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Parenting

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Original poster

Why did you decide to start a family?

45 replies

Ironmaiden · 08/05/2006 13:40

What prompted you to start the family? Was there a discussion first? Did it just happen? Did you get married just so you could have a traditional family? Do you ever regret having kids young? Do you wish you'd started earlier?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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arfy · 08/05/2006 14:51

so I could join Mumsnet

Blu · 08/05/2006 14:52

Marina. I was going to post 'for the status and to get the benefit of wraparound childcare'

Marina · 08/05/2006 14:52

arfy, you wuz robbed. We have some members eg Smurfgirl, who have not yet entered the arena of parenthood

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arfy · 08/05/2006 14:56

in fact I'm lying anyway because I've remembered I was lurking here before I was even pregnant!

the true story is:
We were prompted by me having an ovarian tumour, which wasn't properly malignant, but I had an ovary removed and my insides were left in a bit of a mess - brought home to us how important children were to us and we didn't want to hang around much longer as it seemed likely I'd have trouble getting pregnant. As it happens, straight after a 2nd operation (to sort out the aforementioned mess) and the consultant telling me to get on with it and come back in 6 months if no luck, I unexpectedly and completely without planning became pregnant

arfy · 08/05/2006 14:57

oh became pregnant sounds like it was an immaculate conception! it wasn't....although actually considering the timing I did wonder a bit...

arfishymeau · 08/05/2006 14:59

Arfy - I'm not stalking you, honest .

I wanted a child after living with my DSS for a couple of years. They were (and are) so much fun, that it showed me how great it is to have a family.

I'm in the process of persuading a very reluctant DP to have a 4th (2nd for me).

Nbg · 08/05/2006 15:07

Dh and I had got engaged in the summer and had booked our wedding. We both wanted children but had said do it a bit later i.e. after the wedding. Anyhoo without any discussion we didn't bother with contraception and a few months later I was pregnant.
I had dd when I was 21, dh was 30. We scrapped the big white wedding we had booked and got married at Gretna Green when dd was nearly 3 months old.

I'm 24 this month and our next baby is due in August.
I think it was the best time for us. I really wanted children and dh was becoming concerned about being an older dad, lol (at 30!)

So like others, not so traditional but it's how we wanted it and it's great!

arfy · 08/05/2006 15:09

lol Arfishymeau
at least it keeps showing everyone we're different people!

crazydazy · 08/05/2006 15:14

I didn't decide I was 27 and I got pregnant the first time DP and I ever made love! I wanted the baby but not sure if I wanted him!! Anyway it all turned out fine as 7 years and 2 kids later we are still very happy together.

mazzystar · 08/05/2006 15:20

I always wanted children, and DH told me he wanted a family on something like our second date. We had a hungover conversation about how nice it would be to have babies one New Year's Day and two weeks later I was up the duff. Didn't meet DH till I was 30, if i'd started earlier it would have been with the wrong man.

arfishymeau · 08/05/2006 15:34

Arfy - either that or we're one person with multiple personalities

Give it some time and some contentious posts and people will just think we're cod having a larf.

Imafairy · 08/05/2006 16:57

After DH and I were married for about a year, (couldn't have had children without being married (personal view)), we decided to 'give it a go', with the understanding that if it happened, it happened, and if it didn't, we were happy enough as we were........we were lucky and it happened pretty quickly, and haven't looked back since

eidsvold · 09/05/2006 01:22

I was pregnant

we met and married and got pregnant very quickly. We always thought we would have children - just did not think it would happen as quickly as it did. No real discussion as such. Got married cause we wanted to get married.

no regrets about when I had them - to me it was obviously when it was meant to happen.

hannahsaunt · 09/05/2006 02:51

We didn't plan at all. Either time. First was more of a shock as we had been told before we were married that dh's chemo and radiotherapy would mean that he was infertile. Reckless disregard for medics ever getting something wrong led to ds1; conception of ds2 is still a mystery even to us. If we'd been able to plan I guess we would have left it a bit later or been a bit more proactive about the rest of life earlier but given there's never a right time there are no regrets at all.

sottovoce · 09/05/2006 20:35

I was always desperate to have children, but didn't meet anyone who was worth having them with until I met DH at 32. Decided to start TTC at beginning of 2004, got pregnant in June and had DD last April.

Wish we'd met 5 years before we did, so we could have had a bit more time together pre children. [wistful emoticon].

motherinferior · 09/05/2006 20:41

I Trusted My Body's Rhythms.

And then it went a bit syncopated and I got up the duff

plummymummy · 09/05/2006 21:19

Got to 31 and thought oh shit i'm getting old. Asked dh on his birthday whether he fancied being a dad. He said yes. Started trying couple of months later and got pregnant straight away. No time to change our minds! Never regretted it though

rarrie · 09/05/2006 21:21

The doctor told me I was subfertile and would probably find it difficult to conceive. Given that my mother had an early menopause (in her 30s) he warned me that the same could happen to me, and that I should not hang about. We knew we wanted kids sometime, so went for it. One month later I was pregnant!

scarymamma · 09/05/2006 22:16

I had a choice of pregnancy (and maternity leave) or a long prison sentence for killing my b***d boss! :o

scarymamma · 09/05/2006 22:21

I had a choice of pregnancy (and maternity leave) or a long prison sentence for killing my b***d boss! :o

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