“When you’re young, it’s fun and everybody’s touching your belly,” she says. “As you get older, it’s still cool, but you realize your body is your own, and ‘Don’t touch me.'”
In fact, Northey says an older lady at her church continued rubbing her belly even though Northey repeatedly asked her not to. A couple of weeks before giving birth to her daughter, Northey was fed up.
“I reached up and I grabbed hold of her boobs in my hands,” she says with a laugh. “[I told her,] “˜I’ve asked you not to touch me. It’s not a good feeling, is it?’ From what I understand, she has yet to touch another pregnant woman in church.”
Dealing with Society
And, of course, the general public, family and friends are often happy to share opinions with an older pregnant mother. Northey says with so many kids she has gotten lots of comments about how she ought to know what causes pregnancy. She’s also dealt with folks who think she and her husband (who is about to turn 60) are the kids’ grandparents. Her husband handles it with humor after sharing that the kids are their own.
“He says, “˜Yep, I’m still getting some,'” Northey says. “You get a lot of flak for being an older parent…It’s a heck of a ride. It doesn’t matter who you are. Just pull that lap bar down and hang on because it’s a ride.”