Anyone not just delaying but reconsidering TTC altogether due to Covid-19 and the impending recession?

No. People felt like this during the Cold War and that turned out ok. We will be ttc next month as planned. If you wait for the “perfect time” you will wait forever.

@lynsey91 Children aren't really facing a bleak future though. Yes, all that you've listed may be true but we have a higher standard of living than at any other point in history, all things notwithstanding.

I was born in a poor country during complete economic, political and social breakdown, it was proper third world conditions, yet I don't consider myself to have had a bleak life. I'm sorry that you have such a pessimistic of the world. People aren't selfish for wanting to have children, it's a natural biological urge.

Plus the Uk has an ageing population so we need more babies to be born if we're to have enough people of working age to keep the system going.

I think you are being a little harsh Lynsay91. Lots of people struggle to conceive, perhaps they have been trying for years, or suffered a loss and time is running out age wise. Tbf I am not sure why you are in the conception area bar to make people feel bad and even more worried and anxious. This is a place to support people.

@Insideallday well obviously you became pregnant before all this started but no one knows how the virus might affect pregnant women or the unborn child. Yes I do think that anyone who gets pregnant at the moment is incredibly stupid and selfish. Surely you should think about any future child's future not just your own wants?

@BiscuitLover2391 well let's hope the population does decrease. It bloody well needs to. I can't believe anyone could think the planet is not overpopulated already. The last thing we need is yet more humans.

@Overthinker1988 I disagree that the state of the world is not any worse than before. None of us know yet the full affects of the virus.

Also it is extremely likely there will be a very bad recession and, depending how long this virus continues spreading, life could change beyond recognition.

Also what about the not too distant future and climate change, water shortages, food shortages, rising sea level etc.

Children today almost certainly face a pretty bleak future. I would never ever bring a child into that

I'm already pregnant so too late, but if I had a choice then yes I would delay until at least the worst of the pandemic is over.

Re the general state of the world - it isn't any worse now than it's been throughout history. There have always been wars, natural disasters, disease epidemics, economic crises etc and life went on, babies continued to be born and people got on with it. In fact 21st century UK is a pretty good time and place to be born in terms of lifestyle, even for the poorest, relatively speaking.

Whether you actually want a child is another matter and up to you to decide.

Thing is- we are naively assuming in a few months we'll all be back to normal. And I've no idea if that'll happen.

I don't think having a baby right now is doing anything but putting your own wants first. So yes it is selfish in a way. I'm 37. No idea if it'll ever happen for me now. But I'm not going to blindly carry on. If I was already pregnant then I'd of course carry on and hope for the best. AF arrived yesterday for me. I had no idea this would happen when I was ovulating, so anyone that's just got a BFP would have also been in the same boat.

@lynsey91 so am I Selfish and really stupid? I found out on Monday that I’m pregnant after 4 long years.

It's a tough one. I'm currently pregnant and it's a really worrying time. Midwife appointments being cancelled or being done over the phone, antenatal consultant appointments being cancelled, having to go to scans on my own.
But then how long do you wait for as can take a long time too conceive. If you do get pregnant, the antenatal care will still be there just perhaps reduced. All the best with whatever you decide x

I think putting off for the sake of the world we live in not being perfect isn't a good reason though. I think the birth rate will drop anwyay and we will have a lot of deaths and it's making decent humans to sort out this world that will change things. It will just be a different world to the one we know.

We are lucky enough to have one baby but would love some more and already thinking the same way. Having children in general is one of the most exhausting, stressful and life changing things you will do, so unless you are absolutely certain I really think you should consider it again. If your dp had always wanted children though, it may be bery hard for them to think otherwise.

Part of me wonders the same. Me and my DH are similar ages to you. Slightly older in fact. Certainly on hold for now. But although it would be nice having a baby, I agree. What kind of life will it be? I'm not sure it was even great before all of this. It's slowly becoming an unpleasant place to live. So I think it's a perfectly reasonable thought to be having.

Personally I think it's selfish and pretty stupid to plan to bring a child into the world now. No one knows what the immediate future is going to be like but I very much doubt it is going to be easy or nice

There is little doubt that the future will be quite challenging for the children born today. According to some serious research the majority of western countries have reached their peak living standard in the sense that for the foreseeable future it is more likely that your children will have a worse living standards than yours ( look for instance to : The Fading American Dream - Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality).then you should add to that the fact that epedimics and climate change related events will be more likely... Looks like it won't be as easy as before!