For women, 30 is both a scary milestone and a momentous achievement. After age 30, life changes and so do we. Among the most noticeable changes is how differently we perceive children. If you’ve always wanted kids or weren’t quite sure when you’d start a family, little ones can start to seem a whole lot cuter. If you can relate to one of more of these, you may be afflicted with baby fever:
- You feel sad/wistful when we see a cute baby. You enjoy the cuteness, but it also reminds you of everything you’re missing out on. In many cases, it reminds you of everything your friends have that’s somehow eluded you thus far. You don’t want to be a buzzkill, but sometimes you can’t help but wonder if it’ll ever happen for you.
- You really do stress about meeting someone before your clock runs out. It’s one of those things that guys use to call you crazy, but that’s unfair. Nature makes you this way; it’s not a choice. If you think about it logically, many guys would have an equally strong reaction if their ability to procreate was as limited and time-bound as yours.
- You agonize when your parents ask for grandkids. You really want your parents to be around long enough to meet their potential future grandkids, but Mr. Right must’ve gotten lost, because he sure hasn’t come along yet. Be patient, Mom and Dad — we’re trying to find him.
- Facebook reminds you daily of how cute everyone’s kids are. You do like your friends’ cute kid pictures (otherwise you wouldn’t click like), but you can’t help it if they also bum you out a little. It makes you think about everything you haven’t accomplished, and no one wants to think about that.
- You feel like you’re just a bit behind on life. Although you’ve spent your life working on your career and all kinds of other valuable missions, the family is the ultimate conquest. Without that under your belt, you’re always going to feel a bit behind.
- The idea of procreating still scares you a lot. Despite all these struggles, the thought of creating life is still really scary. It involves giving up wine for basically an entire year, giving up sleeping in for about 20 years, and will literally change every second of every day for the rest of your life. You know that, and it’s terrifying, but you still do want it on some level.
- You know you could do it on your own, but that’s even scarier. You’re well aware that it’s 2015 and you don’t need a man to have a baby, but the thought of taking on such responsibility all alone is downright petrifying. While it’s comforting to have as a last resort, you really want to meet the right one and take that journey the way you’ve always dreamed.
- You volunteer to babysit sometimes to get your fix. Let’s be honest — it also serves as psychological birth control. You love your friends’ kids, but you certainly do appreciate unwinding in your nice quiet home with a drink in hand afterwards.
- You secretly wonder how bad a surprise pregnancy would really be. You don’t want it to happen, and you always use protection in order to be as proactive as possible, but you can’t help but wonder if an unexpected pregnancy would really be such a travesty, especially at your age.
- You totally admire how badass all your parent friends are. You see all they do and everything they put up with, and you can’t even fathom how they do it. You wonder if that instinct is ingrained in everyone, because you can’t yet see yourself as being capable of all that. You hope they’re there for you after you have kids; you’re going to need them.
