Struggling with the "how many" dilemma...

[joyofsix]

I believe what is right for each person is very individual but I always tell others that children aren't expensive, lifestyles are.

[Lora88]

I have 4 would have loved to have had more but pretty much ran out of time we were far from rich but somehow everyone got feed clothed and put thru school My grandmother who had 8 always used to say each baby comes with a loaf of bread under its arm (in Italian of course) I would never base my decesion to have a child on money if I had done so none of mine would have been born especially the last one . We were so broke we could not afford to pay attention lol. but we managed without any family or government help Children are a gift from God but I gues thats just my personal opinion

[many houseapes]

In crazy times like these, I know that it is a rough decision.After we had #5...under pressure from family/friends/our financial situation...I made the biggest mistake of my life - I had my tubes tied. Now, for some women,that decision would be the right thing for them, but for me...it wasn't. Dh & I regretted all of it - we should have let God be God...we should have trusted Him to direct us & we didn't. I had debilitating periods where I was bedridden for the first 2 days of my period - the pain was awful. By the grace of God, we were led to a wonderful fertility specialist who actually perfected the tubal ligation reversal surgery -Paul Silva....and we were able to have the tubal reversed. All menstrual pain stopped and we were pg after 3 months...sadly...we lost our little girl. God wasn't finished with us lol...we went on to have 5 more....so now we have 10 Houseapes. I would love to have 2 more...but I'm okay with it if it doesn't happen. We have had our share of tough financial times...and dreams & sacrifices...but everything just seems to fall into place and it isn't as scary as it once appeared to be.If the desire to have a large family is in your heart, and if your dh agrees...go for it....one at a time. Some things that I learned through my experience....do not let other people's opinions cloud your thinking - you have to live with your decision....& don't let a current situation dictate your long-term decisions b/c things have a way of changing & you might regret it later. If you want to, you can pm me anytime & I'll try to help you as much as I can. Hugs to you

[Inkstain82]

This isn't even a worry for us. Our first is 10 months, and I love him dearly but have no doubt this is our last as well.