Fourth baby

[KR07]

My oldest daughter has just turned four in January and my son will be 1 at the end of the month. We recently just had another baby who is less than a month old. I thought once my third had arrived
my family would feel fully complete but we still want one more.

I am 32 and my husband is 42 we are considering adding to our family pretty quickly as we don’t want to be any older when we become parents again, especially my husband. However we would end up with three children aged 2 and below.

Has anyone did the same thing or are we mad to consider it? Any advise would be really appreciated.

Hi. I've got 4 children under the age of 5. They're currently 4, 3, 21 months and 7 months. Our fourth wasn't planned. I had my tubes cut when I had our third but,..., it doesn't always work!
I won't lie, it's extremely hard work at the moment! The jump from 3 to 4 at this young age is not easy as they're not yet super independent (although older 2 are getting better!) and their demand for attention is enormous so managing to give them all what they need takes a lot of patience. I think that when we move out of the baby stage, it's going to be easier but right now, I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. 😆

Do any of you with/considering massive families consider the environmental implications?? I feel guilty having two sometimes!

I think you really need to leave it a little while the issue is being “older parents” is not going to be that affected by a few months in the lo run but it would make a big difference to how much hard work your children are. What does it matter if your DH is 43 or 44 when he has his last child?
I think you really need to give your body and your family some time to get used to this, also in the nicest possible way it will be quite unsettling for your older daughter to have multiple siblings Added to her life in such a short space of time.

I’d wait until at least the oldest turns two and then think about trying again.

How would your body cope with another pregnancy? You're barely out of recovery from one brith before conceiving again- would your health be better with a bigger gap this time round?

Sorry I mean oldest baby

Honestly I would wait a while. Your body needs time to recover in between pregnancies for it to be safe. You’re also very hormonal shortly after birthD and it may be that what feels like desire for another baby is actually just the normal reaction of panicking about the newborn time going by.

3 under 2 also just sounds crazy - I admire you for wanting to take it on, but it would be such hard work! And what if pregnancy number 4 is twins!

You’re plenty young enough to have another even if you wait, so I would say to give it a year. Enjoy your new baby without the pressure of getting and being pregnant. Allow your body to fully recover in preparation. And then see how you feel about number 4 in a year’s time.

I had 4 under 7 at one point. It was VERY hard work. I would enjoy the family you have for now, and see how you feel in a while. Let your body recover a bit too.

Also, fast forward to when they are older and think about how that might be . 4 teens cost a fortune and eat huge quantities (especially if you have boys). We are now looking down the barrel of of sets of uni fees/support and it is terrifying!

This is not a criticism, I am genuinely curious as FTM who cannot wait till pregnancy is over. But why is that you’ve just literally had a baby but crave another?
I just don’t understand why you wouldnt just enjoy the baby you’ve just had.

If you want it, you'll make it work.

We had 4 under 4 and a 9 year old when our twins arrived. It had it's challenges, especially when illness struck. I do it mostly alone as hubby is military and away a lot. I'm 18+4wk with baby number 6 atm, youngest 2 are 6 now though. My husband has said he'd like to try for another (5 girls, 1 boy) as he'd like another boy. If I did agree to that I'd prefer to do it within a couple of years as I'm getting closer to 40.

I think you should just enjoy the babies you have now and see how you feel in a couple of years.

**I correct myself, our 2nd had just turned 4 so 4 under 5.

I would avoid 3 under 2

I've done 2 under 2, and i'm about to do that again but 3 under 2 sounds too much!