I look at families with lots of children and wonder how they managed. We only had two on purpose but added babies whom we fostered even when DD was still in nappies . My dream would have been to have lots of children but enough money to have help with housework etc.. We put our DC through uni with no debts having financed them ourselves and have ofter given a helping hand financially which you could not do with loads of children .
Two, both planned, and close to one another to be friends. Would have liked more, but we decided that two people having two children was the decent thing to do.
The 'plan' was 3. First delivery very difficult which resulted in a regrettable gap before No 2. We decided to stop there. The lack of No 3 is not a regret but the gap between 1 & 2 certainly is.
i never wanted children because of homelife, being the eldest and not being from the same dad which was ground into me from him. at 24 i did have one unplanned but i loved him from the start, but i made sure i never had any more, i have a brother with 9, two sisters with 5 and 4.
DH and I both have 3 brothers - though his childhood was much happier than mine. So, coming from large families, dh and I decided we would like to buy a vicarage and fill it.
After 5 children (and, sadly, 1 missed abortion) we discovered we couldn't afford the children and the vicarage.
I had 3 live births and 6 miscarriages at different stages ,have two surviving children with ten years between them .They and their 5 children are the light of my life . I'd have loved more but was told it was too risky ,ignored the advice and had my son,born 11 weeks and 4 days early .He'll be 35 on his birthday next month. The advice was repeated and I heeded it as we were both lucky to survive .He has been a joy and a delight to us and his sister who says she's his second mother after bonding by tube feeding him and changing him right from his time in an incubator
Grandma70s Like you I had two both boys.I would have loved to have a daughter, but on medical advice I had the tubal tie done during the birth of the second one. I have four granddaughters now!.
My G'ma had 5 children and organised her life so that there was a 5 year gap between each one - as one went to school so she'd become pregnant with the next. I think that's astonishing in the 20's and 30's and I have no idea how she did it.
We have 3 girls. 1 & 2 totally planned. 3 rd was a a bit of a happy surprise. Age gaps of 2 years 9 months and 3 years 7 months. All much loved and they have good loving relationships between themselves.