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What other challenges could we menopausal moms could look forward to? How about the physical limitations of the middle-aged body? I had no problem getting down on all fours to play horsy with my daughter; it was the getting back up that was a problem. Whenever I hear those 20-something new moms complaining about the perils of motherhood, I find myself thinking, “You should try this when your 50, sister.”

As Hot Flashes, Warm Bottles: First Time Mothers Over Forty author Nancy London confirms, “While all mothers feel tired, the perimenopausal mother’s fatigue is compounded by her post-birth/premenopausal hormone cocktail. This potent mix creates a bone-deep fatigue that is poignantly juxtaposed against the high-energy needs of her young child.”

So much for energy levels. And what about weight gain? Thanks to a special diet to hold in check gestational diabetes, I only put on 16 pounds during my entire pregnancy. I made up for being deprived of certain goodies after the baby was born; I now weigh a solid 20 pounds more than when I was pregnant! At least when I was carrying my daughter, her growing needs helped to balance the calories. The experts say the weight gain is not helped by menopause and I can expect to put on an additional 10 pounds every year unless I make some minor dietary changes. (Like starving myself, I wonder?)

On the brighter side, some of the research is more positive for us older moms. Dr. Sherman J. Silber, author of How to Get Pregnant With The New Technology, says older moms not only tend to be more nurturing and better able to handle a child, “They actually have children that are more confident and brighter," he says. His theory is that these children are better cared for during the first 24 months of life than children of younger mothers, a fact that he believes can influence a child's personality and intellectual ability.

Suffice it to say that the experience of the menopausal mom is a mixed blessing. The two stages -- motherhood and menopause -- signal passages in a woman’s life. One tends to symbolize the opening of a door, while the other, the closing of one. After having experienced some of each, I can honestly say the birth of my daughter makes the onslaught of menopause much more palatable. Because, while my physical body is rebelling in ways which signal the advance of the aging process, the experiences I’m sharing with my 3-year-old make me feel just a little younger every day.