As women, we’re taught from a very young age that our lives will consist of marriage, having children, and raising children. Even in these times of sexual equality, this is still considered a woman’s path in life.
If you are of a certain age and do not have children, questions will be asked. But for many women, they do not have a natural desire to have children and often go many years thinking that they will never do so.
Then all of a sudden that is all they can think of. They have a burning desire to have a baby even if they are not in the ideal time in their life.
If this is you, do you have baby fever? Is baby fever even a real thing? We are going to look at why this sudden urge to have a baby happens and where it comes from.
In this article
Hormones
From time to time throughout my life, I have become completely obsessed with babies and felt a deep yearning to have one. Conception, pregnancy, and all things to do with motherhood.
Is it my hormones leading the way or something else? But which hormones are taking the lead in the fascination with all things babies?
Hormones are critical to each and every part of human function from puberty, hunger metabolism to sexual function. Some hormones that you have heard of such as insulin, estrogen, testosterone, and oxytocin.
While others such as orexin, glucagon, and calcitonin are less known. Our hormones have influence and control over aspects of our lives so it’s understandable to assume that hormones would be driving the overwhelming need to have a baby.
But it appears that this assumption is wrong. Dr. David Keefe, chair of NYU Langone’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology said, “I’m not convinced it’s hormonal. Rather, the feeling is existential.”
During a woman’s late 30s and early 40s, there are no real hormone changes except the gradual decline of a woman’s fertility.
Although this conclusion does not help provide any answers to why a woman has a sudden need to have a baby, it clearly shows that it is nothing to do with our hormones.
Is It Because My Body Is Ready For a Baby?
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Many sources say that there’s no way that we are capable of having a biological urge to reproduce and that it comes from social influences.
But yet there are science-backed things that happen to a woman’s body when she is ready to have a baby. This is not just the obvious one of the release of an egg each month but things that we may not associate with this event.
Things such as:
Increased sense of smell
You are more in tune with scents when you are ovulating. It’s not just those manly, musky smells that catch our attention. In fact, those everyday common smells may suddenly seem much stronger.
Healthy discharge
Your vaginal discharge can give you huge clues as to where you are in your reproductive cycle. As you near the perfect time for conception, your body begins to produce more estrogen and a different kind of discharge.
Confidence boost
Women who are ovulating tend to experience a huge confidence boost. Subconsciously they tend to dress up a little more or even show a little more skin during those few days before their egg is released.
Increased body temperature
It’s unlikely that you would even notice an increase in your body temperature unless you were actively checking and recording it. This increase happens as your body reaches the phase in your cycle that releases an egg.
Increased sex drive
When your body is at the perfect time to conceive, you may notice an increase in your sex drive.
Well, It Depends On Your Age
There are many stages of wanting to have a baby that you go through, depending on your age. This could also be where you are influenced socially by those around you and their own current life experiences or stage.
Early 20s
At this age, you will fall into one of two camps. Camp one is the camp where all your friends are settling down, getting married, found their perfect long-term career, and are now starting their families.
Then there is camp two where all those around you are enjoying liquor-fueled holidays, have multiply partners, no clue what career path they are on, and have absolutely no intention of settling down.
Age 30 – 35
By this age, you will more than likely be in a long term relationship, have settled into some sort of career, and be ready to leave your carefree 20’s behind you and start a family.
You will have stopped using any form of contraceptive, and reading all the articles on how to get pregnant in the first month of trying.
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Age 35 – 40
You have now reached the stage where you may start to panic and there are questions starting to fly around. Why have I not got pregnant? Is there something wrong with me?
You are tracking your body temperature and recording changes in your vaginal discharge. Keeping your legs in the air after sex and any other strange and wonderful suggestions that you have read in the trendiest magazines.
Age 40+
Your body clock is thumping in your head and your parents are asking when you are going to give them a grandchild. Everyone keeps telling you that you are running out of time, that you’ve left it too late and the remarks go on and on.
No matter what age you are at, when you decide that you are ready to have a baby is a very personal and private decision. Many factors need to be considered before you make this huge decision.
Baby Fever – Is It Real?
Earlier we talked about suddenly becoming completely obsessed with everything baby and that this feeling comes and goes. Baby fever seems to be a far more intense feeling that doesn’t subside.
But is this really ‘ baby fever ‘ or just our own desire to move forward with our lives?
There is no scientific evidence to show that ‘baby fever’ actually exists but if you speak to anyone who has ever felt this so-called desire, they will tell you it is very much a real thing.
You may actually think that only women get ‘baby fever.’ In fact, it happens to men too. So this discovery kind of disproves the hormone theory.
But it does make you think more about it happening when you subconsciously feel that you are at the right stage or age in your life.
A Final Thought
No matter what age or stage you are at in your life, having a baby is a huge life-changing decision that should not be taken lightly.
Many people consider the trade-offs that they will have to make to justify their decision one way or the other. Things like “I don’t want to have a baby because I don’t have the time,” or “I don’t have the money,” or “I don’t have a partner or a big enough house/car” come into mind.
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The list will go on and on. Is baby fever real? I think that the answer is yes. There may be no scientific proof of it. However, we are after all humans, and humans have a desire to nurture.
Baby fever may just be this desire coming to the forefront and us suddenly realizing that we can no longer suppress it.
As humans with our own free will, we will always find a way to justify our decisions whether this is to have or not to have a child. But this decision needs to be taken seriously as it is not just your life that you are responsible for but also that of your unborn child.
If you aren’t ready to experience this amazing, exhausting, terrifying journey that will make you realize what unconditional love really is, then just take a step back and take things slow!
