diddles - sorry you are feeling anxious and panicky. That's not fun. I thought I'd reply because I am pregnant with my first and will be 40 in October. I wake during the night and have a worry about something - but that sounds a bit less than anxiety and panic. I think it is something that can happen and it is something to do with all the hormones.

I was also worried that I'm too old for this but I didn't get the chance to have kids younger and am also probably pleasantly in the dark about the stress and commitment of motherhood. 40 is still young. My grandmother's mother was 44 when she had my gran and that was in 1917. She had another child when she was 46. She was an "old" woman whereas today we are so much younger in heart and in body.

You have done this before and that experience is going to make things so much easier for you both mentally and physically. Physically, my obstetrician says things might be a bit slower in the birth but not that different to if I was 25. Mentally, everyone says that being older helps heaps. You have more life experience to fall back on.

Perhaps you should talk to your health professional about how you are feeling. They might be able to reassure you.