forget the duggars, whos got the biggest family on mumsnet?

[tinselwrappedBodyBag]

?

O.K. I'm a newbie here and I have got 12. The oldest is 20 and the youngest nearly six months. Am I mad - why yes!

That is FABULULOUS!

RESPECT to you mumtoxii!

Hi Mumtoxii, welcome to the larger families section. You definitely belong here.

I know somone with 17. But it's not me, and she didn't give birth to all of them.

I've got 7, 4 boys and 3 girls.

I'm 42 with a 5 month old and want another but hub says no .

I would love more too, but am getting too old! Still I can dream.

Great thread and huge respect to all of you with lovely GINORMOUS families. Am trying for #4, it took us ages to decide to try for another - wish I'd read something like this sooner, makes me feel like it is no big deal having 4 (though I know no one else (of conception age) in RL with 4+ children IYSWIM.

WOW! Want to hear more about your families, food bills, holidays, cars, visiting other people etc etc how do you do it??? (am obv. very nosey - sorry!)

I want to know about dhs/dps opinions. I've stopped at 4 really because of dh but mainly because of money/space. Is it mainly driven by you or him? Did you agree you wanted loads before you started or has it always been just one more...
All those kind of things.

Sorry. I would like to know...please

Fab thread! Haven't read anything in this section before as I only have one.

Huge respect to all of you!

Can I be really really rude and ask if any of you have had so many children due to religious reasons? I ask as i have 5 and my religion encourages ( shall we say) as many children as you can have safely etc etc. Just wondering if any of you are my co-religionists?

Nothing to do with religion in my case.

I'm not sure if it's religion in our case,but I do have issues with tampering with my body in order to prevent it doing the job God gave it to me for.I'm not a strongly religious person,but in the past taking hormones to sabotage my body has left me miserable cos it's not what I feel is right FOR ME.Everyone has to do what they feel is right for them,and I welcome every little gift who comes my way and say thankyou.Finally admitting that and accepting that's what's right for me,I'm being honest to myself.
I do believe however that everyone has a right to choose so don't wish to offend or inflict my views on anyone else.

Sort of religion in my case. Part of the 'quiverful' minor part of protestant beliefs, which I have actually 're-interpreted' recently.

Ok, totally vain question.

Has giving birth/being pregnant so many times completely bu**ered your body and are you left with any physical problems after so many gestations ?!

Sorry to lower the tone

Yes, but I think I'm very much the exception. Everyone else I know with big families is fit as a fiddle

Wow! I too am fascinated by large families, have always wanted at least 4 but would really love to just keep going and going (if money/space etc not an issue).

DH however is adamant that we are stopping with the 2 we have and I am gutted

Don't know how long the body will let me do this.I'm only on pregnancy 8,baby 7 as we lost the first.I'm a lot more tired this time round,I have hideous varicose veins in one lower leg which are really painful,and sometimes end up with phlebitis.Sorry TMI I think they're gross anyway.They get better in between babies.In between babies I'm in good health.I think there are a lot of women with more babies than me.There are also a lot with less babies who've had more problems.
Of course when I get to a few more weeks,I'll probably be huge and waddling,baby 6 's head was engaged 3/5 at 31 weeks,and she stayed in till 41 weeks,uncomfortable in every position,swearing this is my last.But it won't be.
Don't think there can be any lowering the tone with pregnancy and childbirth.None of it's pretty

I'm only on 4 and I'm certainly physically knackered. I'm pretty fit an healthy otherwise but I really feel it in pregnancy. dc3 was prem and I feel like my body couldn't cope slightly.
I don't have 4 for religiouse reasons as such but we both seem to be exceedingly fertile. the religious aspect comes in for me that I refuse to 'get rid' of a baby that has been entrusted to my then our care.
I would love more but for numerous reasons it wouldnt happen. My body failing me really scaring DH being one of them. Money being another.

My body's no more knackered after 4 than it was after 1. Mine are close in age too 20m, 23m and 21m.

I'd love to have a huge family, but I just don't think I could give enough of whatever our children need (time, energy etc) to them if we had any more :-(

I kind of think the limit is different for every mum and no reflection on how good or bad they are at mumming ;-)

Am very of those of you able to cope with more than 4! I'd like 5 ideally but...

However, having started young (DD1 born when I was 23), I don't have to make any decisions yet - still got plenty of time to have more if we do change our minds!

I love reading threads in this section - think its so fascinating and exciting !

I only have three, but am desperate to have four, maybe five. Problem is we rent a small house and trying desperately to save/work hard to buy our own home. Then maybe we can start thinking about another!

It all comes down to space and money with us at the moment !

17 pgs (8 were first trimester m/c) haven't left me with any health problems. A few stretch marks but nothing serious, thankfully.
People do keep telling me "just wait until menopause". It would seem all the pgs and deliveries will have caused problems which will only show up once through menopause I really hope this isn't so.

That's what I'm waiting for.Hmm,I heard all that holds your boobs up is your belly,which is so stretched by all these babies you'll never see "those bits" again(yeah like I need to)and you look pregnant all the time when you're not so people keep asking you when it's due.I'm sure it'll all go South at some point,but our bodies are a testament to the life we lived,not a temple to worship and return good as new when we die.
I'm sure there's an exercise dvd with a celebrity star that's going to save me.

Juule i never heard that before! Nooooo, i really hope not.

Ihave had #7 since posting before She was born on 16th Jan at home in a little over 2 hours.

I was suffering at the end, in fact the whole pregnancy seemed tougher. Not sure if itis because i an busier with all the others or my body just being a bit rubbish. I felt all the symptoms earlier and all the pre labour niggles started a goodfew weeks before she actually came. I went to bed most nights thinking 'this is it' only to wake with no labour.

I am perfectly healthy otherwise,no varicose veins or incontinence. I am pelvic floor obsessed though. I have a few stretch marks and am currently sulking as the wii fit is calling me overweight better than the obese it called me a few weeks ago!! I generally get back in to a 12.

We have a huge house but tbh could do with another bedroom next time we move (dh is Navy) The food budget is crippling,we make everything from scratch pretty much. The kids are all on lunch boxes, i hate them I will have 5 to make in September when dc#5 starts school.

DH goes back to work tomorrow after his2 weeks paternity leave > i may hit the gin at bath time