For those with kids - if you didn't feel broody, what made you decide to have them?

[Pannsies]

I'm mid-thirties and do not feel broody at all. No urge to have kids. My husband does want them though, and I know I'd like to have family around when I'm my parent's age.

If you be never had the biological urge to have kids, what made you decide to have them in the end?

Never felt broody, dont really like babies or very small children. I liked the idea of having 'a family' though - teenagers etc (and all the chaos that probably brings).

We had sort of talked about it, thought we might do it one day, maybe. Early 30s, settled in careers and own house etc. Contraception failure (was tracking cyles, got mixed up after taking norethisterone for holiday!) and got pregnant. Nice suprise, was quite pleased I guess!

DD is 3 now and brilliant. Am expecting again this summer. Again, no broodyness but know I would like her to have a sibling relationship.

No advice really, but that's my experience!

Married someone from a very family orientated culture and coming from a largish extended family myself, I just knew that I would have child's one day.

We were together for over a decade before we took the plunge though! His family started to ask questions but we waited until we were ready.

Now have 3 and on the whole, I enjoy having them. Now hey are a little older we can get out and show them the world (or the local park at the mo) and their curiosity makes life more interesting.

I think we would have been happy without but it was expected to some extent and happily it worked out well.

Drive me up the wall at other times.

Just to add don't mix up the feelings you have about other children in your life. I've never felt broody when seeing other babies or tbh other family members children, but for me my own is completely different, you irrationally think they're the most beautiful, amazing, intelligent child on the planet

When I turned 39 I felt sad that I wasn't going to leave part of me behind when I die. So I decided to have a mini me and a spare!

I was never broody but then once I was pregnant it was like a flip switched. SAHM now.

Lost my job, financially didn’t need to get another one so DH and I thought why not? Now of course I worship DS and would die for him, and I get the chills thinking how easy it would have been to go the other way. PS FWIW I changed career after DS was born and that was so much the right decision in every way

I didn’t want a baby as such, I really wanted a family. My parents divorced messily when I was young.

We now have DD17mo and are desperate for our IVF clinic to open again so we can have one of our frozen embryos transferred.

That's another thing, I'm still not all that interested in babies and children in general, apart from my own and those of my close friends and family. I don't coo over babies in shops or have any desire to work with babies or children. But mine are the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Like others, never wanted a baby as such and pregnancy is a bloody chore. But I'm looking forward to all the things I'll be able to do with the kids when they're older. I also didn't want to be an older parent (less energy, no certainty you'll be able to have them, etc). So I didn't wait for any urge to kick in, I just decided when I was 30 that the time was right for me. I didn't have a partner but I didn't want to wait until/if I ever have one (what if we meet when I'm 45 ?!) so I went at it solo.

No regret so far, even though it can be very hard some days.