The relative number of women over the age of 35 who are giving birth is now at an all-time high in Finland. According to figures from the National Institute of Health and Welfare (THL), the percentage of expectant mothers over 35 exceeded 20 percent for the first time ever last year.
2013 was also a record-breaking year for the number of first-time mothers over 35: 11.5 percent of the total. Of total births in Finland last year, 41 percent were first-time births. The average age of first-time moms in Finland was 28.5.
The percentage of women under 20 having children has fallen; they represented only two percent of all births last year.
Unplanned births outside of birthing centres rose by five percent on the previous year. Examples of the kinds of births that fit into this category are the 71 children were born en route to the hospital in Finland last year.
A total of 58,525 babies were born in Finland in 2013, 1,311 less than in 2012. The average age of expectant mothers in Finland has long been around 30 years of age.
Increase in smoking and weight gain
The percentage of smokers among Finland’s group of expectant mothers has remained largely the same since the late 1980s. Some sixteen percent smoke, although 44 percent of these say they quit during their first trimester. This is an improvement on corresponding figures from a decade ago, when only 19 percent said they had quit smoking while pregnant.
Next to smoking, weight gain is also a increasing health risk among expectant mothers. An increase in weight adds to the probability of pregnancy diabetes and C-sections. One in three expectant mothers was overweight last year, while 13 percent were classified as obese.