I only have four but it's "many" to us and everyone else we know
. Plus there's always great ideas on these threads. Right now my youngest one is sick. So now it's just waiting for everyone else to fall apart. So, I've spent today, while dh is home, getting ready for a week where I can let things go in case I need to care for more sick kiddos.
Same here! Just four. And seriously contemplating to have no more. Not that I wouldn't like another baby. But being able to give each one enough attention is already quite tough sometimes. DS#1 is quite boisterous and asking a lot of attention. I don't seem to be able to give him enough and to tend to the others at the same time.
And when DH got up at six again this morning. Not because he wanted to, but because he always takes morning duty with the kids. I felt guilty for wanting so many and leaving the early hours to him. It's quite tiering sometimes, isn't it? I mean, I love it and I am fine, but also because DH does so much. If he wouldn't be able to anymore, or gets too old to handle the wee ones, or if sleep deprivation burns him out. That would really make things too hard.
Then again, I know, as do you now, that I have a tendency to worry a bit too much ;-).
So four it will be.
Right.
I just can't stand the idea that DS#4 will be our last ;-)
So, MoM, will there ever be a time when I won't long for that next tiny baby....? What's your experience?
Popping in to introduce myself. I am pg with #4 and for DH's sake, this will be our last. I think I will be at peace with it as well. I am spending this pg thinking it is my last time, and honestly that is a little exciting to think that. Anyway, we've got DD1 8, DD2 4, and DS 1. I am nervous about the whole 4th child, and how that will work in our family. All of the children have some special needs. Two require weekly or daily therapies, another is always, always ill due to her health issues. We manage now but barely. I should say I manage, DH works a lot. I work very part time and most of the time can rearrange my schedule if need be.
I didn't want more after #4. I spent that pregnancy thinking it was my last. But then was surprised by #5, and now I want a #6. I think I've said all this recently.....maybe on the other thread. Dh would be happy to keep having babies, but I really think 6 is my limit. (Ask me again after I actually have a sixth.)
Now with 5, (oldest will be 10 this year, youngest will be 1 on Feb 7th) is the first time I've felt like I'm having a difficult time staying on top of all the housework. Most days it feels like by the time I get done vacuuming the house, I need to start again.
I also have 4, and I think I might be done. DH made a comment about being done "for now" and "maybe in 5 years" the other day. In 5 years, I will be 38 and our youngest will be 5. DH will be past 50. We're in a seriously stressful time right now, and I had some sort of major PP something this time that I have NEVER had before. (My midwife gave me some Standard Process adrenal support something that has worked WONDERS) But I NEVER want to feel that again, it was scary.
Also, DS #3, the youngest, was born with low imperforate anus, had his first surgery--to give him his colostomy--at age 3 days, and will have 2 more surgeries within the next about 15 months. The next one will repair his bottom, the last will reverse the colostomy. From what I understand currently, this will all be behind us by the time he is 18 months old, and the lasting effect may be that he poops in a toilet later than other kids. (they could not do everything at birth because a small part of his colon is narrower than it should be, they could not stretch the 'normal' part to connect it to his bottom without risking complications that could affect him long-term. This will be possible and safe when he reaches 20 pounds)
My #5 is 5 weeks old. As much as I'm in love with him, this is the very first time I haven't felt a single twinge of longing for another infant.
But I do have to admit, I only feel done with *infants* (and most definitely pregnancy), not necessarily with child rearing as a whole. If we find ourselves with a larger house, I'm pretty sure I'd attempt to jump into the adoption process as soon as I could!
I posted my answer on the last thread but will repeat here. I'm preg with #4 and I'm 99.9% sure we're done. Our oldest, ds1, will be 4.5 when this baby is born. Age is a consideration for us, too. While I know there are many people who do it longer, DH will be 40 when this babe comes and he did the math to figure out how old he'll be when this babe is a teenager. I think he hit his upper limit I'm done with the baby stage and with being pregnant. My dd (14 mo) is walking well enough now that I consider her a toddler and I'm breathing a sigh of relief that she's more able to play with the big boys now. I'm planning to get a Mirena IUD after this babe and I really hope it works for us.
I kind of fell into the MoM category by accident. I had always wanted three children. After we had two dh could have been done. I had this feeling that I couldn't shake. I really, really wanted to have just one more. I knew I would feel complete after that. We talked back and forth for many months before we came to an agreement. Of course, I then became pregnant with twins so our well thought out plan was pretty much shot
. Now we are in a crazy but generally happy place. And I feel completely done. I know there is no way we would choose to have any more. And hopefully we have taken care of any unplanned pregnancies
. I do however, feel quite nostalgic that I will no longer be pregnant (even though I was always so sick) or that I will never give birth again. My twins just recently weaned too so that's another part of my life that is over. It's just a sad, happy, content feeling that it's done and I'm moving on to the next stage.
hi everyone! homeschooling/unschooling mama to 5 (ages 11, 8, 5, 3, and 1) and also raising my niece(3) and nephew(2). would love to chat with other busy mamas!
I guess I'm a MoM but it doesn't feel like many, lol. I guess if I hadmore than 10 dc it would feel like many to me Currently we have 5 dc dd who will be 12 this Friday ds#1 is 10, ds#2 is 6, ds#3 is 3 and ds#4 is23m. I felt "done" after #5 but lately have been having thoughts about #6, probably because there is about a 1 1/yr-2yr diff between each dc (had a loss between ds#2 and ds#3) and since the littlest is going to be turning 2 next month I think my uterus is wondering why isn't there a baby in there, lol. idk... I am happy with my 5 though can't say as I feel "complete" though even if I had 15 dc I don't know if I'ld ever have that "complete" feeling. We do joke trying one last time for another girl but knowing us it would be triplet boys
I want more kids, but I don't know if our marriage can handle it. My husband is happy with the kids, but he is really struggling with finding a job. The last month has been really stressful for us.
. So for the MoM's of five or more: was it a big difference, a big change, from four to five? And what, if not for religious reasons, were your reasons to keep on wanting more? For me, I am starting to wonder if it might be something hormonal. I guess I am just a little closer to the pre historic earth woman than most of the other women
Going from 4 to 5 for me, it's the first time that I felt like I couldn't keep on top of all the household chores. Now, I'm sure it's a combination of things, not just increasing family size, and I've just not found the perfect balance or I'm too uptight to just let some things slide. I can't say that 5 feels outrageously larger than 4 though......
Our family size is not a religious choice for us per se. I guess you could say it is spiritual, especially for my husband who says that he feels if the universe blesses us with them so easily, then there must be a reason. His view is the children are a natural result of our love and should be respected as that. He is happy to just go with the flow and when the babies come they come. It is comforting to me that he feels that way, though I tend to waffle a lot. Sometimes I want more, sometimes I don't.
Was thinking about Pixie expecting...must be here by now. Haven't checked in in a while.
My 5 are keeping me on my toes!! Now when I think back to having 3...what a piece of cake that was! I think the housework is definitely more, but also the child-rearing is harder as they get older. My 12 year old is a handful! And there's a lot of school events and afterschool activities for the older two. Tthough I always said that they could just choose one activity at a time, now my oldest son takes ballet and plays Little League, and my daughter takes hip hop, ballet and piano. And now that my baby is 6 months, I've started back into my fun stuff too- I'm taking ballet twice a week and am doing some fun choral workshops. Our weekend days just fill up so quickly! Even the coming summer is already mapped out with everyone's trips and such. I just booked tickets for my 7 yr old son and I (and baby) to go to Kauai for 9 days in August. It's so far away, but I'm so looking forward to it!!! It will be a nice break from home.
Hi there! We currently have three, and are exploring the idea of more. Having been raised in a very 'two children is what you have, and then you are done!' sort of family, I am more worried about family response than I am anything else. DH and I have been discussing our family, and agree that we really love the dynamics of a larger family.
For now, I'm just lurking and contemplating. It's a shift to feel like we 'only' have three though!
My 2 year old is making me work! He has really entered the "I can do it myself " phase and it mostly goes ok, but there are times, like waiting patiently while he stuffs his own disper that makes me want to hurry things along! I know it will pass, and it is really cute to watch him concentrate so hard on these tasks.
I also noticed last night, one of my kids (I'm assuming said 2 year old) painted splotches in the kid's bathroom in brown paint. Most of it was on the counters and I was able to chip it off, but there is one big spot on the side of the toilet...the side that you see right as you walk in the bathroom. A big brown smooch right there. For all potential guests to see.
I'm sure I'll be able to get it off in time, but sheesh I feel like I need to put up a sign in there, "Paint! Not Poop!"
Hi everyone Mama of 6 here. Very glad to find this thread. I dont know many people with large families! We constantly get rude comments like do we know where they come from and are they all ours. Drives me nuts! People hear we may want more and you would think we were planning some sort of robbery or something. Ugh! We have also decided to start homeschooling in the next few months. Does anyone home school their large family? We are going to soccer in the spring and the kids want to do girl scouts/boy scouts. Ahhhh more to keep me busy lol. Thankfully my husband will be home more this year then he was last year!
We have 6 kiddos too, one is my stepdaughter who is rarely here so mostly we have 5.. We get comments EVERYWHERE we go as well, drives me nuts! I am always thinking of a witty comeback
We are building a cob home and living in a small space so I am not the best to ask about the jump from 4 to 5, this year has been crazy busy for us thats for sure!
Kimmom, my oldest is my SDD also We have primary physical though so she is here more then not. It was a rough transition since we won cusotdy the same year we had our baby lol. I went from 4 to 6 in one year! One of my fav response to those rude comments of are they all yours is NOPE! Robbed a day care! or Nope! People just keep handing them to me!
Ok dumb question on my part but what is a cob home?
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