When you've had your last baby - how did you feel?

[Howtotameyourtoddler]

I have two children, a three year old daughter and a three week old son.

For a multitude of reasons, my husband and I have agreed not to have any more children and he wants a vasectomy. I know that this is the right decision for our family and that we are beyond lucky to have had two healthy babies. I also suffered from PND, I was miserable for the last bit of my pregnancy and I'm currently processing a very distressing birth with DS. I'm excited to focus on raising our two growing children, and on reclaiming my career, body and social life. I see our future as a family of four and I am entirely happy and content with that.

BUT even knowing all of this, I feel a deep sadness at the thought that that's it. I'll never be pregnant again, never give birth or meet my newborn baby again, never breastfeed again. All the anticipation of a new baby - the pregnancy tests, the appointments, the scans, the lists of names, the kicks - I won't get to experience that again. It feels so silly, but I feel really sad about leaving this phase of my life behind.

Has anyone else felt like this? How long did it last, and did you just eventually get over it?

Ps I'm aware that my postnatal hormones have probably got something to do with this. But if I'm feeling like this now, when I'm living through the sleep deprivation, the colic, the endless nappies and the birth trauma, what am I going to be like in a couple of rose-tinted years?!

I was sad because DH said no more.
In resented him for a long time for it.

Relief like several others on this thread.

I felt just like this a year ago after I gave birth to my son! Knew I wanted two children, had always seen myself with a girl then a boy which is what I ended up with and felt excited to move onto the next stage of raising my family like you. But when he was a few weeks old that sadness set in that I would never be pregnant again, even never give birth again, and my pregnancies and births were pretty horrendous! Those hormones are pretty powerful! All I can say is it wears off and as time went on I barely thought of it. A year on my baby still doesn’t sleep and I can safely say I’m very relieved that we have decided never to do this again!

I had a thread here a few days ago about this. Wanted a third child as soon as my second was born and 14 months later I still do. DH not keen. If we had another I’d like another 2.5-3 year gap so it’s too early to really consider it, so waiting to have a proper chat with DH about it. I can’t imagine not having another but think I’d be done after 3.