How did you know you were ready for baby #2?

[happytobemrsg]

DS is 18 months & we are planning to TTC #2 in a few months but I'm a bit anxious.

How did you know you were ready for #2?

I didn’t. She was something of a surprise when I discovered I was pregnant again when DD1 was 5 months old . Worked out brilliantly though!

I'm more than ready. I think about it most days and I be sad that I'm not actively trying yet.

We had been trying for ten years and told we would never have kids, I fell ill in 2014 and that november I had my DD. Peed on a stick in early December and got shock #2.

I don't think you are ever ready.

I didn't. Dd2 was a complete SURPRISE. Dd1 was 23.when I fell pregnant with dd2. Think I'm still in shock 2 years on.

We'd always said we would have a fairly big gap to avoid paying for 2 in nursery for years. Wed had a couple of discussions about it and always decided to wait. Then we got back from holiday at the start of August and my pill ran out and we decided to start trying. 4 weeks later, positive test+)! DD is 3. I still have the odd moment of nerves and I'm not sure if I would ever feel totally "ready".

Didn't. Just happened! Think we would have waited too long if not. Before I had one I always said I'd like two close together. But suddenly, #1 is a demanding toddler and you question how you'd cope with another. I'd decided to wait and focus on my career, my partner could have just stuck with one. Admittedly, we were not preventing, we just became very relaxed about the whole thing. When we found out, we were both over the moon!

I wanted DS out of nappies and in nursery when a sibling turned up. Started TTC when DS was 2yr5m, conceived 6months later. DS2 is due in a week and DS1 is 3yr 6m, toilet trained for a year, in nursery everyday 👍

I didn’t really ‘know’, but a few of my friends who had their first babies at the same time as me, were falling pregnant. I just thought that it was as good a time as any (we’re pretty laid back 😀)

We spoke about it off and on and then caught for dc2 straight away. Unfortunately I miscarried which made me realise how desperately we wanted to give dc1 a sibling. I thankfully caught again immediately after my miscarriage and I'm now 25 weeks gone and dc1 is 2 next week :)
I'd say if you want another then go for it, you never know what will happen or how long it'll take. Good luck!

I just kept thinking about how I wanted a second baby, and occasionally mentioned it to DH, who didn’t want to initially, but he eventually agreed. I was never 100% sure but I think you just have to take the plunge!

For us, it was when I was in a good place in my career to take another mat leave and we felt like we really enjoyed our first and had plenty of quality time with her as a family of 3...and we'd gotten our adult lives back a little bit. We will have a 5 year age gap, so didn't start TTC until our first was 4 and for us that was the perfect time. We got out of the baby stage, got about 2 solid years of good sleep, had plenty of time as a couple, even a few overnights away by ourselves, etc. and felt refreshed and ready to go back into the trenches again. That's what worked for us, but I know some people don't want to get too far out of the baby stage before they do it again and I think that's fine too if you're feeling ready.

Oh, and the out of nursery thing was also a deciding factor. We couldn't afford 2 in nursery, so our first had to be old enough to be out of nursery when I went back to work (also realistically I wanted her in school as I wanted one on one time with baby like I had with her).

AnotherBunIntOven that's exactly how I feel! I'm coping now - how will I cope with 2?? But I also know I want another. I feel like if I wait too long I well end up not trying for another because I'd have to start again from the start

Like many PP DC2 was a happy surprise - the age gap will be 2.5 years, and actually it’s only sped things up by maybe 6 months or so - we were planning on trying soon anyway. Seems to be a popular gap - 2 of my NCT group friends are having DC2 now too. I’ll tell you how it works when DC2 is actually here(!) but from seeing other friends with a similar gap it looks pretty good - close enough for kids to have enough in common and be close, and close enough to still have all our baby kit, far apart enough to have had some breathing space between and to not need a double pushchair.

Within 6h of having DC1 I was ready TTC No2! In the end I was made redundant and had to wait until we were finically ready again. She's now 2.5 and I'm 31 weeks with DD2.