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Pregnancy choices

This topic is for sharing experiences of pregnancy choices; to debate the ethics of termination, visit our Politics or Chat forums.

Terminating third pregnancy.

44 replies

Stupidandsad · 06/03/2022 17:41

I’ll try and give the basic facts, but I just wondered if anyone had been in a similar situation.

I am 37, first is 8 and second is 2. First from previous marriage is 50:50 between me and her dad. Partner is 41.

I work full time, term time and occasional days in hols.

Financially we are ok, just about, I am the main wage earner, partners take home £1k a month.

House needs an extension as we have 3 bedrooms but one is a box room.

I am 3-4st overweight and was just starting to lose it and get myself sorted.

My biggest concern is the impact on my oldest, who already has to share her time between me and her dad and we have just started to be able to go out without youngest to do things we enjoy but can’t so safely with a toddler in tow. I worry they will feel massively left out with 2 younger ones here all the time. They love their sibling but struggle at times with the intensity of a toddler.

Partner is very hands on but I have to do the majority of organising etc, the mental load I guess.

First was a terrible sleeper, second is better but still bf , Co-sleeps and doesn’t consistently sleep through.

My parents help with childcare but are late 70s and time is ticking.

I just don’t think I can do it. Physically or emotionally. I have a scan appointment booked with BPAS next week.

Has anyone in similar circumstances been pretty set on terminating and it’s been the right thing for them? Or terminated and regretted?

Thank you in advance.

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 06/03/2022 19:13

It’s up to you, if you can’t do it for any reason that’s enough.

lightnesspixie · 06/03/2022 19:15

Yes me. I had two boys and fell pregnant I was about to go back to work etc I felt so depressed I sat in a supermarket car park and cried. 22 years later we have a beautiful daughter and never regretted bringing unplanned but beautiful life into the world. Have your baby.

inheritancetrack · 06/03/2022 19:17

I’m worried in 20 years time I will look at my family and wish there was a fifth person in the picture

No matter what choices we make in life we will always have regrets or misgivings. You can only do what is right for you now. You could equally look back in 20 years and wish life hadn't been so challenging because of the third child. You would love the child of course, but loving the child won't make anything less difficult.

Stupidandsad · 06/03/2022 19:40

Thank you, I think you are right. I wouldn’t regret as such if I continued, but things would be so much harder.

OP posts:
Amicompletelyinsane · 06/03/2022 19:49

I had this decision. Unplanned third. Yes life is busy and crazy and utter chaos. We don't have lots of money at the end of the month and they don't have their own bedrooms. But I dunno, now I just cant imagine how life would have gone without that crazy unplanned third child. Only you know the answer that is best for you.

Roselilly36 · 06/03/2022 19:51

Sorry you are facing this decision OP. People can voice their personal experiences of a surprise pregnancy and what decision was right for them, but this is your life, only you know the right decision for you & your family. You will be the person living with the decision you make. Good luck.

ThreeLocusts · 06/03/2022 20:05

Hi OP, my third pregnancy was unplanned. I don't regret not aborting, but I can also see that in a way I missed out on the family I would have had with two children, and that it is hard especially for the middle child. And things could have been a lot harder if the third hadn't been so easy-going.

To me you sound like you'll find it hard to go through with the abortion even though you have plenty of reasons to do so. That you worry about your eldest honours you. What the third child would mean for them is very uncertain, though - in a couple of years the fact that the younger two have each other to play with may make things easier for the oldest.

Then again, I remember thinking that three children of 5, 9 and 11 were easier than two kids under five, which is what you'd be faced with for 2-3 years. There are so many factors at play.

The only maybe-useful thing I can think of saying is don't rush yourself, assuming that you aren't far enough along to have to. Take your time, and if you think your partner's reaction will only ever be one way, I hope you have someone else to talk the pros and cons through with IRL. All the best!

Stupidandsad · 06/03/2022 21:08

I know I’ve talked a lot about the impact on my first, but my second loses out when my first comes home already as my focus is on no1. They get lots from their dad, he adores them and can play for hours, which is just not me. He would, practically struggle with an additional one- he doesn’t like to have both on their own already and the eldest is pretty capable of looking after themselves.

OP posts:
underneaththeash · 06/03/2022 21:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Stupidandsad · 06/03/2022 21:23

Thread was moved ages ago.

I could only see the pregnancy boards and did not realise there was a “choices” board.

I have already apologised.

OP posts:
underneaththeash · 06/03/2022 21:39

Apologies OP I reported my own post. It hadn't been moved before I started my post.

Stupidandsad · 07/03/2022 19:59

Thank you.

OP posts:
Stupidandsad · 22/03/2022 14:00

Just wanted to follow this up.

I went for a scan at a BPAS clinic which showed I was 6 weeks. I had the abortion pills at home. I will give a fair amount of detail to try and help someone who is contemplating the same, so if that’s not for you stop reading.

I was worried about feeling/being sick after the first pill but it was fine - I could have carried on as normal.

I did the second pills (4) the next day. About an hour I started to feel some cramping, like first day of period type cramping. Within about 2 hrs I started to bleed and passed a few clots when I went to the loo. There were about 3 bigger ones, one of which will have been the pregnancy. I took the second 2 pills after about 3 1/2 hrs.

I continued with fairly heavy bleeding the rest of the day but it eased up slowly. I had codeine in the pack but managed with ibuprofen and a deep heat patch. I’ve had heavier and more painful periods.

My overwhelming emotion is relief and I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. That tells me I made the right decision, mostly for myself but for all of us.

OP posts:
Confuse2023 · 26/01/2023 20:13

Hello, I know this post is from last year but how are you feeling about it now?
Im in your position now except it was planned and I don’t know what to do.I know I have to make the decision.
I don’t feel happy about the pregnancy at all and feel an abortion is the only answer for many reasons-I have two children,am 39 and do most of the parenting as my husband works away a lot.I also have a demanding job and not sure how much I can cope with.I’ve always wanted a big family but the reality of how my life will be for the next few years feels like too much to cope with. I’m worried about money-I know we would be ok but it may be a struggle-I don’t want to struggle.please offer advice if anyone has any, my husband is supportive but would like to continue but is behind whatever decision I make.I’m scared of getting it wrong and regretting it.I’m just so scared. Thank you

VladmirsPoutine · 27/01/2023 21:09

@Confuse2023 If you want more responses its better to start your own thread. you can copy and paste your post as you've written it. Flowers

Confuse2023 · 27/01/2023 21:34

Thank you, I’ll try now

Poppyflower79 · 14/02/2023 11:49

Hi there.
How you are progressing with the decision?
I was 100% on your place 5 years before with a 7,5 ywar old and a 3,5 year old. Noone could help me to decide, i was shocked and crying. My husband was44 and i was 39, without help. I felt i could be a mom of 3 but i wouldn't be enought for them, and my kids would get not enought from me in the next 3 years.
I made the decision encouraged by my husband and mom, saying it is the best for our family, although, it was a planned pregnancy as yours. (Planned for ages, then thought it is not possible biologically, then came as a surprise and we felt it is too late, we are too old, we are over and starting a new episode in our family life)
i felt we were not thinking to details, having a kid is not just about baby smell, but responsibility and objecting our limits. I felt constantly that there is no good decision, when i tried to get closer to the baby in my mind and heart, the fear and extrame stress came immidiatly, i could notcthink and use my mind i was just vegetating.
Fear of the big age gap, the children left alone, the life of my oldest to be barriered again, the risc of having a baby eith some disableity, wich affects the now-existing family.

I felt relief for a few days, but in a very short time the grief has arrived. I had to be medicined, and it did not heelped in a long way therm, it just sadowed the grief. Now, i am here 5 years later, seing the 2. therapist since all of this stayed with me, changing my whole life, my perspective, my goals, and my spirit. I learned a lot about life by this situation, i am extra patient with my kids, (i was very cool also before), and i teach them to be very observative by their inner feelings, keep their goals in eye, and stay calm on a hard situation, never decide while fear is so strong.
I can tell you the same advice.
When you manage to get peace, then you can have the good decision. It is realy hard, i know, i did not manage to get there. I made my decision based on fear of everything.
Pros and cons are not helping.
How you are standing with your motherhood in 5 to 10 years?
Do you have troubles with kids growing fast?
Don't you mind being at home or going to playground for 5 more years?
Do you have the feeling that you are not enough for your two kids?
Imagine yourself 5 years older, looking back...what do you feel about your situation?

Nobody ask me these questions.
Nobody said that don't think in a baby, think in one more child, soon this will be the reality.
Life is funny and hard. For a few years i could turn to my carrier, our home construction, and felt it is ok, we did not have time to split. A year ago my little body went to school, and since then I feel the same pain than a few monthes after the termination. So for us, in a short time it was painfull but at least reasonable, but in a long time it is painfull and depressive since i have a new kind of fear, witch is my kids are growing, and i wish i could go back and be braver. But again, at that point i could not be brave, fear was soo huge. I was afraid that i bring a huge risk to all my existing family.
And, to be honest, during a construction and with a huge stress of pregnamcy i could not imagine that i could beva good mom for thr next 1-2 years.
Now, i think kids could have survived, but i also see that my little one would be the middle one and it would affect his life and personality to a differrnt direction.
For me extra care for my kids is a must, and in the last five years i can see that our life would be so different, rush, and no precious time to discuss their daily problems, ecta.
On the other hand i think of what if...each and every day.
Could we do this, how this situ would work, hoe my big one would adore the little one, how they would sit together huging each other...
It is heart breaking.
Since the tough years are over, the little one is 5 years older, from this perspective i see it was a big mistace. I miss that little child, and wondering of it, i cry several times.
Looking back i had one thing knockkng in my minde during the decision making time constantly " can i live with it?''
I did not connented to that pregnancy, couldn',t feel it as my baby, becouse of the overwelming fear, but still i hade this question in my heart as a mom.
I think it is harder when you are a mom.
Today we still not have enough time for the two, we are in a rush, no enough time for enithing, evenings are like a constant running, and every evening i feel inside that our third would just grow like grass no time to sit and play now time to go to playground since the other after school activities, homeworks and soul careing.
But still, i miss this little one sooo much.
For me there is no second chsnce, since i stepped into premenppause, and trying activly for 4 years without success.
But many moms have success after 1-2years, when they are ready for it, and say it is such a good thing to feel absolutly sure about a pregnancy.

I dont know where you are at your decision making, and please take every aspect i wrote, what is good for me is not good for others.
I hope you can find some hanging in my rows to take in consideration. Some new perspective, but the most important to know that never decide when you are in shock, get help to be calm.
How to do that?
Picturize for a few minit thst you go ahead with the pregnancy.
Figure out a solution for every hardness.
When you are ready, you will feel, that this solution is good enough for your family and you or not. The answere will stay with you.
If you are still against and feel discomfort even you have solutions in your hand it is kind of answer.
If you feel breath and stsrt to connent to the changing positivly, that is also an answer.
Good luck♡♡♡

Confusedandtrapped · 27/06/2023 03:22

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

HappyHolidays22 · 31/08/2023 12:13

This thread has been really helpful for me. I am 33 but third pregnancy (just found out). It wasn’t expected although we had talked about a third… but I’m scared because of it being my third after two previous sections. Debating whether to abort. @Poppyflower79 your thoughts are giving me some guidance as to how to approach making the decision so thank you

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