Do you think 23 or 24 years old is too young to be a first time mother?

Question

My wife and I are trying to conceive our first baby. She is 23 and I am 25. If she got pregnant now she would give birth one month before her 24th birthday. If it takes us a few months to conceive then she will be have her 24th before the baby is born.

Her mother thinks she should wait a few months and give birth when she is 24 instead of 23. She said 24 is a better age to be a mom. Oh yeah, her mom had her 1st kid at 19, so what the heck?

What difference does it make? What do you think about this situation? Do you think having a baby right before your 24th birthday is too young?

In case you wanted to know, we own a 3 bedroom house, we have college degrees, we have two new cars paid for, we have stable jobs and have an income of over $80,000 a year. And no one has given us a penny, so we are financially ready.

We have been together for 5 years, married for 2, so we are happy and ready for a baby.

Answer 1

ok.. first of all... just dont throw up what her mom did in the past...

Anyways...
24 "sounds" better than 23... but really you just have to think.. are you financially stable? Have a good home to bring a newborn to? Are you both at a point in your life where you know you can take care of a child whether they are sick and you have to stay home, doctor visits, late night runs for things that the baby ran out of... etc..? These are the things you really need to be sure on before conceiving. No matter what age... some can be in their 30's and still not be able to say that they have all of the above.
If you all are ready and have a stable and wonderful enviroment then I say 23 is fine. Just make sure both of you are ready

Answer 2

Sounds like your MIL is a bit controlling and a wee bit irrational. I suppose the important thing to remember here is that she means well and only wants the best for you two. So take it all with a grain of salt, I guess.

But it sure does sound to me like you two are financially, emotionally, and otherwise very well ready for babydom. You two are really on the ball for your age, and I salute you!

It just sounds silly to me to say that it would matter whether your wife was 23 or 24. What possible difference could a few months or one little year make? Now if she wanted you to wait until she was 30 or 32, then I could see a big difference there. Could give you time to get more established in your careers, travel, learn to SCUBA dive, develop new interests, pursue a masters' degree, volunteer, save a nest egg, whatever. But what difference could a year possibly make?

At any rate, the decision is all yours, that is yours and your wife's. Hopefully your wife doesn't give to much deference to your MIL.

Answer 3

i answered a question that a women asked earlier about this same situation. I am 24 and have two girls and am 28 weeks pregnant with a boy. But I think that if she wants to wait until she is 24 years to give birth for the first time then that is what everyone should respect. I said, (when I was little) that i would wait until I was 24, and well it did not happen that way. I wish I would have finished being a crazy teen first. But this is what was ment to be. I would respect all decisions you guys make togeather, if she really wants to wait, then give it another month or two. No big deal. Morals are important though.

Answer 4

Well, I was 18 when I had my first and I'm 22 and pregnant with my second. My husband and I have been through a lot with our son but when we got married we decided we wanted another one and so we got pregnant. We both have our degrees, a three bedroom condo, both have good cars..etc..just like you and your wife. I will be 23 at the end of Decemeber and my baby is due at the end of Jan. If you're ready for it then go for it. You sound like it's something you both really want and you sound well prepared to welcome a little one into the world. Don't worry about what other people say. Do what is right for you. It's the only way to live! Best of luck!

Answer 5

I don't know, 24 might be better because there are 24 hours in a day and being a parent is a 24 hour a day job. Also, Kobe bryant changed his jersey number to 24. he show named 24 does pretty good in the ratings too.

However, Michael Jordon was #23 so that could be special too.

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Look, the age thing is a joke, it sounds like you have a stable homelife so the timeing seems fine. Jus t take a few months to enjoy the process!!!

Good Luck, if it turns out you don't get prego until your wife is going to be 24 tell her mom you did it for her

Answer 6

Absolutely not. If you can financially, emotionally, and psychologically take care of the baby and you feel that you are BOTH ready, go for it! I will be a couple weeks shy of 22 and DH will be barely 23 when our baby is born, and I feel like we are both ready to have a baby. We talked about it for a year before we started trying, so we had plenty of time to change our minds. I think as long as you are in a position to be able to properly care for a child, then as soon as you are ready it will be ok. Good luck!

Oh, and we thought our parents (esp my mom) would go nuts and tell us we were too young, but they were all so excited to be grandparents for the first time that they forgot all about that.

Answer 7

I don't think it is too young. I was 18 when I had my daughter. But the real issue is....are you ready? Are you both willing to take something like a baby on?

Your mother in law is probably talking from experience. And it isn't always easy. But the two of you are married and you both can make the decision for yourselves.....if you are ready more power to you. I now have 3 kids with my husband and I couldn't of done it all with out his love and support. I am 26 he is 27.

Best of luck to you both.

Answer 8

If you both feel like you're ready and you really want the baby, and you're financially stable, you're one step ahead of a lot of younger new parents. I don't know anyone who waited until their 20s to have their first baby, and I don't know anyone who has been so financially ready to have their first child either. You sound like you really have it planned, so I would say do what you want, you want a family, you sound ready for it, get to it and good luck.

I think it's the perfect age as well, that's the age I would like to have my first kid at... 23 - 24.

Answer 9

I think her mom is just looking out for her daughter. Its a woman thing ;)

If you're both mature and have a good home for the baby then age really shouldn't be that big of a concern. I'm 21 and expecting my first (I'll be 22 when its born). I'm nervous of course, but as I've been told, you're never truly ready to be a mom until the moment that baby comes. Nothing can prepare you for it...just like marriage :)

I wish you all the best though :)

Answer 10

no, at that age you should know what you want and as long as you are both settled the time is right for the both of you! I was a young mother with my first and if I had it to do all over again I would have waited like I done my son at 23 then I NOW I was ready! BEST WISHES