A study reveals that more women aged 30 and over are waiting to have babies.
According to the March of Dimes, in Louisiana, this age group experienced a 26% increase in births and accounted for 40% of all births.
The shift seems to stem from many factors, with more and more women establishing a career before kids.
Veteran obstetric nurse Keena Mayfield says it's part of a shift in thinking.
She says shifts in societal norms and expectations have also helped.
"Not only does society see pregnancy in older women differently, but the women themselves feel different about being pregnant."
Mayfield says we can also blame COVID.
"People were locked up together during the pandemic, so that played a significant role, however, some women experienced a bit of a 'clock is ticking' type of panic as well."
Contrastingly, there was a drop in births for teens. Teen pregnancy has declined, with the CDC reporting about thirty percent fewer teens saying that they had sex by the time they get to high school.
While some research shows that teens get their emotional and sexual gratification out of sexting, video chatting, and by only hopping into each other's DMs, Mayfield says teens also have more birth control options and autonomy over medical decisions.
"There have been advancements for IUDs, and there are pills, patches, shots, and condoms."
"Teens are the patients. So if they don't want mom or dad in the room they are to be escorted out, leaving decision making to the teen. And, there is no mandate to notify the parent of decisions made."
She says laws outlining how much, if anything, a parent has to be told varies by state.
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