And for some women who are mothers, motherhood comes later in life than for others.

Elizabeth Clement's daughter, Rosalie May, just turned 1. Clement, 39, of Salt Lake, said she has a stable, flexible job and is secure. So, after spending her 20s in graduate school and her 30s earning tenure, she decided to plan a family with her lesbian partner, Kellie Custen.

"You don't get pregnant accidentally when you're gay," she said. "I had to plan."

And, Clement couldn't be happier with her decision to become a mother.

"It's been great. She's a lot of fun," she said of little Rosalie May. "I wouldn't mind having a little more energy. That's a trade-off when you have a baby at 38."

The couple does have the support of a large family. Custen has already raised four children and has two grandchildren.

Custen, who was 20 when her oldest child was born, said this time around has been a bit of an adjustment from her earlier experience as a young stay-at-home mom.

"It was hard this time around, having to say goodbye in the morning," she said. "It's a role reversal, and in my opinion, is not entirely welcome."

And while neither Custen nor Clement put too much emphasis on what Custen calls a "Hallmark holiday," it is nice, she said, for her partner to be included.

"It's nice to have this day to remind us we have these great kids," Custen said. "We are spoiled, we have this kind of closeness. We tend to take care of each other all the time."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com