Are you ready for another baby?
While it is a little late in the game for my husband & I to be asking ourselves this question, many women (and fathers) find themselves wondering if the timing is “right” to try for another child.
Our first pregnancy was planned, and while we knew that we wanted more children we were a bit surprised when we found out that our son was on his way. Having survived a year with two children under the age of two, we knew that we wanted our next child close in age to our son; our second daughter, who is due to be born on March 17th, 2008, will be 19 months younger than our son.
Having small children is not easy & when you have more than one your life can be turned upside down (some of the time).
I wouldn’t change a thing. Having my three kids so close is the right decision for our family. However not everyone agrees. After Josie was born my doctor recommended that we wait 18 months before we have our second child. It didn’t work out that way - but thankfully with that pregnancy & with my third I have no medical complications.
Going through pregnancy more than once is different for every woman. When pregnant with your second or third, you pretty much know what to expect throughout the nine months of pregnancy & the delivery is often easier because of what you have been through previously. However what is hard, is having small active children at home while pregnant.
There are many challenges to being a pregnant mom with two small children. I consider myself lucky, not to have gone through “morning” sickness-however I am just as tired if not MORE tired at the end of the day - than I was when I was working fulltime pregnant with my first.
Through my third pregnancy I have kept the children & myself active in our play-groups & outings. Although the last month of pregnancy, we have slowed down a bit.
Being a mother is the most rewarding, & brand new thing that I do everyday (everyday is something different), however it is hard raising one child, and gets a little harder with each new little person brought into the family.
While you & your significant other are thinking of trying for your next bundle of joy, take many things into consideration:
- nine months of pregnancy (w/possible discomfort & sickness)
- change in routine for your first child(ren) & for the family
- cost of having children close in age (diapers, wipes, school expenses etc…)
Having three children under three is going to enrich our lives, make each day full of surprises, and also create challenges that we will have to learn to work through each day.
Check out the links below for some additional advice & thoughts on this topic: