should i have a THIRD CHILD? Anyone rergret NOT having a third?

[noonar]

i am 37 with dds aged 5 and 7. we have fun together. they are very independent and family life is good.

we have been badly hit by the recession but long term our financial circs will almost certainly improve. for now, however, my p/t job is our main, regular income.

there seem to be many very sensible reasons to 'stop at two', but i've been v broody for over a year now.

i'm worried about having a big age gap. i'm worried that the dds might feel neglected. i'm worried about returning to sleepless nights. but most of all i'm worried about getting into my forties when it really might be too late, and realising that i really shouldve had that third baby.

does anyone out there regret their decision not to have a third? ( sorry if its sensitive).i'm just not sure what to do.

anyone?

do still occasionally feel this way about a fourth lol (dc3 is 6, so similar age)

complicated by fact that dc3 suffered birth injury and has brain damage - dh was rushed off for snip asap as everything was obv v raw.

i have mentioned the prospect of vas reversal. dh not keen, so that's our decision then

(not after sympathy re dc3 btw lol - she's v lovely. but thought would share that there are all sorts of possible outcomes, and generally we just deal with what life throws at us - a third child, no third child - a fourth child, no fourth child etc. whatever will be, will be, and all that jazz )

good luck with whatever happens

I wish I had a third.
If I was younger I would have another one.
We have 2 with large age gap due to fertility problems.

HArd to give advice though- how does your dh feel?

WE had a third - I regretted it occasionally in the incredibly hard first year (small gap)but have loved it ever since. I don't love the bills however!!! If I could I would now have a fourth but it would really put us way over the edge financially.

I know its not exactly what you asked, as I don't have a story of regretting not having a third child but I thought you might like to hear my story, as I was in your position eighteen months ago. I was 38 and had two dss aged 4 and 6. We hivered and hovered back and forth between going for another or stopping at two, we weren't in the best financial situation but felt that time was marching on and we couldn't leave the decision any longer.

In the end we had a really long, completely honest talk about whether we just liked the idea of having another 'baby' or we actually wanted another 'child'. (To begin with it was me that wanted another and dh was totally anti.) Once we talked it through properly though, we were happy that we both felt we would like another child felt we would both regret it if we didn't go ahead. So, we went for it and I now have a beautiful 9 month old dd.

She fitted right in straight away, her brothers absolutely worship her and there has been no jealousy whatsoever (unlike when ds2 was born and ds1 was 2 years old).

For us it has been a really positive experience. Dd is an absolute treasure. I found going from 2 to 3 easier than 1 to 2 (probably as the boys are at school all day so I have time to spend with dd when they are out and then don't have to feel guilty if she has to wait while I spend time with them after school).

When I thought about having a third child, I imagined in my head our little family of four as a sort of square shape, when I imagined adding another child into the mix the square sort of morphed into a circle and felt much cosier and more like a hug. [daft old hippie emoticon]

I know that sounds daft, but it has been a bit like that for us. Before it tended to be dh and ds1 and me and ds2, but now we seem somehow to be more of a family and there aren't two separate factions these days, we all muck in together.

I'm not saying its all been plain sailing. The pregnancy was hard as I was quite poorly for most of it. (Nothing major, just nasty morning sickness, anaemia and total all encompassing exhaustion). It can be tiring having three dcs who all want/need things 24/7 at times and we do get tired, but all things considered, we are both very happy with our decision and wouldn't change things for the world.

I wish you all the best with your decision making. Hope it all works out for you, whatever you decide.

I am so so so broody for our third but we can't cos of medical reasons. I know that I can't cos of my health, we have a close age gap between ds1 and ds2 (would it be fair anyway??), financially we've made commitments based on just having the 2, the car we've got wouldn't fit in extra car seat. . . etc etc BUT that doesn't mean the emotional ache for another baby goes away. I really regret not being able to have a third. I would desperately love to have another.

thankyou so, so much everyone. esp moosemama for taking the time to reply in such depth.

well, dh has a little twinkle in his eye at times when we've toyed with the idea. i would say that he could be persuaded, rather than being totally in favour.

having said that, we have friends/ rels with 3 dcs who had small age gaps and look totally harassed most of the time. this has not escaped dh's notice. i have pointed out that it would be v different for us. you cant compare having 3 preschoolers with our situation.

very interesting idea, moose re your visualisation of the shape of your family. i can really see that. there's a certain convenient tweeness about the 'family of 4' and i like the idea of a larger family.

those with big age gaps, did you have a sense of 'going backwards' in terms of losing your freedom all over again, due to having a new born? or is the transition inot babydom more seemless 3rd time round?

i just feel a bit panicked, as if the longer i leave it, the harder it'll be. i've felt like this for a good year. and i'm no more (or less) sure what to do! i wish i had a crystal ball...

i also have two aged 7&5.

after a few years of should we/should we we have decided to go for it, it feels like there is somepeice of our family missing and i really dont think i will feel complete until i have another.

if someone could look into a crystal ball for you and tell you how many children will be visiting you when you are 80 how would you feel if the answer was two?

i have 2 16 sn and 18 i would have loved another 2 but its too late now not physically though at 46 would be a bit of a miracle just realtionship wise hope i dont get all bitter and twisted when im even older

I am feeling the same - but perhaps have time on my side (I am 27, DS is 3 and DD is 1).

I have been broody since DD was born but DH kept saying no. I was very upset about this...then he suddenly turned round and said yes to number 3! I am now in shock and not mentioning it as now its a possible reality all the 'what if's' come to mind...

I've got 2 (nearly 6 and 3) and I want another one. Have Ummed and Ahhed about it for ages (not right circumstances, no space, finances - similar position to OP) but have decided to just go for it

Reason being I just KNOW that I will regret not going for a 3rd, but am pretty certain I won't ever regret having one, even if it is majorly stressful

The chances of twins increases with age and with the number of previous children. How would you feel about this? (happened to me, with an unplanned 4th pg). Still smiling, though feeling a bit battered!

and no, I'm not broody this time round. strangely!

I feel the same as you, OP. I have a 4 yr old and 1 yr old and DH has said 'No More!'. There are a multiple really good reasons why we shouldnt have another, but I still wonder if I will regret it in years to come...

we had a great debate too, dh not a fan of having a third, but somehow in the middle of all the debating and umming and ahhh-ing, well let's say we sort of managed to hatch one anyway. The 'want' for another in my case was - if I can now truly admit - I wanted a dd as we had two dses, which is precisely what we got. Not that I would have only wanted a third on the basis of gender of course, that would be a mad situation to get in - I think I also wanted three because I'm one of three and it was fab growing up with a big brother and sister. And fwiw the age gap between me and my elder sibs is much bigger than the one you'd have. As the others say, no jealousy with no. 3, which sadly was not the case when ds2 arrived and ds1 was almost 3yo.

I am currently expecting DS4, so maybe not ideally qualified to answer your question , however:
DSs1 and 2 were 4 and 5 when DS3 came along. The age gap did and does mean we as a family had to adjust to baby demands once again ie nap times, 2 million things to take along when going out, etc. Having said that DS3 is an absolute darling, he is so much fun (now 19 months) and his older brothers adore him. They are also very excited about another baby, bless them!
I also understand the "shape" of the family, for me bizarrely it was always going to be an even number ie either 2 or 4 children. I have no rational explanation for this . And no, we were not "trying for" a girl, and there will most definetly not be 6 .

Much as only you and your DH can make the decision whether or not to have another child, OP, personally I think you are less likely to regret a further child rather than a childshaped void, IYKWIM.

Good luck to you.

BTW, I was 37 when I had DS1... you do the maths !

gee thanks everyone. its good to know i'm not alone in having this dialogue with myself.

one thing that i would say re sex of baby is that i did at one time pine for a boy. i felt terribly guilty about this when dd2 was born. however, i now couldnt imagine having a boy as i'm so used to girls. i would expect to have a 3rd girl, and if it turned out to be a boy, it would be a surprise. but i most definitely would be delighted with a girl.

in fact i think that getting 'closure' on the whole wanting a boy thing, is one of the reasons why its taken a while to consider a 3rd. ie- for years i knew i didnt want to go on some mad quest for a son, but hadnt let go enough of this issue to have a 3rd child and not mind about the sex.

for 2-3 years after dd2 was born i felt that i'd def have a 3rd if it was guaranteed to be a boy. i just dont feel that now. funny how feelings can change.

oh, and pacific, thanks for making me feel young .

peppa, you have got time on your side, but to be honest i think that the feeling of time running out has just as much to do with wanting to avoid a massive age gap, as it has to do with my age.

Hi,

This is my first post, just discovered this website as I have just found out I am pregnant again with my 3rd child. I have a 2 ds, one just turned 4 and another 18 months. We pondered on having a 3rd but it was just chat as a lot of my younger friends are now having babies and I have never felt finished. But I did not expect it to happen so soon and feel as I have had the decision made for me. I am feeling very nervous at he moment and have moments of happiness as I get very excited at another little ds/dd coming into our family but I am also getting overwhelming scary feelings like 'what have I done' what about my kids' can we afford it etc am I going to feel like this till the arrival

Congratulations Mummymoodie I felt very overwhelmed when pg with DS2, but it diminished when I started to feel him move etc. I'm sure it will all be fine... well, it has to be doesn't it!

Noonar - I completely know what you mean about needing closure on wanting a DS. I have 2 DSs, and would love to have a girl. However, I'm still at the stage where I want a DD, not another baby/child. So I won't be even considering a third unless I get over this, and I'm not sure I ever will. That's not a problem though! I do feel like our family is finished now.

I have a ds, 5, and a dd, 3. I have tormented myself since dd was one about having another one - "just one more" - but my husband made it very clear that he was happy with the two we had and did not want anymore. He refused and wouldnt budge. We had lots of arguements over it, he always put forward his reasons which were mostly practical (finance, space etc). We even asked our two dc whether they would like another baby (ok, i asked them) and they both said "no way". They said they were worried that if another child came along they wouldnt be best friends anymore. This was actually quite sweet and really made me sit up and think about the prospect, in real terms, of having a third child. There are a few things that I now realise (though its taken a while to get there). Firstly, no child should be brought into the world without being 100% wanted by both parents (i.e. there will be no little "accidents" here). Also on this point, I think no one person has a "right" to have a child. Me and my hubby may have agreed when we got married that we would have 3 or more kids, but as he rightly points out, that was before we knew the hard work involved, knew the expense involved, etc etc - he has changed his mind and I feel I have to respect that. Our house (3-bed semi) is perfect size for the four of us, if we had any more kids then things, quite simply, would not work so well/easily imo. I am a SAHM and have been lucky enough to have been off since my ds was born, but money is now tight (we have a very nice life but have to be careful) and when I return to work next year when dd goes to school the extra money will be very welcome.

I think the final thing for me was that I realised, after a lot of soul searching and being honest with myself, is that I dont actually have a burning desire for another child - but I DID have a burning desire to be pregnant (I loved it both times) and to have a newborn. If im honest, over the last couple of years, each time someone has told me they are pg or have had a baby, im genuinely pleased for them but I also felt envious. Now I realise that, in fact its just because the child bearing days are behind me that I felt this way and no matter how many children I gave birth to I will probably always be broody and will always feel a little wobbly around baby news! However now I have identified those feelings in myself I feel so much happier and confident that, for us, sticking with two children is the right thing to do. I love my two so much and happy with our family of four.

Anyway, that was my very long answer to whether to have 3! - sorry! x x

I just posted over on another thread about this, but my husband finally changed his mind and decided - rather out of the blue I might add - that he wants us to have another child. For practical reasons we will wait until next year to start trying, but I am soooo broody! I also worry about the age gap. My DS is 6 1/2 and my DD is 5. Also, I am still quite young, 27, and think that once I've had 3, it would make sense/be easy to take the plunge to have 4......Like RachLeighmum said, I also like the idea of being pregnant and having a newborn and will probably always go through periods of broodiness......

I'm new to MN but have noticed on many threads that I've read, that some people are happy to keep having children regardless of finances/space etc....(not judging btw) but for me personally, I feel that I want to be able to provide better for the ones I already have first before having another - and that means space, money, time for each etc....

sorry this is a bit rambling and uncoordinated...I'm just glad to find a thread that deals exactly with my situation and all my thoughts have come tumbling out !

So happy to have found this thread!! DH and I have two lovely children, ages 3 and 2. Because I am 37, and DH is 40, we kind of thought we were done, but I am feeling irrationally broody, and we are seriously talking about a third. It's not a baby thing...I am not a baby person, but I love the toddler phase, and the idea of having three children...I am an only child, so have always imagined having a big family. There are some doubts, of course, but the positives of having a bigger family, and knowing that my two dc's would just adore a baby sibling. I just think if we really want another, we'd regret NOT having one much more. DS starts reception in September, DD will be in morning playgroup, and I am not going back to work until DD is in school, so it seems like it's the perfect time, too. I also loved being pregnant!!
Anyway...I'll keep checking back with you all, and let you know how it goes!!

I think a lot of us who have 3 or more have been in your situation or similar and can relate to your dilemma. I have 4 very young children, my eldest has just turned 5 and my youngest baby is 3 months old. When we had our first 2, (a girl and a boy), we went over that urming and arring too. My DH would have been more than happy with 2 tbh, it was me who was really broody. Of course you will never regret having more children, but all I can say is that we do unfortunately live in a society that is tailored for the 2+2 family and that everything is much harder. We do most things but we found that you will need larger car, larger house, more money and more resources IF you want to keep the same standards of living you are used to. We find having 4 hard in comparison to the lives of people we know who have young children. I am assured that once they are out of nappies/etc it will get easier but I am not there yet. Good luck in your decision, whatever you decide it will be the right choice for you xxxxx