To ask how long does it take to meet someone and have a baby?

[WhereDoesThisRoadGo]

This is going to seem like a ridiculous question, which I acknowledge, bit hope you forgive me because we cannot be rational all the time. I am worrying a lot that, at 33, I am no closer to having a child than I was at 23. And I am just getting older. I am single and do not have anyone in the pipeline who wants children one day. Please share your stories of time between met - engaged - married - baby (or met - baby) to help me work out what my cut off needs to be for giving up going it alone.

Started going out Sept 2006 (I was 33), had DS Aug 2008 (just shy of me being 35), still together nearly 11 years later. Keep yourself open to possibilities!

I was married and preg within 17 months of meeting DH. Been married 9 years now with 2 DC.

Met sept 2010
Got together 2011
LDR 2011-2016
Bought a house May 2016
Engaged Dec 2016
Getting married in 10 days.
Expecting first baby Dec 2017.
😍❤

Met in February, got together in March, got married in July, got pregnant in November. I was 29 and had been single for about 2 years, was quite happy on my own really, the husband and baby just sort of came out of nowhere!

A friend of mine has decided to go it alone, she is 36. I think she is being sensible fertility wise, if I had remained childless I would probably have had 35/36 as my cut off age. Lots of women stay fertile well into their 40s but the problem is not knowing if you would be one of them I suppose.

Your worries are completely justified but try and not become too obsessed with it. I know it is easier said than done but you may end up getting quite stressed about the whole thing. By all means, do look for Mr Right but bear in mind he might be put off by someone who is so focused on having a baby also, if it doesn't work out, you will have let your life pass you by so for this reason, it is always good to have several things on the go (I mean, hobbies, career,whatever, not two boyfriends!). I also have a few friends (in relationships) who were desperate for babies and struggling to conceive. One of them went down the IVF route, which worked out but she was hit really hard by the reality of what having a child is like and ended up suffering from depression. I think she had a bit of a Disney image of what it would be like so the sleep deprivation, loss of independence,etc must have been a bit of a shock. My other friend is in her late 40s and they are still trying to conceive but sadly it hasn't worked out for them. I had a baby not so long ago and when she saw her at 5 weeks old, she was asking me if she already slept through. Now at 1 year old, my friend told me it must be so nice to have conversations with my daughter. Again, I think she has a very idealised idea of what having a child must be like and if she ever gets pregnant, I hope the reality won't be too hard on her.
But to answer your question, I met my husband at 20. We were friends for 7 years before we started dating, then got married 5 years later and had our daughter 4 years later so we clearly took our time. If my marriage was to end and I were to meet someone new, it would go much faster though as I would pretty much know, from experience, what is right for me (and I would expect a partner my age to have gone through similar life experiences to know too what is right for him or not). best of luck!!

Met at 21
Engaged five months later
Married at 22
DS1 at 26
DS2 at 28

I knew my dp for 3 years before we got together, then we was pregnant within a month! I dont exactly advise that but hey!

I was 33 when I met my now DH in the October
Engaged in December
Married in June
Pregnant in August , and had baby in April
That baby is now 22 and about to graduate !
Baby no 2 arrived 2 1/2 years later ( both times I got pregnant 2nd month off pill )
Still married and very happy

Met DP at 30

We will have been together two years next month.

Our daughter is 4 months old

Friend of mine met a man at 38, she had the baby by her 40th birthday

Think it took 2/3,months to meet man and become pregnant

2 years for me when i was 34. Engaged in 2 months, married 6 months later then ds came along 15 months after that. Dsis did it in 12 months, married after 2 months from a blind date, 'honeymoon' baby arrived 9 months later, she was 20

We met at 21, married when i was 26, fell pregnant with my first at 29 and had my second at 31 (8 months ago) - I'm 32 in July.

Please don't be disheartened as so many women do it differently - my mum had my sister at 42 and certainly some women have children older. You will meet the right one and all will fall into place. Good luck OP!

Met October 2008, I was 17 he was 21
Got together May 2009
Moved into rented August 2009
Bought first house July 2016
First baby due November 2017 (our little surprise)

Met dh just before I was 30, married at 33, DS at 39. DS is now 2 x

Met DH at 28, baby at 34, married at 35. He took some persuading! You'v got time, OP, but you kind of need to find someone who knows he wants kids already, and maybe be flexible about what order you do things in (I wanted marriage before baby but needs must!)

My friend's daughter was born 10.5 months after she met the father

Met my dh in the feb, was pregnant by the May. So our dd was born a month before our first anniversary. We only got married 4 years later but been together 6 and a half years now

A lot of my friends didn't meet their partner till they were at least your age but had a baby or two by the time they were 40.

Met dh at 22, married at 28, baby at 30, 2nd at 32. Took a while for no.1 to come along too - was nearly 31!
Good luck with meeting someone. I have a lot of single friends/acquaintances still in their 40s.

Met 26
Moved in 27
Engaged 28
Married 29
Ttc immediately, two miscarriages
Dc 1 31, dc 2 33

If I met someone at 33 I would have quite happily skipped the marriage part though to ttc earlier if I knew it was the right guy

Met at 16 and had DS at 25. The only reason we waited so long was because of how young we were when we got together. I knew he was the one quite early on and had we been ten years older we probably would have had a baby within a few years.

Engaged after 3 years, married after 4, baby after 5. Wasn't in a rush at the time at all, but would have said yes to marriage after about 18 months and had baby soon after, I knew it was what I wanted, he was just a bit slower to be sure! Best friend met and moved in with her boyfriend within a year and they are trying for a baby now-they're late 30s- years ago I would have thought that seemed rushed, but they're so well suited and just know what they want. You've definitely still got time OP x

Other than the one who has been married at 25, all of my main group of friends except one got engaged on their 30th birthdays. Not only was I single on my 30th, but I had been single for the past 4 years & no relationship before that had lasted longer than 9 months and only three has lasted longer than six months.
Shortly after my 31st bday i met DH. Shortly after my 32nd birthday, I found out I was pregnant. By my 33rd birthday, DD was a few weeks old & DH and I had both relocated & moved in together. By my 34th birthday, DH had proposed. By my 35th birthday, we'd bought a house together & I was pregnant with DC2. We finally got married when I was 38.
A bit of me is amazed that DH and I have lasted as well together as, before me, I'm not sure he'd been past the dating stage with anyone. However, he seemed really nice and, having kissed a lot of frogs, I knew what I didn't want in a man & he showed none of those traits. What was probably equally important though for me in deciding to proceed with the pregnancy was knowing that, if I had to, I was in a good enough position financially and emotionally and would have had enough family support to raise the child independently, although living a very different life to the one we do, not least because I would have had to move several hundred miles back to my home town to be able to access the family support I expect I would have needed.

Met in 1996.
Moved in 1997.
First and only child 2006
Still together.
Not married.
But I'm no longer cool with that.

I met my boyfriend last February. Our (planned) son is 3 months old now. We are still happily together.