Enter email to receive Baby Bloomer Ezine

Healthy Living for Later Moms


Motherhood is always challenging, and even more so for mothers who are in their late 30s, 40s, and 50s. In addition to having less energy to work with, older moms are dealing with different health issues than younger moms and often take longer to recover from having a baby. Here are six health issues of particular concern to later moms, and one overarching suggestion for how to deal with them.

High Blood Sugar

Gestational diabetes is much more common in later moms than earlier ones and is a condition that should be carefully managed by your doctor while you are pregnant. Usually, gestational diabetes goes away after the placenta detaches during labor. However, older moms are also more at risk for developing Type II diabetes. Eating a healthy, balanced diet rich in fiber and low in refined sugar is critical to preventing the onset of Type II diabetes.

High Blood Pressure

Hypertension is a common disease and your risk of developing it increases as you get older. Other risk factors include inactivity, stress, and being overweight, concerns common to new mothers. To prevent developing high blood pressure or to help manage your condition if you have hypertension, try to get outdoors for a walk, keep yourself as calm, and reduce your stress levels by asking for lots of help from friends and family and getting as much sleep as you can.

Decreasing Bone Density

Bone density often decreases as you age, which results in bones that are weaker and more easily broken. To strengthen your bones, consume plenty of calcium and vitamin D. To prevent damaging your bones with your diet, eat meals rich in fruits and vegetables, avoid excess caffeine (more than four cups per day), and limit your alcohol intake to one drink per day or less. There is also evidence that eating too much protein can speed bone density loss, so high protein diets may not be appropriate for older moms.

Slowing Metabolism

Your metabolism slows as you age, with the decline starting as early as your mid-twenties. By the time you reach your mid-40s, the natural decrease in muscle mass has started, further decreasing your body’s resting calorie burn. Unless you eat less or exercise more, you will begin to gain weight. To boost your metabolism, turn to strength training. Building and maintaining muscle mass is the best way to keep your metabolism revving later in life, and it also helps to build bone density and prevent injury. Does lifting a 30-pound toddler count as strength training? You bet it does.

Onset of Menopause

The onset of menopause usually begins in a woman’s early 50s, but can start in her 40s or even earlier, though it is unusual. Perimenopause, the part of a woman’s life before menopause, can begin ten years or more before the actual beginning of menopause. There is little to be done to slow this natural process, but there is a lot you can do to make the symptoms more bearable. Some of the best advice is to be as healthy as possible going into the process, as it will allow your body to handle the changes more easily.

Loss of Flexibility

Like strength and endurance, flexibility tends to decrease as we age, and balance along with it. Working to maintain your flexibility is critical to preventing injuries which can occur during even the simplest of activities. Try to include at least three sessions of stretching a week, and incorporate stretching in your everyday life. If you need to bend over to pick something up, straighten out your knees and touch your toes for a second while you are down there. Do some neck rolls while relaxing on the couch, or do some gentle spine twists while waiting in line.

Go Vegan

You may have noticed that many of these conditions can be lessened or prevented with a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. In trying to make a lifestyle switch, it can be helpful to have a name for that type of eating. The vegan diet addresses all of the nutritional benefits mentioned above. A vegan diet avoids all animal products, therefore also avoiding almost all saturated fats and providing bountiful fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Adhering to a vegan diet is not as difficult as it used to be thanks to food products from companies like Hampton Creek.

These are some of the largest health concerns facing later moms along with a few suggestions on how to manage or prevent them. By keeping active and eating a balanced diet, you can keep your body healthy and your energy level high so you can keep up with the little ones.

Tags: , , , , , , ,