Waiting to Have Kids? This Study Says Your Career Will Thank You

For many women, when it comes to the balance of career and motherhood, the struggle is real. Especially in the States, where maternity leave policies dictate women get a paltry 12-week unpaid leave, it often feels like it’s inevitable that one of the two — career or motherhood — will suffer. Fortunately, that’s not the case! In fact, recent studies on older mothers have found that waiting to have kids will not only improve their quality of life, but will also ensure you have a more fruitful career.

Published in the PLOS ONE journal, a study from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that women who gave birth for the first time at age 30 or younger had significantly lower lifetime incomes than those who waited. These findings held true for both women with and without a college degree, though the difference was particularly noticeable for those without a college degree who had their first kid before they turned 25.

Study co-authors Raul Santaeulalia-Llopis, an assistant professor of economics in Arts and Sciences at Washington University, and Fane Groes, an economics professor with the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, analyzed the work experience and birth stats of 1.6 million Danish women ages 25-60 from 1995 through 2009 to figure out the correlation between a women’s lifetime career earnings and the age at which she had her first child.

“Children do not kill careers, but the earlier children arrive, the more their mother’s income suffers. There is a clear incentive for delaying,” said Santaeulalia-Llopis. “Our main result is that mothers lose between two and two-and-a-half years of their labor income if they have their first children before the age of 25.”

So if you’re a woman in her 20s who might be feeling the pressure to have a baby while you’re just starting to kill it in your career, give yourself a break. As with most things, it looks like it’ll all turn out okay in the end. ;)

How old were you when you had your first? Tweet us @BritandCo and tell us!

(Photos via Getty)

A nursery can say a lot about a momma's style. It's where you can play around with childlike imagination, show off your design sensibilities, and put all your love, hopes, and dreams for baby on display. Plus, all your maternal energy has to go *somewhere* before baby arrives. To help you get things started, we've scrolled through the web and Instagram to find the most inspiring baby's rooms— from whimsical and charming to modern and edgy — you're bound to go gaga for at least one.

Find your favorite nursery below and get nesting!

Etsy

"We're seeing a shift from the traditional pastels to more gender-neutral, earthy tones," says Amanda Leigh, cofounder of LA-basedHouse of Rolison. "Soft sage greens, warm taupes, and muted terracottas are becoming popular, creating a calming yet sophisticated environment." Accents like a crib canopy are a perfect way to incorporate these colors!

Kids n Cribs

Classic patterns are back in for nurseries. The plaid rug, floral wallpaper, and Namesake Liberty 2 Piece Nursery Set with farmhouse spindle legs are all on trend for 2025.

Etsy

"I’m still big fan of moss that is a cooling unisex color and acts as a gentle and inviting background for natural blonde tones of wood accents and furniture," says Natália Severdia, founder and principal designer of Bay Area and Lake Tahoe-based Interior Studio Natália. This Etsy Watercolor Forest Wallpaper is such a cute take on the color for a nursery!

Crate & Kids

Supermodel and entrepreneur Jasmine Tookes and her husband, Juan, redesigned their nursery with Crate & Kids The Design Desk to create a warm and modern nursery for their daughter. The pink and green is a lovely combo for 2025.

Sandberg Wallpaper

"There’s also a resurgence of deep blues paired with natural wood accents, offering a serene yet stylistic vibe," says Taylor Hahn, cofounder of House of Rolison. This Sandberg Starry Sky Wallpaper is ADORABLE, unexpected, and a sign of richer tones to come.

Babyletto

So long traditional pastels: A camel-colored curtain panel complements that greens and browns in this nursery designed by Babyletto. I just love how this Babyletto Bondi Crib compliments the colors!

Oilo Studio

Colors like taupe and nature-inspired colors like moss and sage create a serene and peaceful nursery. "Earthy tones like warm beige, soft taupe, and muted terracotta are also gaining popularity for those looking to create a more grounded, gender-neutral space," she echoes. A nursery glider, like this one from Oilo Studio Nola, is a fantastic way to incorporate these tones.

Nestig

Muted colors paired with a deep Bordeaux paint on the ceiling makes a stunning impact in this nursery design from Nestig. The earthy Willow Crib is such a nice way to ground the more colorful room.

Pottery Barn Kids

A nature-inspired wallpaper like this forest one from Pottery Barn Kids is just enough to make a nursery feel soothing and beautiful. It's peel-and-stick backing makes it simple to hang, and it has a convenient wipe-clean finish.

Babyletto

Deep, rich hues are leaving traditional pastels behind. This burgundy-colored Bondi Cane 3-in-1 Convertible Crib embraces this trend with its bold, sophisticated tone, making a striking yet timeless statement in any nursery.

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EMMA HOPP PHOTOGRAPHY on Instagram: “I have had several requests to share our nursery, and it’s just about done! I’ve been nesting hard core and just have a bit more organizing…”

Balance an overall minimalist design aesthetic with a wallpaper that's eyecatching, not overwhelming.

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Tiggy's Nursery & Home on Instagram: “🐘 S A F A R I T H E M E 🦓 Does your nursery have a theme? Add some color with our awesome selection of modern and colorful wall stickers!!…”

Storybook-like wallpaper gives this safari-themed nursery a whimsical feel.

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Wiola on Instagram: “Przyszła jesień wiec nareszcie znalazłam czas by dodać małe co nieco do pokoju Gnieweczka 😉 wiec na dobranoc pochwalę się dzisiejszymi…”Maybe you can tell by the amount of in-belly somersaults that your little one is going to be adventurous? This mountain theme is perfect for a wild child.

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@babyletto on Instagram: “🌅 this sunset color palette 😍 • #babyletto Hudson crib + Kiwi recliner • 📷: nursery designed by mama @stormybeaty 🧡”Lookin' to raise a boho babe? Tassels, indigenous-inspired prints, and a nature mural are the ways to go.

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Plum + Sparrow | Moses Baskets on Instagram: “Taking nursery style notes from @mrskmarino😍 The layered rugs and those sweet hanging plants behind the chair!! So perfect 🙌🏼⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ .⠀…”If you're going from plant mom to the real deal, consider creating a garden wall or keeping your fave potted greenery in the nursery.

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N i c o l e on Instagram: “A black wall is bold but a black nursery wall was a design risk. One that gave me the confidence in my design choices that I may not have…”

Black paint might feel taboo for a baby's room, but when done right, it can seriously pay off as a cool design choice.

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Tiggy's Nursery & Home on Instagram: “Beautiful blues @annekarolinee 😍💙 .⠀ .⠀ #babynursery #nurserydecor #nuseryideas #nurseryinspiration #babycushion #babypillow #nurserytheme…”Let your fave characters serve as inspiration for the whole design (we spy a few familiar faces here).

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Project Nursery on Instagram: “There's just something about a beautiful, classic nursery! We're here for the floral-meets-check design. 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️ Design:…”

Forgo trends, and go for a classic design with preppy patterns and lots of southern charm.

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the brickies wife. on Instagram: “wolfes room is here // after 20months of life, he finally has a bedroom that isnt just a cot and rug 😅 and i am obsessed, his new…”

A baby with an edgy name deserves an equally edgy nursery...right Wolfe?

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The Paper Party Company - Lisa on Instagram: “Thanks for all the love on my new logo yesterday, it really does mean the world 🖤 There’s still 20% off everything in my Etsy store with…”

Add magic to any nursery with starry embellishments and quirky accents.

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Soren's House on Instagram: “Sunday inspiration! Just the most beautiful nursery from @jayne.s.davies 🖤 • • Tap for details 💫 • • #nurserydecor #nurseryinspo…”Don't want to commit to an all-dark look? Paint on a scallop half-wall design, and accessorize the top half with plenty of personality.

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Tara ⋒ on Instagram: “Boho meets vintage 🌿”Why not let your crib sheets steal the show? Sidenote: We can't get enough of this eucalyptus mobile!

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Lonny on Instagram: “Like a regular nursery but a little more @gucci. 👀💕🙌🏽 A perfectly plush retreat designed by @tamaramageldesign.”

Go full-on high design with a gorgeous artsy wallpaper and luxe furnuture.

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Nancy Nguyen on Instagram: “Weekends mean extra snuggles, extra kisses, but never extra sleep anymore 😴”

You know you designed a cozy nursery when it becomes the pup's new napping spot.

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Lana Dmitruks on Instagram: “Can you spot Caras little eye peaking through the crib. 😂😍 She finally had her first nap in the crib ..on her own like the big girl that…”

If Joshua Tree National Park were a nursery...why not take inspo from your favorite vacation spot?

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Mini & Stil on Instagram: “Danke euch vielvielmals für all die lieben Kommentare und Likes zu meinem Bild gestern! Ich bin ganz entzückt 🤭☺️❤️ Apropos…”Double a decorative shelf as storage space, and you've got a nursery as functional as it is cute.

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@helenepetitvillage on Instagram: “- Le Nid #4 - . La chambre est prête enfin, il me semble. Même si nous n'avons pas encore forcément les équipements, les jeux, etc ... il…”

Alexa, turn on nature sounds. It's the only thing this forest-inspired nursery is missing.

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Mini & Stil on Instagram: “Nach meinen Kindern liegt jetzt auch noch mein Mann flach und ich habe vor lauter Heiserkeit komplett die Stimme verloren 😷 Ich hoffe, dass…”Proof that navy works for both girl and boy nurseries.

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♡ Manuela ♡ on Instagram: “Könnt ihr euch noch an das Kinderzimmer Styling vor ein paar Wochen erinnern? 🌿 Ich hab einen super tollen Kinderzimmer Auftrag bekommen 😍…”

A table and chairs serve as a great place for tea parties, crafting, and sneaking in some work while the little one sleeps.

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Jordyn Hadwin on Instagram: “Having a girl is SO fun!!! Found this amazing little ottoman on @offerup last week and I’m obsessed 🙌🏻 it matches perfectly with her…”

Our love for all things rattan is alive and well, and the best part? It goes with everything, so you really can't make a bad design move with it.


I always get excited when I think about how many celebrity couples we don't know about yet. Glen Powell & Lily James generated some buzz when they hopped into a car together ahead of the BAFTAs, and Outer Banks star Madelyn Cline & Austin Butler (yes, Elvis himself) were just spotted out and about together. Let's dive in, shall we?

Here's everything we know about those Madelyn Cline & Austin Butler dating rumors.

Madelyn Cline & Austin Butler were allegedly spotted grabbing a meal.

"Seriously just saw Madelyn Cline and Austin Butler" at a celebrity-frequented restaurant in Los Angeles, a DeuxMoi source said at the end of January. One Instagram user commented that since Madelyn and Austin's exes (Pete Davidson and Kaia Gerber) are exes, "dating in Hollywood is 3 degrees of separation."

However, according to another DeuxMoi source, fans have been paying attention to Madelyn's Instagram activity. The actress previously dated her Outer Banks costar Chase Stokes, and has allegedly been liking posts about "the one that got away," and even posted on her Instagram story that she deserves happiness.

"The timing of Chase's relationship doing so great and her having a string of failed relationships, people are just assuming she's crashing out," the second source continues. Yikes, y'all.

I think it's so fascinating how fans allegedly jump to the conclusion that Madelyn is crashing out, and assume Austin (who is also recently single) is totally fine post-breakup. Listen, a girl can go on a few dates without spiraling, dating really doesn't have to be that serious. It's supposed to be fun!

It's also totally in the realm of possibility that they were having a business meeting. For now, we don't really know. But what I do know? Madelyn Cline and Austin Butler would make a cute couple, and even if they don't end up in a relationship, a delicious dinner and maybe a smooch or two never hurt anybody ;).

Stay tuned for more news on these Madelyn Cline & Austin Butler dating rumors, and while we're on all things lovey-dovey, check out the latest news on Madelyn Cline's New Romance The Map That Leads To You.

Audiences loved the way Greta Gerwig's Little Women brought all four March sisters to life, and Netflix's Anne with an E became so popular that when the show was canceled after season 3, 1.7 million fans signed a petition to revive the series. It all just proves that classic adaptations can make the original story even more powerful.

And the newest movie based on a book is going to be one we think about forever — and not just because of its cast. Emerald Fennell (who you'll recognize from The Crown and her work as writer & director on Satburn) is adapting Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are leading the cast!

The book, published in 1847, continues to grip readers, and it's become the blueprint for moody complexity — just like Emerald Fennell's Promising Young Woman, which won the Oscar for Best Screenplay thanks to its scathing look at sexual assault. Well, the Em's are coming together for this new adaptation.

Here's everything we know about Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights — and your first look at the movie.

Here's Your First Look At 'Wuthering Heights'

The first look at Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights is getting some seriously mixed reactions. The photo features a close-up image of someone (maybe Margot Robbie's) with their fingers and a few blades of grass in their mouth.

"CAN NOT WAIT," one Instagram user said, along with a couple fire emojis. But the intimate (and somewhat shocking) image also has some users asking, "what in the saltburn?"

Is Wuthering Heights going to be in theaters?

Focus Features

It appears director Emerald Fennell and producer Margot Robbie are pushing for a theatrical release, which is why they've reportedly turned down a Netflix offer of $150 million.

Despite the fact Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said theatrical releases are "just not our business," and the company has stuck to at-home streaming instead, they did break that pattern for Knives Out: Glass Onion in 2022. The movie appeared in around 600 theaters the day before Thanksgiving, but left a week later ahead of its December 23 debut on the streamer.

Co-CEO Reed Hastings told The Hollywood Reporter that keeping the movie in theaters could have made Netflix more money, but later said they just wanted to "break through the noise" and get movie lovers excited for the film to come to Netflix.

All that to be said, Margot Robbie (whose Barbie made over $1 billion worldwide) and Emerald Fennell (whose Promising Young Woman nabbed her an Oscar win and two other nominations) know how to capture the imaginations of movie lovers everywhere. And it could definitely be in their favor to stick to a theatrical release. Stay tuned for official news on where you can watch Wuthering Heights!

Who's in the new Wuthering Heights movie?

Frazer Harrison/Monica Schipper/Getty Images

Wuthering Heights Cast

The Wuthering Heights movie will be led by Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie as Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, respectively. Margot will also produce with her production company LuckyChap, which worked behind the scenes on Emerald Fennell's Saltburn and Promising Young Woman.

While some fans were initially excited about the casting, others were concerned about the fact that in the book, Heathcliff is described as "dark skinned." He also tells Nelly that, "I wish I had light hair and a fair skin, and was dressed, and behaved as well, and had a chance of being as rich as he will be!" Um, it looks like Jacob Elordi definitely has fair skin to me.

"Heathcliff is described as a dark-skinned brown man in the book and a major plot point is that he was subjected to racist abuse by his adopted family," one tweet (which has over 8 million views) says. "But yeah sure Jacob Elordi is perfect!"

Another says, "Film studios will say 'We are committed to diverse casting' and then cast Jacob Elordi to play Heathcliff, one of the more famous people of color in literature, whose race is crucial to both his character and the story."

Check back here to see who will play characters like Edgar Linton, Nelly Dean, Isabella Linton, and Lockwood.

When is Wuthering Heights coming out?

Warner Bros. Pictures

Wuthering Heights Release Date

Wuthering Heights will premiere on February 14, 2026. Happy Valentine's Day!

What is Wuthering Heights about?

Amazon

Wuthering Heights Plot

Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights follows the Earnshaws and the Lintons, who are living in the Yorkshire Moors in the 1880s. Their lives change forever when the Earnshaws take in Heathcliff. Like any good dramatic novel, passion lies beneath proper connections, marriages, and societal expectations — and despite Catherine and Heathcliffe's feelings for each other, they have to choose between security and love.

Check out 16 New Movies Based On Books To Add To Your Watchlist to inspire your next movie night!

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Not only is Blake Lively speaking out about the "sexist" commentary on her legal battle with Justin Baldoni, she's also enlisting the help of...the CIA? Yes, you read that right. The actress just recruited an ex-CIA advisor to help with her case ahead of the March 2026 trial. Wow.

Here's what we know about Blake Lively's latest move in her legal battle with Justin Baldoni.

Blake Lively just involved an ex-CIA advisor in her case.

Blake Lively has enlisted Nick Shapiro, former CIA deputy chief of staff and senior advisor John Brennan (the former director), to help with her case, according to Page Six and Variety.

“The litigation team for Ms. Lively retained Mr. Shapiro to advise on the legal communications strategy for the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit occurring in the Southern District of New York,” Blake Lively's lawyers said in a statement.

This proves more than anything else that Blake is taking the trial really seriously because this is a major move on her part.

Recently, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni actually agreed on something when they spoke out against the "violent" messages Blake and her loved ones have been receiving.

Blake's legal team requested a stronger protection order (PO), considering Blake, "her family, other members of the cast, various fact witnesses, and individuals that have spoken out publicly in support of Ms. Lively have received violent, profane, sexist, and threatening communications" (as the request states), "good cause exists for the Court to adopt the Proposed PO."

And Justin's legal team went on the record, saying they "do not condone dangerous rhetoric targeted toward anyone no matter the situation. Anyone receiving violent messages by anonymous parties is abhorrent."

“When private parties were wrongfully accused by Lively and her paid team of wrongdoing, they received continuous death threats and visits to private homes where young children reside after their addresses were leaked on her initial complaints," they continue. "No one should have to face that, especially private parties who do not have means for security detail. We do not condone dangerous rhetoric targeted toward anyone no matter the situation.”

Stay tuned for more news on Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's legal battle.

Look out Bridgerton fans — Simone Ashley is giving love another chance in her new rom-com movie Picture This! We'll always love her inspiring take on Kate Sharma, but it's nice to see her spreading her acting wings. Just don't expect the two worlds to collide!

Picture This has a modern feel that explores the life of a single woman who's more concerned about having a lucrative career than putting all of her eggs in one basket. It's an accurate depiction of dating in 2025 and takes outdated relationship rules to task! Let's dig into all the exciting details!

Keep scrolling to learn everything you need to know about Simone Ashley's rom-com, Picture This!

What is 'Picture This' about?

Amazon MGM Studios

Picture This is about a photographer Pia's (Simone Ashley) journey to living life on her terms, but she gets the surprise of a lifetime when she's given dating tasks. In order to truly have the life she wants, she has to go on a few dates which is the opposite of what she's trying to focus on.

Adding even more turmoil to the mix is the reappearance of an ex that sends Pia down of path of self-discovery that may or may not end with her falling in love.

Who's starring in 'Picture This'?

Amazon MGM Studios

Picture This will star:

  • Simone Ashley
  • Hero Fiennes Tiffin
  • Sindhu Vee
  • Luke Fetherson
  • Nikesh Patel
  • Adil Ray
  • Anoushka Chadha
  • Eben Figueiredo
  • Kulvinder Ghir
  • Asim Chaudhry
  • Phil Dunster
And the film will be directed by Prarthana Mohan (Christmas Canceled).

When will it premiere?

Amazon MGM Studios

Picture This is set to premiere March 6, 2025 on Amazon Prime.

What The Trailer For 'Picture This' Here!

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- YouTube

Picture This appears to be full of hilarious moments from a best friend who has witty one-liners to a family who's good intentions feel invasive. The only thing we'll have to wait to see is whether Pia and her ex will get a second chance at love or not.

Are you excited to see Picture This? Let us know on Facebook!