Midlife moms have made headlines recently – because our ranks are growing fast, and so is the pool of midlife-moms-to-be, as lots of recession-shy ladies are holding off on babies for the time being – a formula for many midlife moms and babies down the line.  On the celebrity side, think Penelope Cruz, Carla Bruni, Mariah Carey, Tina Fey.  Lots of non-celeb ladies are also waiting til 35 and after to start or continue their families.  US births were down 4% overall between 2007 and 2009 – falling in all age groups except women 40 and over, for whom the rate rose 6%!  Here’s the illustration:

Births continued downward in 2010.  The overall decline is not exactly world changing, however, since we’re only falling back to the level we were at in 2004 — after a big birth rate rise based on a false sense of economic security in 2005-7.

The pattern of delay in evidence here suggests that the ladies are waiting til they feel ready – and in important measure that readiness seems to be defined in financial terms.  Women starting families in their 40s tend to have established at work first and to be better off.  But even if the economy is still less secure than they might like, by 40 or so it’s now or never for those who aim to form their families standard issue.

For trend trackers, the suspenseful part comes next – how long will those who put off having kids now wait before starting, or before having a second or third child?  Though about two thirds of women can have kids unassisted at […]