DS2 is 5 weeks old, and I SERIOUSLY want another one.

[NatalieJane]

I have joked about it since he was born, but I really can't shake this feeling, if we decided to go for another it wouldn't be until DS2 is at least a year old, but I am already counting down the months until we can start trying again DH thinks I am mad. I know I am mad. Especially after all the hoohah towards the end of of my last pregnancy.

Questions though, I ended up with pre-eclampsia last time, will that effect another pregnancy/delivery?

How do people cope with 3? I am finding 2 a complete breeze (yes I did just say that!!) does it change a lot with 3? Does having 3 children mean there will always be one left out?

Am I going to have no.3 and then want a no.4????

Can MN cope with another NatalieJane labour thread????

I felt like that in the early days but then they grow a bit and the feeling subsided a bit. And don't forget that it gets harder when they get mobile and more demanding!
I went for a third and ended up with four. I find three easy now, and two really easy but that's prob because most of the time I've got the four.

it always changes - even if you don;t add more on. each age and stage brings new stuff. I personally think they get harder as they get older - you know where you are with a baby. there's only so much that can be wrong with them. so you can usually solve it. six year olds? ok you don't need to wipe their bum anymore but god they can push you. It's lovely that you're so happy right now, but no need to rush a decision. I suspect you may well go for no 3 (something about how you write) and I suspect it will be wonderful

i'm only 10.5 months older than my brother, it wasn't planned but actually my mum says it was much easier than she expected (we were both good sleepers though so that helped)

i think in jumping from 2 to 3, one of the bigger issues is fitting car seats in safely as not all have room for 3 across the back seat.

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

oh.go on then !

but i need text alerts and MSN this time !

I would echo that I found having 2 got harder when ds was about 4 months. Then has started getting easier since he began walking at 11 months.
I know I want another baby. But as he's become more interesting,more mobile and so on we've kind of come to the decision that rather than aiming for a 2 year age gap (like there is between dd and ds) we would like to have more time our existing children for now. So may go for a 3 year gap instead. I'm just getting to the point where I have more one on one time with ds,now dd has morepre-school sessions, and I'm actually relishing that time while feeling guilty that with dd we did every social thing going - baby bounce, tumbletots and so on, whereas with ds I seem to spend most of my time clearing up,shopping and so on. This is going to change though.
From a physical perspective, I have no knowledge. Obviously people do have small gaps between children with no health implications, but personally I felt that it took quite a long time to recover fully. I breastfed both til they self-weaned at about 13 months, so that had an implication in terms of my body. I do recall both my midwife and GP recommending a year's gap between pregnancies though.

I would say wait, i felt like this after my dd was born & i had ds who was 3.3 at the time, now dd is going to be 1 next week & has started moving & it is alot harder, she is into everything, does not sleep as much is teething & much more demanding so i have now changed my mind & will wait & see what things are like when she is 2 - 2.5

I felt SO broody after DD1 I wanted to do it all again quickly, got pregnant with DD2 when DD1 was 9 months so 18 months between them. Yes it's hard especially as DD2 refuses to sleep and DD1 is just a demanding 2 year old. However, I am still incredibly broody and feel there is someone missing from our family so much, I don't want to have the 2 DDs close in age then a big gap to another one but at the same time I know I'm not ready to have another one just yet, have said to DP I will wait another 6 months and see how I feel, if I get pregnant straight away DD1 would be 3.9 or thereabouts and DD2 2.3 (is my Maths crap but you know what I mean!)

Maybe wait until DS2 is about 6 months and see how you feel then?

I felt this way as soon as DS was born as did DP. The Neo Natal unit nurses thought we had lost it! It's not as urgent a desire now though, we plan to start trying again in autumn.

LMAO Lulu Thought you might have a comment to make

We will wait at least till DS2 is a year old anyway, but it will then be a kind of then or never, DH thinks he is getting too old Maybe I should swop DH for a younger model so it gives us some more time to play with!! LOL DS1 is nearly 5 years old so is at school, probably why it all seems so much easier than I expected. I am glad it isn't just me that is wanting another so soon though!!

I may well still be breast feeding by then so it might be out of the question as far as getting pregnant anyway.

OK so who knows how to stop myself lying awake at night with lovely thoughts of a no.3??

nataliejane- I was like this after ds was born 6years ago. Over the couple of years i hhave gone from yes to no then we said lets see what happens.. (that was middle of september) and iam now 13+weeks pg with number 3!!..m

I wanted a third immediately after dd2 was born. but it was because I wanted another shot at giving birth - I thought that after one traumatic hospital intervention-heavy birth and one dramatic home birth with dh playing midwife, that third time round we might be able to get it right. realised it was a bad reason for having another

i remembering that i was like this too for 4 months after gave birth to my firstborn.. i couldnt stop myself wanting another but it was all down to me missing that special feeling and the excitement too..... DD is now 27m and im still broody but willing to hang on for a year or so

hat - that's quite funny really!

I decided I really wanted another when ds (our third) was 10 days old - he is now 17m and I am 13 weeks pregnant!!

HOWEVER - my dds are much older - 9 and 8 - so such a big gap between the first two and the second two has made (and hopefully will make) my life much easier.

Even when I was pg with ds, I didn't feel I had "finished", as it were. But this time I am certain that this one is the last. However do be aware that for some people the need to procreate never fully goes away.

IMHO, I would not spend too much time pressurising yourself to make such a decision now. Just try to put it to the back of your mind and re-evaluate your feelings as ds reaches his first birthday .

In the same boat! Have 3 under 3! youngest 13 wks! Eldest was 12 wks when I got pregnant with middle, middle one 6 months when I fell for no 3! Want another, hubby NO WAY! Having 3 a walk in the park when they are all well, illness a nightmare. Go for it! In for a penny in for a pound!

I do sympathise and in my experience, the feeling doesn't go away. Just after my first baby was born, I couldn't wait to have another. My dh was in agreement as he wanted 2 and I was found out I was 4wks preg when DD was 4mths. During my second pregnancy I felt sure it wasn't going to be my last even though dh said it was. 2 weeks before his birth I took off a party dress and vowed I would wear it again, pregnant. DS born and even when he was 4wks, I knew I wanted another. Time went on, had 2 miscarriages and dh really didn't want anymore until he agreed to try (I am over 40, I thought it was impossible) and I got preg. Am now 5mths with twins!! I was determined to have certainly another, wasn't sure about another two but that's what is happening. DH has got used to the idea and we are looking forward to May. My children will be 4 & 8mths and 3 7mths and are excited about having baby siblings.

As I used to put clothes away that DS had outgrown and dh would ask what I was keeping them for, I would say they were the next one and he would shake his head. The feeling I had just never went away and I think I would have resented not having another one or not being allowed to have another one.

That meant to read 'I am over 40, dh thought it was impossible'.

It is easy with two... to start with At the moment no 2 is not interfering with no 1! and you have quite a large gap between them.. smaller gaps are much more demanding and exhausting.

Jumping from 2 to 3 is much harder than from 1 to 2 imo.

i found going from 2 to 3 quite hard but that was because ds1 was 5.5 and dd1 was 4.5 when ds2 was born,so i'd forgotten all the baby stuff and got used to them being at school.i never planned to have the first 2 so close together by the way.i cant remember how bad it was really as they are now both in junior school,but some things were easier like they like th same stuff on telly and i could leave them to it when they started fighting

dd2 will be 15months when db5 comes along,so it was either so bad ive blocked it out or it was so much fun i chose to do it again...i'll let you know.

go for it - good luck to you x

go for it!! my friend is pregnant - only going to be an 11 month gap and although shocked at first she now can't wait!

I have 3 and love it the youngest is 15 weeks and i fell broody have done for a few weeks. Dh says we are not having anymore though

I watched your labour threads nataliejane
and mn would need warning so they could get ready for you.

Thanks everyone And congrats and good luck to all the pregnant people

I don't need to make the decision, I already know I want another, I know I will spend the next 11 months thinking about the pregnancy being as bad as last time, and about trying to fit another person in our house, oh and convincing DH that he does in fact want another (or he is bloody well having another anyway!!) but I suceed!!!

Watch out MN, the NJ's labour threads will be making a return some time in the not too far and distant future... whatever will Cod do?