Did you enjoy your babies?

Oh well, I was getting on a bit when I had my last one and my mum was even older when she had me!

I had my first 3 when aged 22,24 and 25. It was fun but passed in a whirl. Had a miscarriage at 28 but then took ages to get pregnant with number 4 so I had 3 within 4 years then a 6 year gap. I was extremely old (but obviously not too old!) when I had number 5 - 38!!

What a good thing kittylester and I didn't have the same GP as you vq

Although I remember that my cousin had a very nasty consultant when she had her last baby at 44 - he told her she was very irresponsible.

I had my last baby when I was 25 and all children left home by the time I was 44. My mother had her last one at 47 and my sister and I had to do an awful lot of babysitting, no way was I going to follow suit.
I enjoyed the babies even though it was extremely hard work, terry nappies and no washing machine, boiling the feeding bottles.

I've just remembered - when I was pregnant the last time, I was so old that I had to see a (very up himself)consultant who suggested that I had an amniocentesis (sp?) test done. Having already talked to DH I said no.

Consultant: If you were my wife you would have one!
Me: If I was your wife we'd be divorced.

I was quite embarrassed to tell my GP what I had said but he howled with laughter and said he was proud of me!!

Sorry to say, I didn't enjoy my children like I should have. It was early 1970's, I was 16 when I had my first and wasn't allowed to keep her (I fought and got her back at 17 months old) and had another child when I was 20. Looking back I was too young to enjoy them and still wanted to party myself. They've both grown into fabulous adults. I must like children though as I also have grandchildren, great grandchildren and Foster children.

I loved having my C, enjoyed every minute, but I was lucky.
We were in our late 20's and early 30's when we had them.
We had our own house (with a mortgage of course) and I was able to be a stay at home mum.
Holidays were self catering but thoroughly enjoyed.
A very happy time.

Yes, enjoyed the baby stage and all the way through childhood as well, those were our happiest days.

I thoroughly enjoyed each of my four babies who arrived between 1973 and 1981. I was a young mum - my eldest born just before I was 20. We had very little in terms of material possessions and I was pretty much on my own for the first years of married life as my husband worked away all the time. We lived in a remote little hamlet and for entertainment I would take the children for a walk and they could swing on farm gates and look at the animals. The mobile library kept me sane as I didn't have a car, a t.v or a radio but I had an amazing time to get to know and understand my beautiful children. It was the best of times! Oh and I didn't have a washing machine but I did have a nappy bucket! It never seemed like hard work to me.

I don't remember enjoying my 3babies anywhere near as much as I enjoy the grandson. I wasn't maternal, husband was in RAF so nowhere near family for support. I had them at 22, 25 & 28, had no experience of babies so just muddled through. That said, I don't remember having the sleepless nights today's mums seem to have. I had 2 prem babies, one of which was by section in a German hospital (interesting - I didn't speak German and only 1 doctor spoke English!). We survived, and I'm very proud of the men my boys have grown into.

Had mine in my thirties. Having never wanted any I was totally unprepared! No family close by and had to go back to work after 3 months with the first. I had no support from other mums as they all stayed home. I felt very guilty about leaving the children. But they have turned into kind and caring adults. I feel so blessed that I actually had them. It was one of the best things to happen in my life. And as to grandchildren. .. well they are wonder ful as u know!

Breda - the nappy bucket. With a dose of Napisan in it, yuk. However, we didn't add to landfill with disposable nappies in those days did we!

kittylester I was told I needed an amniocentesis for No. 3 because I was 'old'. I dutifully complied but baby kicked very violently and they said 'Oh, must have caught her foot or her leg! You could have a miscarriage'. It didn't work and I was informed I needed to go back and have it done again - so I went back and told the consultant that I wasn't having one; he was not best pleased and told me it would be my fault if anything was wrong.

I don't think I enjoyed my first as much as I should have done - I had a long and difficult birth in a strange country with my family on the other side of the world and felt completely bewildered by it all for quite a while. I had no experience of babies and small children and I struggled to bond with my son. Like nonna my husband was a serviceman who, fortunately, came from a large family so was used to little ones. As has already been said, we muddled through, clutching a copy of Dr
Spock and flying by the seat of our pants! Second time around it was a whole different ball game. As for my own DD, she was one of the late starters at 36; not a confident mother and therefore one whose mothering skills were strictly by the rules as she refused to trust her instincts, and because she would not deviate an inch, it caused both her and me a good deal of misery to start with. When she learned to give a little, things got better. She is a wonderful mum to our only grandchild and he is a credit to her.

I was very anxious with my first and Dr Spock was very well-read!

DD tried Gina Ford for a while but decided that DGS had not read it so sent it to the charity shop.

I enjoyed mine, though I do admit that after my DH and DM went back to work, being left with a 15 day old baby looking at her and thinking 'oh OK what do I do now' Despite this DD is 27 and has 2 DD's of her own. DS who followed 2 years later was hard work as a baby and toddler, he's almost 25 now and like his sister was a rock when I was seriously ill last year and loves both his nieces to bits. I'm proud that I've brought them up to be responsible and caring adults

Thoroughly enjoyed my DS, & later, DD as babes, lucky to have the luxury of enjoying them full-time.

The talk of Napisan & (bright yellow or white Mothercare) lidded buckets makes me shudder though - but the important questions are: 1. Did you use Harrington's nappies?....2. Did you use muslins inside the nappies? ......3 What was your peferred folding technique?

I loved looking after my babies, despite the fact they didn't sleep much and I was always exhausted. I didn't have much support as my husband didn't do much and my mother died when my first was a baby, but I just loved being with them. I think some people like babies and children more than others. However, a lot of today's Mums seem to struggle mentally in a way we didn't. this is nothing to do with return to work or more or less money or support.

2 dozen Harrington's, 1 dozen Mothercare (not as good). Nappy liners when they came in and folded in the kite fashion.

I am obviously the odd one out. As much as I was happy to look after my children full time when they were little I did feel mentally as if I was going round with the blinds half down.

Perhaps it was because DH's work took him away from home a lot and unpredictably so I was often functioning as if we were a single parent family, but I went back to work when my youngest started school, part time, school hours only, and I suddenly felt as if the blinds were right up and my mind was functioning again.

I absolutely loved being home with my babies - first in 63 when I was 23 and second in early 67 when I was 26. I was teaching when I first became pregnant and simply gave my notice in for the end of the summer term before DD was due. I had my parents about half hour away but at the time none of us had a car so we were using buses! I did have a washing machine - Hotpoint Countess with an electric mangle. DD absolutely loved having a baby brother and we had great days together. We were far from rich but managed - started buying a 2 bed maisonette with a mortgage payment of £22 a month.
My mother did loads of knitting for the children and I also knitted but made most of my clothes and Dd's.
I often wonder if mothers today find it so hard because of the financial need to work. Both DD and DiL were able to choose to be stay at home Mums - in fact DIL has never really worked despite having a degree - this has enabled her to volunteer and thoroughly enjoy being a mum. - which she is very good at. DS is very happy she is at home.
I wish that young women today were all able to have the CHOICE of whether to remain home or return to work. Even when little ones go to school there are childcare issues in holiday times even if the mothers only work part time. I was lucky there too as when DD did decide to return to part time work I got to look after the two GC some holidays and at times they came to stay for a couple of weeks on their own -- how we all loved that.

The period when new mothers had a choice was very short. I had my children in the early 1970s and I had no choice about giving up work and staying home. There was no maternity leave, no flexible working, no childcare apart from au pairs or full time paid nannies. To stay working I would have had to have worked until the baby was due, taken annual leave to have it, or possibly a week or two of sick leave and then back to work as normal.

I was lucky that I was able to return to work part time when the youngest started school with highly flexible contracts that meant I could cover school holidays. Neither set of parents lived near enough to be able to help with any childcare and DH and I managed it all between us.

lost my first so my second was a joy and the only one I had who actually made it to her due date,I was back at my desk when she was 8 DAYS old,would havebeen 5 days id she hadn't been kept in hospital with jaundice ,10 years and 6 miscarrieages later my son was born and as he was very early I was off work for 3 months while he was in SCBU,then he and his pram came to work too. I enjoyed every minute with them and they socialised really early with having staff and customers around all the time ,my husband worked longer hours than I did so I was home by 6pm to get dinner baths and bed organised and housework done ready for the next day.We were self employed so there wasn't a choice about work and TBH I dont believe it did them or me any harm.They are 29 and 39 now with 4 children between tham and great parents .Only thing I would change if I could, was I would have had more but after my son was born I was told another would kill me. We are all very close and I see my son most days and speak to him and my daughter every day ,just like my own mum and me

Yes very much. I really enjoyed having them about. I was lucky to have "good" babies who slept very well.

I also gave up work when mine were small. That was back in days when you stood a chance of buying a house and paying the bills on one salary. Before house price inflation in the late 1980s.

I loved my babies so much but it was incredible stressful I married moved to the other side of the world and had my first baby by 22 Being an only child I had no idea of pregnancy, babies or how to look after them apart from instinct I soon found I d married a playboy who was as helpful as a chocolate fireguard so it was all done alone, my first baby was breech birth (delivered naturally in them tha' days in HK ) I had a severe bleed on two occasssions afterwards, she was a colic baby and a non sleeper my second came along two years later and the third when I was 28..... little money and no help plus a difficult marriage made life very hard but I did give my all and I think the kids had a reasonably happy childhood.... I d have given my life for them and still would

M0nica
I didn't have that foggy head but did feel it coming on.
I answered an advert in a local cafe and arts centre - which was a foggy-headed mother proposing a new parent and toddler group where conversation was NOT to include babies or nappies or soap powder.
It was fantastic! Over two years it grew to include a Saturday session (nearly all dads some days) and "excursions" to art galleries and country parks. We had craft demonstrations and book readings and took it in turns to organise these.
My husband and I are still in touch with two families we met there 47 years later.
It certainly kept me sane in those early years.