There’s a lot to be said for being a younger mum. There’s a good chance your pregnancy will be more straightforward, you’ll recover faster and you’ll have more energy for those night feeds and 5am starts.
However, scientists at the University of California have now uncovered a range of benefits to having babies later in life. And they’re pretty cool.
The latest studies suggest that women who give birth after the age of 35 are sharper mentally and have better memory and recall later in life.
The research, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, involved 830 middle-aged women, all of whom were asked to carry out simple memory tests such as retelling a story while being distracted and recalling lists of words.
Interestingly, women who had given birth to their first baby after they turned 24 returned better scores in problem solving and reasoning than those who had given birth younger.
Older mums, those who had given birth after their 35th birthday, were found to have better verbal memory and cognition.
And if you’re currently feeling the full effects of parenting more than one child, there’s good news: having two babies actually results in a bigger brainpower boost than one.
Doctors believe the brain boosting effect is the result of the flood of hormones that comes with pregnancy, which changes the brain chemistry and improves its function long-term.
While experts agree that women need to start thinking about their fertility earlier in life, the outlook is increasingly positive for mums who give birth later. In fact, a recent study found that children born to older mothers were healthier, better educated, and taller.
Do you feel you experienced a brain boost after giving birth? Let us know on Twitter @HerFamilydotie.
