

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As well as caesareans, the popularity of water births is also growing — with Westmead Hospital recently celebrating its 1000th this week.

Hannah Davidson, from Ermington, was that 1000th mother when she gave birth to daughter Leah. “It was such a nice experience, much nicer than the birth of my first baby,” she said. “It was a lot less painful and felt more natural. I would recommend other women try it.”

The report also revealed that in 2016 there were 98,727 babies born in NSW to 97,306 mothers. Western Sydney Local Health District had the greatest number of babies for the sixth consecutive year, with 14,667 births.