More and More Women Over 40 Giving Birth

　　A report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the number of such women exceeded 100,000 for the first time in 2003. It also found there were 1,512 first-time mothers between the ages of 45 and 54 last year.

　　A report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) found the number of such women exceeded 100,000 for the first time in 2003. It also found there were 1,512 first-time mothers between the ages of 45 and 54 last year.

　　At 63, many of Judith Cates' peers are contemplating retiring to Florida. She's busy attending pizza parties with her 5-year-old twin daughters and picking up toys. Cates is one of a growing number of women over 40 to give birth.

　　Cates gave birth when she was 57 — even older than a New York woman with newborn twins. A 59-year-old Georgia woman is pregnant with twins and due in December.

　　Researchers say older parents have some advantages. A study of 30,000 households showed that people who had children in their 40s were better off financially, spent more time with their children and had a closer connection to the children's friends than younger parents, said Brian Powell, a sociology professor at Indiana University.

　　"The older you were as a parent, the better off the child," Powell said.

　　But others question what happens when older parents suffer health problems or die. Even some family members have questioned the Cateses' decision.