Laura Linney becomes first time mom at 49

**sprynkles** · January 19th, 2014, 08:26 PM

Except for being exhausted all the time, I would be a great mom if I started right now. I was an idiot in my 20's. I have so much more patience and I think I would appreciate the whole experience so much more now. That's probably why grandmothers can be pretty awesome.

**MohandasKGanja** · January 19th, 2014, 08:35 PM

This is just my anecdotal opinion, but giving birth to (or fathering) children at an advanced (m/p)aternal age, is only a problem if you look, and are in the condition of, someone of an advanced maternal age.

**LameAnn** · January 19th, 2014, 08:38 PM

She's youthful-looking and fit. I just saw Susan Sarandon the other day. She is 67 and looks 17 years younger and has a young, vibrant spirit, still very interested in so much, not out to pasture, retired. Laura can run after a baby and have more energy for it than some of the young, unhealthy, overweight mothers, or more than some very lazy, young mothers I've seen before always propped in front of the TV. Plus, like said above, she has the luxury of having help for not just the baby but she's not cooking dinner every night and cleaning the house and vacuuming, folding laundry day after day. As long as her health holds out and lives a long life, she should be fine. I think both of her parents are still alive. Her husband might be a little younger than her, but I'm not sure.

**ariesallover** · January 19th, 2014, 11:30 PM

Originally Posted by sprynkles

Except for being exhausted all the time, I would be a great mom if I started right now. I was an idiot in my 20's. I have so much more patience and I think I would appreciate the whole experience so much more now. That's probably why grandmothers can be pretty awesome.

My parents were almost 50 when they had me, and I knew, even when I was quite young, that I was having a different experience than my peers who were being raised by 20-something and young 30-something parents, and I say this even in the midst of some of my mom's MH issues while I was growing up.

They had a different approach to spending time with me and encouraging me. My dad put it bluntly in my later years when he said he had gotten over a lot of his own shit by the time I was born, which helped him enormously as a parent.

Downsides? I was routinely asked about my "grandparents" and explained they were my parents, not that this bothered me. I envy folks my age who still have one or both living parents.

**MmeVertigina** · January 20th, 2014, 12:26 AM

I've been a young mother and now an older-ish one (with babies/young children). My husband has been a young dad and an old dad (not going to soften it). We both have found more pros to being older parents than with being younger parents, there are definitely pros and cons to both, but overall the way we enjoy being parents has grown as we have grown older. It's like we appreciate it more now, especially after losses, it really feels like a gift to be able to raise our kids. I guess we had more energy when we were younger (I just remember being generally exhausted with my first 2 who are 2 years apart, he also has 2 kids who were 2 years apart), but we have changed our lifestyle so much in the last few years that we feel pretty great right now. I have a ways to go until 50, but I look at my husband who has met that mark and he seems young and able to me.
Plus, really, she's not diving into it at 50 and having quadruplets or something, just one baby to start and hopefully lots of time to enjoy being a mom.

**Mrs P** · January 20th, 2014, 03:51 AM

Originally Posted by mostroop

Wow, congrats to them.
Every bone in my body just protested the very idea of having to chase a toddler at my age, and we are about the same age.

I totally am on the same page there! Thanks for saying it. I always feel apologetic and just 'wrong' or, shit I can't think of another word but there are a lot of them, in regards to not wanting kids. My nieces and nephews are fab. As for personal kids, nope. I'm more of a furkid person.

Originally Posted by aabbcc

I'm 48 and so happy my kids are adults and that part of my life is over. I have zero interest in anything related to babies, little children, pregnancy, etc., but I've done it all before, so I guess that's the difference. I recently found out my daughter is going to have a baby later this year. I was like "Well, keep it at your place. If I want to see it, I'll go over there." And she said, "So I guess that means we'll never see you." LOL My children know me well. I'm just not a kid person. Never have been.

Nothing wrong with that! My mom and sister are the same, as am I. Well shit, it's stupid that I even have to say nothing is wrong with it.

Originally Posted by LameAnn

She's youthful-looking and fit. I just saw Susan Sarandon the other day. She is 67 and looks 17 years younger and has a young, vibrant spirit, still very interested in so much, not out to pasture, retired. Laura can run after a baby and have more energy for it than some of the young, unhealthy, overweight mothers, or more than some very lazy, young mothers I've seen before always propped in front of the TV. Plus, like said above, she has the luxury of having help for not just the baby but she's not cooking dinner every night and cleaning the house and vacuuming, folding laundry day after day. As long as her health holds out and lives a long life, she should be fine. I think both of her parents are still alive. Her husband might be a little younger than her, but I'm not sure.

67!?#@# Holy shit. She looks quite a few years younger than that!

**Kittylady** · January 20th, 2014, 03:58 AM

Originally Posted by witchcurlgirl

How lovely for her.

And how nice that this thread isn't full of the 'she shouldn't be a mom at her age cause she's old and could die at any moment' stuff.

How dare she get pregnant at that age! Why, I'm shocked she didn't break a hip giving birth!

Is that better?

In all seriousness though, people are 'younger' now in comparison to our parents and grandparents. When I look at pictures of my grandmother when she was my age she already looked like a matronly old woman.

**Karistiona** · January 20th, 2014, 06:01 AM

Ahh lovely, pretty name they chose too. She's a fab actress and I had no idea she was 49, she looks great.

I know my opinion on this issue is slightly different to most of everyone elses but after watching my mum go through pregnancy with my wee sis when she was 40 I'm always a bit wary, there were so many risk factors involved that were really heightened because she was an older mum. She was monitored constantly and had a barrage of tests throughout the pregnancy, and there were serious concerns about wee sis - who was born 2 months premature but was thankfully strong as an ox. To each their own, but I think I'd be considering my options if I wanted to have kids when I was almost 50.

**MohandasKGanja** · January 20th, 2014, 08:08 AM

Originally Posted by Kittylady

In all seriousness though, people are 'younger' now in comparison to our parents and grandparents. When I look at pictures of my grandmother when she was my age she already looked like a matronly old woman.

Originally Posted by Karistiona

Ahh lovely, pretty name they chose too. She's a fab actress and I had no idea she was 49, she looks great.

I know my opinion on this issue is slightly different to most of everyone elses but after watching my mum go through pregnancy with my wee sis when she was 40 I'm always a bit wary, there were so many risk factors involved that were really heightened because she was an older mum. She was monitored constantly and had a barrage of tests throughout the pregnancy, and there were serious concerns about wee sis - who was born 2 months premature but was thankfully strong as an ox. To each their own, but I think I'd be considering my options if I wanted to have kids when I was almost 50.

My dad was 38 when I was born, and I practically swore that I wouldn't have kids at that age. But that is exactly what happened. While my dad was a very strong guy, he was no longer agile and just couldn't do a lot of athletic things with me when I was a kid. What I realized as I got older, though, was that it was a matter of how you took care of yourself, more than your chronological age. Because Mrs. Mohandas and I are lifelong gym rats, we more than keep up with our kids. We play and practice sports with them outside and take them with us on 5K's. It's been pretty easy, but we're also thankful for just random good luck.

**gas_chick** · January 20th, 2014, 08:36 AM

Congrats to her and more power to her. I don't even want to imagine running after a little one at 41. I love to play with my nieces and nephews and then leave and go home!!!

Also, congrats aabbcc on becoming a grandmother. I think you will see that baby even more than you or your daughter think.

**JadeStar70** · January 20th, 2014, 09:26 AM

I know I couldn't handle a newborn at that age.....but Congrats to them!!

**Sarzy** · January 20th, 2014, 10:05 AM

I do think 49 is too old to have a baby, but that's her choice so good luck to her. I like her as an actress, she's had a good career.

**rollo** · January 20th, 2014, 12:41 PM

It's not just about having a baby. It's 20+ years of raising each child as well. But good luck to her. She looks in a good place to be able to do it well.

**sputnik** · January 20th, 2014, 02:14 PM

eh, it's all a lottery anyway. you could have kids at 25 and die young, or have them later and live to 100, there's no way of knowing. if given the choice, I'd rather be born to a 49 year-old laura linney than a teen mom.