Pregnant Over 40s On The Increase

The number of mums over 40 has trebled in the last two decades.
New data shows 26,976 women aged 40 or over had babies in 2009 compared with 9,336 in 1989 and 14,252 in 1999.
Among mothers aged 35 to 39 there were 114,288 births in 2009, up 41% on 1999.
It means the average age of a first-time mum has gone up to 29.4 compared to 29.3 in 2008 and 28.4 in 1999.
The proportion of births to mothers born outside the UK continued to go up, from 24.1% in 2008 to 24.7% in 2009.
It has risen every year since 1990 when it was 12%.
Overall, figures for live births in England and Wales showed a 0.3% drop.