Pregnancy After 40

Ashley Brichter, a certified childbirth educator, birth and postpartum doula, and lactation counselor is the founder of Birth Smarter, which provides relevant and inclusive education for expectant parents virtually across the world. With over a decade of experience supporting new parents, Ashley provides one-on-one support, group classes, lectures, and distance learning for the perinatal population and the professionals who serve them. After the birth of her first child in 2014, Ashley became driven to understand birth physiology on a deeper level. Better for it, she coined the 3-Actions of Physiological Birth, the core of Birth Smarter’s curriculum. Ashley shares her fresh perspective on pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting to individuals and groups. To hear more, tune in to this episode for Ashley’s childbirth advice and suggestions for expectant moms of all ages.

Women's First presents the... "FERTILITY & PREGNANCY EXPO" on April 30, 2022! Pre-register today at www.pregnancyafterforty.com/expo to receive additional information, including news, speakers, sessions, and tickets directly to your inbox!



For additional Pregnancy After 40 resources, visit www.PregnancyAfterForty.com and/or join our “Pregnancy After Forty Private Group” on Facebook

To contact Ashley and to learn more about her Childbirth Courses, visit: https://birthsmarter.com/

With her husband being told flat out that he would never be able to have children, both Joanna and her husband were shocked and excited when they found out that they were expecting a baby together.

However, being treated for anxiety and a degenerative disc condition for years, fear and paranoia reared their ugly heads during this pregnancy for Joanna, especially since her doctor was constantly reminding her of all the risks of having a baby at 42 years old.

Joanna shares how she was weaned from several medications for both anxiety and pain during this pregnancy, how she controlled her gestational diabetes and consulting with a lactation specialist to help with nursing her newborn.

To hear more, tune in to this episode for Joanna’s full Pregnancy after 40 Journey and Story.

Women's First presents the... "FERTILITY & PREGNANCY EXPO" on April 30, 2022! Pre-register today at www.pregnancyafterforty.com/expo to receive additional information, including news, speakers, sessions, and tickets directly to your inbox!



For additional Pregnancy After 40 resources, visit www.PregnancyAfterForty.com and/or join our “Pregnancy After Forty Private Group” on Facebook

Defining herself as a “Realist but also an Optimist” who treats patients, not numbers on paper, Dr. Ellen Wood has over 20 years of infertility experience and shares how she helps women in achieving their dreams of conceiving and having a baby at an advanced age. An advocate of achieving that dream using various methods, Dr. Wood gives advice and suggestions on conceiving regardless of the method, including naturally, hormone therapy, IUI, IVF and/or Egg Donation and more. Dr. Wood is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and in the subspecialty of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and currently treats patients at IVFMD in Cooper City, Florida. To hear more, tune in to this episode for Dr. Ellen Wood’s fertility advice and suggestions for both men and women, especially for those who are over 40 years old.

For additional Pregnancy After 40 resources, visit www.PregnancyAfterForty.com and/or join our “Pregnancy After Forty Private Group” on Facebook

To contact Dr. Wood, visit: https://www.ivfmd.com

Already having 4 children, with her youngest being 14 years old, and thinking that she was done having children and accepting the fact that she was pre-menopausal, Rachel was stunned when she found out that she was unknowingly 18 weeks pregnant. Initially being concerned about having a baby at this age, Rachel soon embraced this pregnancy and chronicled her entire Pregnancy After 40 Journey on Instagram. Hailing from Australia, super positive and motivational, and refreshingly honest, Rachel had a textbook pregnancy and delivery at 46, which she believes was the result of being naturally fit all her life. Sharing her labor via video on her timeline, Rachel shows how she labored and delivered naturally and unmedicated despite her healthcare provider trying to discourage her from having a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). To hear more, tune in to this episode for Rachel’s full Pregnancy after 40 Journey and Story.

For additional Pregnancy After 40 resources, visit www.PregnancyAfterForty.com and/or join our “Pregnancy After Forty Private Group” on Facebook

Visit Rachel’s “Pregnancy After 40” Journey on Instagram @realrach_74

As a result of Dr. Robert Setton and his wife struggling with infertility and conceiving a baby on their own, he decided to changed his medical specialty from cardiology to reproductive endocrinology to assist other women and their partners to conceive. Experiencing several failed IVF transfers and being told that his wife would never be able to conceive using her own eggs at 40 years old, nothing was further from the truth as the couple conceived their oldest child on their 6th IVF transfer and their subsequent 3 children naturally. Now a fertility expert at Shady Grove Fertility in New York, Dr. Setton sits down with us and tells his own personal experience with infertility from his perspective and how he approaches and treats his patients in their fertility journey. To hear more, tune in to this episode for Dr. Robert Setton’s fertility advice and suggestions for both men and women, especially for those over 40 years old.

For additional Pregnancy After 40 resources, visit www.PregnancyAfterForty.com


To contact Dr. Setton, visit: www.ShadyGroveFertility.com

As an athlete all of her life, Kelly was devastated when she became disabled as a result of a spinal condition in her early 30’s. Soon confined to a wheelchair Kelly found peace and encouragement in her friend turned husband, who was also disabled. Desiring to have children, despite their disabilities, the couple tried numerous unsuccessful rounds of IVF and eventually gave up and instead adopted their daughter. However, wanting their daughter to grow up with a sibling, Kelly and her husband decided to try IVF one more time. This time it worked, and Kelly delivered her miracle baby at 48 years old, overcoming several pregnancy related issues. Kelly shares her story to encourage not only women over 40 years old but also disabled women by being an example of a conqueror in life and as a mother. To hear more, tune in to this episode for Kelly’s full Pregnancy after 40 Journey and Story.

Jenny’s first pregnancy in her 20’s ended tragically when she went into preterm labor and had to deliver her son 24 weeks due to having an incompetent cervix. Understandably devastated, Jenny and her husband tried to conceive several years later and began taking progesterone to support her pregnancy. Unfortunately, Jenny suffered a total of 6 miscarriages and finally gave up. Once she let her dream of having a baby go, one night she was advised to take a pregnancy test and to her surprise she was pregnant again. She immediately began taking progesterone again and delivered her first son at 38 years old. And her second at 42 years old. And then her third at 45 years old. Now with 2 boys and a girl, all naturally conceived, Jenny is truly a testament to “delay is not denial!” Despite being diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes while pregnant with her second son, it never went away and she was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes after his birth which she has been able to control with her diet. An amazing story of grief and hopelessness to surprise and elation, Jenny is an inspiration. To hear more, tune in to this episode for Jenny’s full Pregnancy after 40 Journey and Story.

After 14 years of unsuccessfully trying to have a baby both on her own and via IVF multiple times, Sara and her husband began to accept the fact that they wouldn’t have any children, especially after being diagnosed with PCOS, Type 1 Diabetes and an autoimmune disease in her teens. Sara never had periods on her own unless she was put on medication or hormones to force them happen. With IVF treatments she was able to conceive yet suffered countless miscarriages over the years. As a result, it was understandable why she wanted to throw in the towel. However, in the beginning of 2017, Sara began making some changes her lifestyle that resulted in her having her first period without being medically induced. Later that year, Sara became pregnant, naturally at 40 years old giving birth to her first baby at 41 years old, albiet with a few pregnancy complications and preterm labor. Now 43, Sara and her husband are trying again for another baby to add to the clan. This episode is truly an amazing and inspiring story of never giving up on your desire to have a baby over 40 years old. To hear more, tune in to this episode for Sara’s full Pregnancy after 40 Journey and Story.

Despite being pregnant 6 times and this being her 5th baby, this pregnancy at 40 years old proved to be the most challenging of them all for Tanya. After miscarrying her first child due to an incompetent cervix, Tanya was all too familiar with needing and having a cerclage for the remainder of her pregnancies in order to successfully deliver. However, during this pregnancy at 40 years old, not only did she have her cerclage done early in the pregnancy, Tanya also experienced a subchorionic hemorrhage and placental separation during the 2nd trimester, which forced her to go on bedrest for the remainder of her pregnancy. Additionally, since protocols changed as a result of the pandemic, Tanya was officially diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes out of an abundance of caution even though she was never able to take the 3 hour glucose test, which she controlled through her diet. With all of that, Tanya started experiencing preterm contractions at 26 weeks, which medication was able to stop, however, she still went into preterm labor at 36 weeks and had her daughter prematurely, who was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia while in utero. In this 2-part episode, Tanya also talks about experiencing Postpartum Depression with a previous child and how she hopes the stigma of seeking treatment for it has decreased as well as her delivery experience. To hear more, tune in to this episode for Tanya’s full Pregnancy after 40 Journey and Story.

Despite being pregnant 6 times and this being her 5th baby, this pregnancy at 40 years old proved to be the most challenging of them all for Tanya. After miscarrying her first child due to an incompetent cervix, Tanya was all too familiar with needing and having a cerclage for the remainder of her pregnancies in order to successfully deliver. However, during this pregnancy at 40 years old, not only did she have her cerclage done early in the pregnancy, Tanya also experienced a subchorionic hemorrhage and placental separation during the 2nd trimester, which forced her to go on bedrest for the remainder of her pregnancy. Additionally, since protocols changed as a result of the pandemic, Tanya was officially diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes out of an abundance of caution even though she was never able to take the 3 hour glucose test, which she controlled through her diet. With all of that, Tanya started experiencing preterm contractions at 26 weeks, which medication was able to stop, however, she still went into preterm labor at 36 weeks and had her daughter prematurely, who was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia while in utero. In this 2-part episode, Tanya also talks about experiencing Postpartum Depression with a previous child and how she hopes the stigma of seeking treatment for it has decreased as well as her delivery experience. To hear more, tune in to this episode for Tanya’s full Pregnancy after 40 Journey and Story.