We had our daughter when I was 44, and my wife was 40. There are benefits and challenges to being older parents.

• Michael Townsend and his wife had their daughter Georgie when he was 44 and she was 40.
• He says there are both benefits and challenges to being an older dad.
• He has less energy than he used to, but the couple is more financially secure than they once were.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Michael Townsend, a 50-year-old dad from the Gold Coast, Australia. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I grew up in a big family with three sisters, and we were all very close. I always wanted to have kids of my own one day, but I only met my partner quite late in life, so it took a little longer than I'd expected.

In 2011, I met Asha on a dating app. After chatting for a few weeks, we met up and hit it off straight away.

I'll never forget our first date. We'd agreed to have coffee and I'd asked my sister's boyfriend to call at a certain time to give me an out if I needed to escape. But it turned out to be the best date I'd ever had.

When he rang, I said, "Sorry, mate, I won't be able to make it this afternoon. Chat to you later." Our date stretched from early afternoon to evening, and it ended with us walking along the beach at sunset and sharing our first kiss.

By that point, we were both in our 30s, and I think we knew we had found something special, so we didn't mess around. We saw each other all the time, and after three months of dating, we moved in together.

We talked about kids early in our relationship

The conversation about kids came up pretty quickly. I definitely wanted them, but Asha had accepted that kids might not be on the cards for her because she hadn't found the right person and she was getting older. After chatting about it, we decided to try and see what happened.

We tried naturally at first, but unfortunately, Asha had a few miscarriages. So, we decided to give IVF a shot. We did five rounds of IVF over the span of a couple of years. It was a long, grueling process, especially for Asha.

After three years of trying with no luck, we decided to make a change. We quit our jobs — I was working in a high-pressure engineering job and Asha had a pet-sitting business — bought a caravan and hit the road.

After two-and-a-half months on the road, we conceived a baby at Uluru caravan park in the Northern Territory in Australia. A few weeks later, we were at Mataranka Hot Springs when Asha stepped out of the caravan holding a pregnancy test with two lines confirming the news. We both wept because we'd been trying for so long.

Georgie was born when I was 44 and Asha was 40

Our daughter was born in April 2019. I was 44 at the time, and Asha was 40. We called her Georgina — Georgie for short.

To finally have a baby to love was incredible, but it definitely was an adjustment. I'd had 44 years of being selfish, after all. But pretty soon, you get to a point where you just love this little person so much that you'd do anything for them. Sacrificing an outing with friends, a trip to the gym, or a full night's sleep was totally worth it.

Almost six years later, Georgie is my little sidekick. We do so much together. We swim in our pool every day and play a lot of interactive games. I take her to school on an electric scooter, and she's learning how to ride her bike without training wheels. Asha loves doing arts and crafts with her at home. It's a fun age.

There are pros and cons to being older parents

The biggest challenge in terms of having a child later in life is probably trying to keep up with her. My energy levels are not what they once were, and I went back to engineering after traveling, which can be stressful and hard to do while looking after a 6-year-old girl.

But there are a lot of perks, too. Being older parents, Asha and I are pretty financially secure, which is a relief. Georgie keeps us active, too. She brings energy to the house and to our relationship.

As an older parent, I think you're happier to make sacrifices because you've already experienced so much in life. I've always loved international travel, for example, but I don't feel like I need to do that right now.

Overall, I'd say my favorite thing about being a dad is spending time with Georgie and watching her grow. I like the hugs and kisses and protecting her, and I also enjoy seeing her take on some of my mannerisms. The other day, I randomly said, "Boomshakalaka," and she spent the rest of the day walking around saying the same word. It was hilarious.

My message to other parents considering having a child later in life is to go for it. I think we did the right thing in waiting, but we were both ready for it when it eventually happened. My only regret about leaving it late is that, while we feel blessed to have one, I would have loved to have two kids so that Georgie could have a sibling.