Late Bloomer?

There’s a message board on BabyCenter.com for women whose babies are due in April 2010. There are tons of helpful postings on there and it’s pretty entertaining/interesting to read. One of the posts was asking how many women were over 35 who were delivering and also asking if it was her first pregnancy as well. It was surprising how many women are in their early 20’s but even more surprising is how few women were over 35 and also how many (including me) used the phrase “late bloomer” when replying with their age. I admit I probably used it because I didn’t know what else to say. The majority of the responses were similar to “I’ll be 37 when I deliver my first. I guess I’m a late bloomer.” I don’t know why this bothered me because before I saw those comments I really didn’t think of myself as a late bloomer. Yes, I am older than the average woman giving birth for the first time but it’s not like I’m 60. And what defines a late bloomer anyway? I think I bloomed just fine. I didn’t postpone having children because I put my career first or because I wanted to have x amount of money saved before starting a family. Nor was it because I wasn’t emotionally ready. And even if I did delay starting a family for any of those reasons, what’s wrong with that?? I didn’t have children earlier because….life just worked out that way. Some days it shocks me how old I am. I will be 37 when I deliver. Wow. When I was a kid, I thought 30 was old. I don’t feel 37. People say “age is just a number” blah blah blah. I guess it is and you’re only as old as you feel blah blah. But sometimes I don’t feel old enough to have a kid of my own. In some ways I know I’ll know what to do. But other times I think I’m not ready. I’m sure these are normal pregnancy, first time mom worries whether I was giving birth at 27 or 47. Does that make me a late bloomer? And if so, does it even matter?

On a non-introspective note, I am feeling much better and want to send my physical therapist a box of chocolates.