Why is it shocking to want 3 children???

[Toothache]

...or more for that matter?

3 of my best friends don't have children (although want them..... partners not ready yet!). I have 2 and recently they have all asked me seperately if I would have anymore. I have said of course! They are SOOOOOOOOOO shocked by this and say things like "OMG are you mad??" or "You are a baby making machine aren't you?".... or "When are you going to stop??"

It actually upsets me. Even my friends that have children (1 or 2) seem really shocked by my wanting a 3rd....and perhaps a 4th child!

It makes me feel like I'm going OTT or that I'm doing something wrong!

I'm 27 FFS, I cannot possibly know how I will feel down the line. At the moment I want a 3rd. That might be it, that might be me settled, but then again it might not! Why do people make you feel like a freak if you want to have more than 2 children? Has anyone else experienced this?

I'm one of 4 and DH is one of 3. It isn't that unusual is it????????

my first in laws were a bit funny about each pregnancy. !st one 'didnt know you were trying,you can do something about it if it was a mistake'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2nd 'I s'pose it ok if its what you want'
3rd 'dont you think the world is overpopulated enough'

You can guess how I felt!!!
Had another 2 since then...watch this space!!!!

Had our second - a DD, already had a DS - and got an email from a friend/ex colleague of DH's which read

Congratulations on the birth of XXXX, now that you've got one of each I hope you stop there. World population increasing and all that ... etc, etc.

What is it with having one of each then you're done attitude?

DH pointed out that he is Irish, married to a Mexican woman and there is poverty in Mexico and street children but I thought it was out of order.

I'll do what I want for my own reasons but I am pretty tempted to have 4 to annoy him

I would love 4 children. With dst it meant I have two children but only one pregnancy but I get those same comments Toothache. Possibly because I had a hard time with the pregnancy and there is a great chance of having twins again.

But I am so ready and as I will be 34 at the end of the year my clock isn't so much ticking as chiming loudly! I think, due to circumstances though we could only afford one more baby, but if two come along at the same time again

Message withdrawn

Just told friends tonight and the bloke said ' another?' ahhhhhhh well i shall get used to it over the coming weeks i am sure. I always wanted five so..........

barefoot..is this your 5th?
I have 5

I only have/want one, but I am hugely impressed by people that have/want 3+. One of my friends with boy/girl twins recently had another girl and I hope I was just as excited about it as the twins.

All mumsnetters should take a vow to offer only congratulations on the announcement of a new pregnancy - let's take direct action to stop this critcism of families who don't conform to a ridiculous - "normal"!!!

Great Idea Twirlaround!!!

BTW CONGRATULATIONS CADMUM!! And I sincerely mean that..... even if it was your 23rd child!

really who else does it concern but the parents?

My sister thinks I'm mad for wanting 4 children. She's got 2. She's only 24 and her and her husband have already decided they're having no more. I don't know how they can say that as neither of their kids were planned.

I'm one of 3, as was my mum, and my dad was one of 5. DH's grandparents had 5 kids and they always talk about how wonderful it is to have such a large family with so many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

I've got 1 dd at the moment and can't wait for more. Money isn't everything. They don't need lots of expensive toys and holidays. My parents never had much money and we always had wonderful Christmases and never went without.

I'm getting a lot of pressure to have a 3rd!

From who Piffle??

I talked to DH about this last night and I managed to squeeze out of him that a 3rd would be nice..... (hastily adding "sometime in the future")! But he said NO WAY to the prospect of a 4th. Heeheee..... we'll see.... he said NO WAY to the prospect of a 3rd after dd was born.

I am like you Toothache. I am expecting number 2 but I don't imagine I'll want to stop there. We'll be skint forever, but that's the choice we are making.
I am one of 4 and dh is one of 3. I love being part of a big family.

MrsD - But you are actually mad!!

Stop going on about more children!! Cluck cluck cluckkkkkkkkk.

run awayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, nooooooooooooooooo.

I got the new Mothercare catalogue yesterday and was studying it for ages, with dh looking all worried in the corner 'er, we don't need anything do we?' etc etc.

PMSL @ your DH OO!! He sounds like mine!

Well I have an 11 yr old ds from a previous relationship and 32 mth old dd with my DP, PIL are very keen as am I to have another baby but as I'm 35 this year it is kind of dawning on me that I might have run out of time.
I had an ectopic last Nov and lost a tube and despite conceiving my 1st two in no time, the 3rd it seems is a little harder to come by, I wonder if its a sign or not, I'm quit open to fate etc.
Also my ds is really intelligent, as in VERY etc, dd has a genetic condition that has caused us some worry, is a little delayed, part of em just wants dp and I to have an average happy healthy baby you know?
We went through worrying hell with dd in the first year and was not able to enjoy the babymoon, also I never parented her as my last baby IYKWIM, so feel a bit hard done by...
Scuse me for rambling
DP says if it happens great, if not great...
MEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone I work with has 5. But his partner doesn't work outside the home...

Of course I am actually MAD but I can still want more children.

Actually, reminds me of what my boss said to me when I told her I was pregnant again. Dd is 15 months and I went back to work in September.
"Was it planned?"
I just had to gulp back my indignation.

Piffle - why would you be too old at 35? Had my first at 34 and second at 36. Conceived by dh merely coughing in my direction it would seem.

Ewwww coughing! That couldn't have been as much fun HMC

35 is getting old for me as I had ds when I was 22, dd when I was 32. Because of the gap and circumstances I've been doing it for 12 yrs already.
DD is 3 in October so I can nearly see towards getting a life outside of kids back, but as ds is older when he leaves for uni (presumably) at 18 in 7 yrs I will be left with an only child again, which I don't want, hence my desire for another...
Does that make any sense whatsoever?

Yes it does make perfect sense!

Mrs D, I wish it could have been achieved through coughing rather than all that nasty jiggery pokery business