Well, I wasn't quite as old as Sarah but this grandma could identify with her in July of 2001 when we had some amazing news. The Lord definitely had a "change" in mind for me but it wasn't the one I suspected --and yes, I laughed, too! (So did everyone else when we announced our joyful news!)
Now even as I type I have a precious little bundle of joy snuggled up next to me, sound asleep. Words can't convey the depth of my love and appreciation for her; not a day goes by that I don't thank the Lord for so radically changing our lives with a brand new baby in our "mid-life"! He is so marvelous and full of amazing plans for our lives if we will just trust Him.
Negative, fearful, or discouraging comments about having babies after forty! (After all, can the Lord truly be trusted in this area or not? The answer to this is unequivocally YES!)
Statistically
Speaking...
From
the National Center for Health Statistics:
Of
the 4,058,814 babies born in the United States in 2000,
452,057
were to women 35 to 39
90,013
to women 40 to 44
4,349
to women 45 to 49
255
to women 50 to 54.
Previous
generations saw even higher birthrates for older moms -- for
instance in 1960 the birthrate for women 40 to 44 was more than
twice the current rate.
These
days more first babies are being born to older mothers, with women
over age 30 accounting for 24 percent of all first-time mothers in
2000. More twins and triplets are being born to older mothers, with
multiple birthrates rising steadily for women over 40 and 45. In
2000, 40 percent of all births to women 50 and older were twins or
triplets.
According
to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest spontaneous
pregnancy in modern times occurred in a woman who delivered when she
was aged 57 years, 120 days.
Bottom
Line: It's the Lord Who opens and closes the womb and if He
wants to bless you with a baby, He can do it REGARDLESS of your age!
Just remember Sarah.
