Q: We have one daughter, 8-years old. My wife is 30 years old, and I am 39 years old. My question is that now we want to plan for another child, but we are worried for second child after a gap of 8 years, as well as our age. Please help us on the above matter as we need your guidance.

A:In my practice, the saddest thing that I see is people wanting children and cant have them or that they waited too long and thus missed the critical time for reproduction. This sadness usually stays with them for a long period of their lives. All this to say that if you both really want to have another child, it is not too late. 30 years for women is still a very good age to have children, 39 for men is not old either. In my experience parents in their 30s make the best parents because they have matured. I would certainly advocate starting prenatal vitamins with folic acid for the mother now. Also, schedule a visit with an obstetrician to have pre-conception counseling about any potential problems. Good luck!