The former ‘Today’ show co-anchor opens up about being an ‘older mom.’ Plus, here’s what research says.

Former Today show co-anchor Hoda Kotb is enjoying life, especially spending more quality time with her daughters, Haley, 8, and Hope, 6. She recently sat down with Jenna Bush Hager for an episode of Open Book with Jenna to chat about how she’s settling into her beautiful, slower, and “smaller” life at home with the girls.

Kotb also touches on what it’s like to be an “older mom” in what she feels is the most important part of her life. With more and more women becoming mothers later on, she’s certainly not the only mom in the school carline well past her 40s—and there are benefits to that.

Hoda’s Thoughts on Being an ‘Older Mom’

With a third grader and a first grader in tow, Kotb, 61, is certainly used to being labeled an “older mom.” She’s even used to people still asking her if she’s the mother when she’s with them. While it used to give her “an ouch,” she’s now leaning into the idea that it’s not necessarily a negative. In fact, Kotb says that being older has helped her parent in ways that she couldn’t have if she were much younger.

She notes that her younger self may have simply passed on her parents’ values to her children, but her older self can share the firsthand wisdom gained through life experience. “I feel like they’re getting more from me that you wouldn’t normally get from a parent who was in their 20s who has lived a life to know,” she shares. There are “bits and pieces” of things she wouldn’t have thought to show with them in her 30s or even in her 40s.

Comfortable in her own skin, Kotb shares with Bush Hager that “conversations and a deep knowing” of her kids brings her the most joy now.

What the Data Says

In recent years, the number of people giving birth after the age of 40 has risen dramatically. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the fertility rate for women over 35 has increased by 71% and for women over 40 by 127% over the past three decades.1 There are several potential reasons why.

The increasing expenses associated with raising a child today may lead women to wait until they are older and more financially secure. Women also may want to wait until they’re more emotionally and mentally ready. Advances in fertility technology have also come a long way in helping them achieve pregnancy.

Benefits of Having Kids Later On

Certainly, having more life experience and self-knowledge can help in the parenting journey, but can being “an older mom” also be beneficial for your health?

Researchers posed that question in studies published by the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) in 2017 and again in 2020. They found that women who delivered their last child at an older age were likely to have longer telomeres, which are biomarkers of long-term health and longevity. Mothers with longer telomeres have cells that age at a slower rate than those with shorter telomeres.23

Another analysis of a New England Centenarian Study reveals that women who give birth after the age of 40 are four times more likely to live to be 100 years old compared to women who have children at younger ages.4

Essentially, “older moms,” on average, lived longer than younger ones.

Beyond the Science

Many people are having children later in life, and it’s reassuring to know the proven positive  association with health and longevity.

Science aside, raising children requires energy and vitality, which one needs to sustain through a healthy lifestyle. Navigating motherhood at any age, especially later in life, takes stamina, adding a renewed sense of purpose to each day. This alone could be enough to keep you young.