I'm in the middle of a career change and retraining at the moment. the course is four years plus, split into two lots of two years. i finished the first bit when pregnant with ds (now 19 months old). I'm meant to be going back to do the second bit in January next year. I'm really really looking forward to it, my identity was very tied in to my career, and I haven't earned money for what seems like an age (in fact it is an age, four years now!) and hate that (i know i'm lucky to have the option, but that doesn't stop me missing financial independence terribly).
However, I also love being a mother, and have loved being lucky enough to be at home with ds (in between tearing my hair out ).
I think at some point we will try to have another baby (I know there are no guarantees), and so my question to you all is, do you think I should try to get preg now, and get it 'out of the way' so to speak, or should I get my career back on track and wait until ds is four to have another one. In some ways that feels like a good plan, he will be starting school, I'll be able to explain more to him about having a younger sibling etc etc. but there is a bit of me that would love to have children closer together.
with a four plus years gap, would they play together? It seems to me that that kind of gap is huge when they are kids/teens. Obviously it would become irrelevant when they are older.
I could defer my training. the two parts are discrete and it will still be there for me if I wait another couple of years...
i know all this assumes that if i intend to have another one I will be able to, and I know that is a false assumption, but equally, we have to be trying for there to be a possibility iyswim!
so I'm looking for some advice, and also interested to hear about people's experience of that kind of age gap, or a shorter one...
am genuinely torn about this, however this post comes across I feel in my heart equally split...