I am 32 I have 3 kids a 16,7, and 6! I am a single mom and i am seeing a man who is younger than me and he has no kids we are pretty serious now and he said he wants kids in about 5 years! I always thought i would have more i love babies but after i got divorced i kind of threw that out the window! However i love this man and i would love to be the one to have his babies, i just wonder if he truly understands what 5 kids will be like! i say 5 because he wanted 7 and we talked about 2 more... there are rare occasions where i wonder if 5 is just too many! there is no way we can afford 5 tutions a few of them are going to have to be really smart so they can catch a free ride ....lol just thinking outloud

I myself grew up as an only child. Parents were divorced and through remarriage I had acquired stepsiblings when I was 8, but the living situation wasn't ideal for either me or them and I ended up back with my mom in the end. Frankly, when I was growing up, I always wanted siblings. After the situation I had with my father, and just some growing up - I was pretty at peace with being an only child around 14 or 15 years old - I actually thanked her for not HAVING anymore after me. My mom and I were really close, best friends, I'd venture to say. As an adult, I now have 1 child and hope to have two. Not really having anything to do with my own past experience, just because I always felt that 2 was the right number. But I'm also taking the time to enjoy my first before having my second (probably won't have a second until my first is 3 1/2 or 4).

I’ve always asked myself this before conceiving each of my three daughters (O.K. TWO of my daughter’s – one of them was a “ blessing from God” at an inopportune time). “Should I Get PREGNANT Again?” rather than “Should I Bring Another Human Being Into This World”. My three girls are 11, 3 and 1. We’d probably be seriously considering one more if we didn’t have a preteen. You think you’re good at raising kids, and then your child reaches the age when they physically are unable from restraining themselves from rolling their eyes. It’s SOOOO humbling. The little girl that used to crawl into my lap and snuggle! And I think to myself when I look at my still remaining little snugglers in my lap: “you’re going to turn on me one day too, even hate me maybe, and the more of you I give life to the more of you to roll your eyes at me and say things like “you suck”. Its SUCH a baby mood killer! I think God meant for us to have one right after the other. I mean you’re totally sleep deprived and unable to put together a matching outfit for yourself, let alone decide if you want to bring another human being into this world that will forever be attached to you by body and soul. Also, you’ve now gone through a pregnancy and done maybe a little breastfeeding and let’s face it your tolerance to alcohol is a little less than your pre-elastic waistband days. Remember, some babies are conceived in hazier moments. I’m just saying that’s what I’ve heard from some of my girlfriends. However, after the birth of my second daughter, Ben and I went out for dinner with another couple who’d happen to have three daughters too. My girlfriend Chris asked me when the guys were off getting drinks if we thought we’d have another, and we did, and I told her. She said to me, “Knowing you want another baby is like knowing you have a pebble in your shoe. It’s always there, kind of nudging at you. The way thinking about another baby nudges at your heart”. She was so right. I felt it. I still do. www.BuenoBaby.com

It took 2 years of infertility treatments to conceive my twins, and even though the cost financially and emotionally was extensive, I wouldn't trade either of them for the world. They are perfect in every way, and for that reason I don't understand why I am suddenly finding myself longing for another. My husband and I CANNOT make a decision. I am literally losing sleep over it. I have all the fears and concerns that others have listed-- the cost, the loss of time, the potential insanity-- and that's not to mention the need to revisit the world of infertility. I am just not sure I am up for it. At the same time though, I love my kids dearly and fear that I will look back with regret if we don't try. How does one make this decision, and will the uncertainty EVER go away? It's certainly comforting to know that I am not alone. My husband was starting to convince me I am crazy. I feel for him having to put up with my indecisiveness. I can barely tolerate it myself these days.

I am a Mom of an only child... an eight-year-old boy. My hubby and I didn't start off with the intention of having just one. We tried for years to add to our family, but were unsuccessful. After undergoing a series of medical tests, it was suggested that we undergo fertility treatments. Something in me was unwilling to take that step. I prefer to leave it in the hands of the big man upstairs. My husband and I are not actively trying for another baby, we just don't do anything to prevent it. Knowing my luck, I will probably end up pregnant again when my son is 18 and heading off to college. I really don't have any regrets about only having one child. My son is so wonderful, I truly have much to be thankful for. My only concern is when my hubby and I get old. My poor boy will be forced to make all of the hard decisions and even deal with our deaths all by himself. That makes me sad. Hopefully he will marry into a wonderful family that loves him and treats him like one of their own.

I am an only child and also I grew up wishing so bad that I had a sibling, still to this day, I wish I had a sibling (So that my mom had someone else to bother! LOL). I have a cousin that is like my sister and I'm so grateful to have her. So when I got pregnant with my first child I wanted to have a boy, I always had this feeling of wanting a boy, then when it turned out a girl I found myself being so grateful for her being a girl! My husband wanted to try for a second one right away and I said: I'm SOOOOOO Tired!!! There's no way I can handle 2 babies!!! Then when my baby was 3 I told my husband that I wanted another one. Then he said that he didn't want any more. But my oldest daughter kept asking for a sister, and a baby and she wanted a sibling soooo bed, she did not stop asking about it!!!! So when my oldest one was 4 my husband said, ok, now I think I want another one as well (maybe it was jealousy because at the same time 2 of his sisters and the girlfriend of his brother was also pregnant) So we did. At first I wanted a boy, again! Because I didn't want my daughter to feel jealous of another girl, and wanted to avoid the competition thinking that if they where different sexes they wouldn't feel the need to compete, however my daughter prayed and prayed for a girl! She wanted a girl sooooo bad that I became afraid of having a boy, and I prayed myself for a girl. And so we did, have a girl! And yes they do fight and compete for stuff. But they are both so different and I love them both sooo much, I can't imagine not having them. But then my husband started to ask for the boy, and even my oldest daughter asked for a boy, but to tell you the truth, I don't think I want a boy anymore. I honestly feel complete with my 2 girls, and I don't feel the least bit the desire to have more babies. I don't think I would be happy with more kids than I already have. I think when the decision comes to have another baby or not, I think you should go with your gut feeling. Do you want another child? I think most of us can tell deep down inside if we are willing to put up with sleepless nights and dirty diapers and strollers and all that stuff. I don't even get nostalgic when I'm around babies anymore, I like Big kids better. How do you feel?

When Jake was younger, I got that question ALL the time. People would tell me that I was depriving him, that I was selfish, or tell me horror stories about the parents of onlies they know whose child DIED. Having another didn't fit with our situation. I married at 21 and not only became a step mom to a teenager, but foster mom, to 4 teenagers. My Hubs ran a government contracted therapeutic group home for the first 10 years of our marriage. Plus Jake, that was 6 kids-AND I worked in elementary schools. At first I wanted another, but as Jake grew I realized that maybe I didn't. As time went on and we discovered that our genes aren't the greatest combination (Jake has dyspraxia, learning disabilities, sensory sensitivities, asthma, allergies, AND is gifted) that it just wouldn't be fair to create another kid. Everyone says, "Oh, but he/she will be different" or "you just never know" but honestly? I just CAN'T do that again. Even now that I know what we're dealing with, I just don't want to go back and have to advocate with schools and fight for yet another child. I'm all fought out. One works for us. It works for Jake. The funny thing is that once I totally accepted that, it came out that geez-I have serious difficulty getting pregnant anyway. Maybe that just spared me the heartache of infertility.

My husband and I were both only children. He loved it; I hated it. So we decided we would have two. But when that second pink line showed up on the stick, I had a mini-panic attack. What have we done?? I stayed nervous my entire pregnancy. After our second girl was born, I felt we had made a huge mistake. I had PPD with our first, but it turns out that it was nothing like what I experienced with the second. (Three months later and I'm finally feeling better. ) We were sleep deprived, changing diapers left and right, and basically feeling like we were ignoring our older daughter. Heavy emotions. Heavy guilt. Now, three months later, the baby is sleeping through the night, we are getting used to buckling/unbuckling two kids wherever we go, and our oldest girl is in love with her baby sister. We can't imagine our family without her. I've always heard people say that the most difficult times yield the most valuable things in life. They must have all had kids, because I can't think of anything more precious or valuable.