i think i want 10 children, or at least a v v large brood!! am i mad ??how many do you have ?

[pregnantbabyelephant]

ok maybe 5 or 6

how many children do you have?

Pollyanna, have just spotted you are pregnant again! Wow. Good luck!

Hula, I really hope the op goes well for you. Best of luck.

I have 4, that is enough for me. I would worry about being able to give individual attention to more than 4, especially as it is important to me to keep a career going as well (albeit only part time at the moment). I think plenty of people CAN do that, but I'm not a natural earth mother. I'm one of 3, DH is one of 5. I originally wanted 2 or 3, he originally wanted 5, we are both happy at 4

laundrylover Callum is still having problems with weight gain. There is a thread in breastfeeding called 'urgent they want me to put Callum on formula'

Re the OP: Yes.. mad, as suspected

I only have one 2.10 yr old at the moment, and that's bloody knackering as it is! I want another one, definitely, but after that...who knows? I have a neighbour who has 6 children (ages 10, 9, 7, 4, 2 and 1) and I honestly don't know how she does it. And she hasn't finished yet, either!

I have three. If I'd started earlier, and/or DS3 didn't have what seem to be quite profound special needs, I might have considered a fourth one. But I feel very content - blessed, even - with three.

Babyelephant, you and me both. I only have one and can't wait for him to have brothers and sisters. I was one of three (eldest, only girl) and don't want that. DH and I are kind of agreed on 4, especially if the pregnancies and deliveries are as good as this was!
I'd love twins and don't really understand people who say they've got one and don't want any more. Just the way I am.

Have two before you decide on ten.

double the amount of children is not, according to logic, double the work. Chilren have this mysterious squaring effect on work - going from one to two children moves you up from one hour of housework daily to more like four.

Lol, colditz! It also greatly increases the Groundhog Day effect in that you spend so much of your time doing and re-doing the same thing. Removing a sticky detritus of toast crumbs, marmite, honey etc from the kitchen floor after breakfast. Removing a sticky detritus of breadcrumbs, cheese, ham etc from the kitchen floor after lunch. Removing a sticky detritus of pasta, tomato sauce, bits of sausage etc from the kitchen floor after tea. AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!

I have had several friends who originally wanted 4 or 6 children and now have definitely stopped at 2.

I've noticed children also have an inverse square relationship to distance travelled with them. With one we backpacked in Australia and Hong Kong, with two we went to Spain and Germany. With 3 we have more or less given up on holidays and just about stagger to the local park now and then.

I don't dare have a 4th, by this calculation we'd never make it out of the (sticky, laundry-filled) kitchen).

Still, on the plus side, our family carbon footprint is far lower with 3 than with one or two.