Julia Tell

I was never a "kid" person. I didn't babysit much as a teen, and before I had kids, I barely knew anyone with kids. I had no idea how to talk to a kid. But I knew I wanted one — the urge hit me at 30, and even with no partner in sight, nesting with a little one was what I craved.

So when I finally got married, pretty late in my 30s, and we finally got <a id="e3be0c4b-9a3a-38f8-ad8a-29de02d2735b" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/pregnancy?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> pregnant </a> with the aid of IVF, I thought having a baby seemed like an OK idea. The IVF folks called this a "miracle" embryo for having implanted on my first IVF try, and it seemed like I was blessed. All would be well.

Then, we moved back to the east coast, and suddenly, my OB/gyn was administering tons of tests and frightening me with the possibility of problems. After all, I was labeled AMA, for "advanced maternal age." They considered me a high-risk pregnancy. I had never been high-risk anything. I started to get nervous. I read up, obsessed, and worried.

Here's what I would do differently, if I had it to do all over again:

<a id="541e342b-1d72-3c05-a84b-7d1d027903ec" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mistakes-made-with-first-kid-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest#/#1-i-wouldnt-be-as-nervous-about-the-whole-process-1"> See the rest of the story at Business Insider </a>

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-life-age-45-looks-expectations-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">8 ways my life at 45 looks nothing like I expected</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/day-in-the-life-luxury-interior-designer-nyc-penthouse-townhouse-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">A day in the life of a luxury interior designer, who starts her day with a 'caffeine cocktail,' has designed homes for Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, and goes to a SoulCycle class every night</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-advice-people-received-from-teacher-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">14 people share the best advice they've ever received from a teacher</a> </li></ul>

SEE ALSO: 8 ways my life at 45 looks nothing like I expected

1. I wouldn’t be as nervous about the whole process

5 mistakes I made when I had my first kid that I wish I could have avoided

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Julia Tell

Articles written by the author

5 mistakes I made when I had my first kid that I wish I could have avoided