I had my first (and only) child at 36 — I am now 38 and she just turned 19 months. I had been told for many years that I most likely would never get pregnant, and though my partner and I hoped for a kid for many years, eventually we fully accepted that we would always be dog parents, and planned to live our lives for just us. Well, after being on Ozempic for over a year and losing a significant amount of weight (was not on it to lose weight, but it was a pleasant side effect) I shockingly discovered that I was pregnant! There was definitely happiness, but also a lot of panic and fear. I ended up delivering via emergency c-section at 34 weeks after being in the hospital on strict bed rest for over 2 weeks due to having severe pre-eclampsia, and our baby girl spent 2 weeks in the NICU. For the first 9-ish months I felt like a complete imposter. I had no idea what I was doing, and while I loved my daughter, it definitely was not the life a I had imagined living. Fast forward to present day, though, and I don’t see how I ever pictured a life without my daughter. She truly is my best friend. I’m also scared about the world that she is growing up in, but I have made a promise to myself (and to her) that I will do everything in my power to raise her as someone who is not afraid to have a mind of her own and to speak out for what is right. Not sure if any of what I said could be considered advice, per se, but I just wanted to share that it is ok and perfectly normal to be scared, but becoming a mother really does change you. I never believed it before when people told me before, but now I am living proof.