Should we go for it?? (And if we do, what should we expect?)

[Friendlee]

We have a 9 month old dd and I think I'm ready to start ttc next month. Are we crazy? I mean, I hardly shower or get out of the house now, so how much worse could it be, right?

I love the idea of having children close in age. I was 5 years younger than my brother and 7 years younger than my sister and I always felt left out or "too little" to do anything they were doing. I always swore I'd have kids close in age...and then after having my daughter, I understood why it took my mom 5 years to get pregnant again with me!

But maybe I can handle it? To those of you with two little ones (approximately 18-20 mos apart) what should I expect?

[Knitting Mama]

This is a quote from my sister, whose little ones are 18 months apart, after she learned that we were considering the same: "It's insane for the first year, like trying to keep a huge screaming banana from a wailing monkey. But after that first year it's awesome!"

Hope this helps!

[earthmama369]

I like that quote.

I got pregnant with ds when dd was 10 months old. They're 19 months apart. It was insane the first year or two, really and truly. But it was also still very cool. She was so little, she doesn't remember ever not having a baby brother, and because she was still nursing and cosleeping, we didn't really have any jealousy to deal with. Now they're 4 and 5 years old and they're best friends. They play together really well and can interact on pretty much the same level, which lets them enjoy each other. From what some friends with one kiddo each have said, I suspect that while those first couple of years were harder than if I'd spaced them out more, I now have it much easier than if I only had one or if they were farther apart. They entertain each other for hours.

[Nicole730]

I say if you want to, go for it! It might not happen right away anyway. My two are 22 months apart, and I love it. It is a lot of work - but great fun too. I plan on having 2 more each two years or so apart.

[Tigerchild]

We wanted less than two years between kid 1 and 2.

Kid 1 was 17 months old when THE TWINS were born (I had a miscarriage inbetween though).

I think it would have been more fun with two singletons. But overall I am pretty happy with the spacing, it's very convenient in a lot of ways.

Um....sometimes though, you get a surprise.

[Friendlee]

Originally Posted by Nicole730

It might not happen right away anyway.

Yup, so true.

Okay, I feel like we're gonna go for it...finances be damned.
I can't bring myself to say it out loud yet...but I think it's a go. I think.

[Friendlee]

Oh dear, if I ended up with twins I would just have to let my friends know that I'll be certifiably insane for the next 3 years and that I'll talk to them after that. Then again, thru the first pregnancy, I always said that if I had to deal with the stupid Hyperemsis Gravidarum I may as well get some bang for my buck and have twins! (Puked for 4.5 months ((3x/day and lost 20lbs)) until I was given some bio-identical progesterone).

[EmTheWife]

If you are crazy, we are crazier...our ds is 2 mo, and we're already talking about ttc when he is 6-9 mos old; but I don't think you're crazy; our reasoning is similar to yours in wanting to give our children close siblings and also do the "baby stuff" in one grouping, rather than spread it out over 10 years for 3-4 kiddos. Good luck!

[MamaChicken]

My DD was 9 mo when I got pregnant with our twins. Surprise!

It is still crazy but like a pp said after a while it gets better. And now (DD is 3 and twin boys are 20 mo) they play great together.

[NewDirections]

I say go for it and I'm jealous!

[bubbagirl]

How exciting! Good luck - I thought I got my fertility back at 9 weeks and we haven't been usinmg protection kind of hoping for another. I got my second cycle at 16 weeks and I'm pretty sure its back now. We have already talked about trying starting in oct which would be 6 months. If it happens sooner well be fine with that. I assumed it would be harder initially but great after 6 months or so.

[akind1]

I say go for it! we likewise want close spacing between our first 2, and while I am not up for TTC yet, as we TTC for nearly 2 years with DS, I am, and we are, open to an oops! (granted, it's not really an oops if you aren't avoiding . . .) I really want baby #2 to be a happy accident!

Good luck, and may it happen soon for you -

[texmati]

I got pregnant when ds was 7 months old. unplanned, but we did want another baby sometime.
TBH, I really regret it. I feel like I'm taking away from DS at every turn, and at the same time, I'm not really enjoying what might be my last pregnancy.

[Anastasiya]

Our first two are 18 months apart and our second and third are 15 months apart.

It is HARD. Sometimes just plain NUTS.

But oh so worth it.

They are so close in age and seem to be one another's best friends. No one is left out (well, except the 1 year old baby). But I'm glad it happened that way....I too was much older than my siblings and was always saddened by that. They were very close in age and had each other. I was the "left out" one.

[LadyCatherine185]

I think if you are planning it, and can be happy about it, then go for it! TBH, I would wait until your LO is at least a year though, because your milk supply may dry up. Mine did with this pregnancy and DS has pretty much weaned. I had hoped to nurse until at least age 2. But if you are ok with that possibility, do it. My brother and I are 18 months apart and my mom said the first year was really rough (although my brother was a very fussy baby and she could never figure out what he wanted) but after that we played together great.

Good luck!

[zannster]

I would have gone crazy if I'd done that. LOL! I really enjoyed the 1-on-1 with DS. I can see the attraction though.

[Pookietooth]

It can be hard emotionally and physically from what I've heard but we are dealing with the opposite -- ds and dd are very far apart and it's hard because I'm older. I know they say that your vitamin and mineral stores are depleted by pregnancy and that they take at least 18 months to rebuild (B12, iron, calcium, folate). Make sure you bulk up on lots and lots of sources of the above if you decide to go ahead anyway. I know of two women who had major issues with their second who was conceived close to their other. One had such bad back pain they were going to induce her, the other her baby was born with a kidney infection. Not to scare you or anything -- I also know of others who didn't have any issues.

[Lauren31]

Originally Posted by zannster

I would have gone crazy if I'd done that. LOL! I really enjoyed the 1-on-1 with DS. I can see the attraction though.

I would not purposely ttc. I want my baby to my baby for as long as she needs I also want to nurse her until SHE wants to wean and I know some women have a hard time when they are pregnant with nursing, ie painful nipples, milk supply issues, etc. More selfishly though, I want to spread my babies out so I can enjoy each of them as individual babies and not two babies together.

ALso, I heard that because your body is so depleted of minerals/vits etc frm pregnancy, nursing, that you are more prone to morning sickness.

Personally, I just don't feel it's fair to my DD that I am in bed on bed rest or puking all day long when she is 1 years old and just starting to walk and explore and wants the interaction and active mommy even more then she does now!!! If there is an oops or something, yeah, but I would not TTC here any time soon!!!

[SeekingJoy]

Originally Posted by LadyCatherine185

I think if you are planning it, and can be happy about it, then go for it! TBH, I would wait until your LO is at least a year though, because your milk supply may dry up. Mine did with this pregnancy and DS has pretty much weaned. I had hoped to nurse until at least age 2. But if you are ok with that possibility, do it. My brother and I are 18 months apart and my mom said the first year was really rough (although my brother was a very fussy baby and she could never figure out what he wanted) but after that we played together great. Good luck!

I got pregnant when DS was 1 year (kids are 20 months apart), he nursed until 15 months when my milk was completely gone at that point. I wouldn't be comfortable getting pregnant before my first LO was a year old at all.

[Xavismom]

I have considered this also, but my main worry is nursing.

How to do bedsharing and night nursing with two babes, especially if one is a newborn?? Anyone? This is the only thing stopping me from wanting TTC right now. DS is no where near ready to nightwean.