Baby Fever

I K.,
It;s great that yopu want to have another right now, let me tell you about my story!! I lived in Germany til june, me & my (now 8 & 2 y/o) got there in dec 05, my hubby was already there...Well, in Feb. of 06, he deployed to Iraq, my 2 baby was 6 months when he came home for R&R (only 2 months after he left) and i got pregnant with our 3rd & last baby(had 3 C-sections),and of course he left to go back to Iraq, well, needless to say, i was in Germany, no family, him deployed, 2 kids(1 infant) & pregnant again. I lived in post housing, which it's a building, i was on the 3rd floor. It wasn't easy, but i made, it made me stronger & if i had to do it all over again, i would, but you have the possibility to wait til you get back to the states & being a lot closer to your family, my "OPINION" is, enjoy your 1 year old, wait til you get back home,and you are situated in your new place & all, it's not easy being pregnant, moving, looking for a place or waiting for one, getting to know the area, getting to know people, trust me, you'll appreciate not being pregnant or having a new born when you move, which, you said you all have 9 months left, right?? Well, think about it, if you get pregnant now, you'll either have to wait til the baby is born & wait for the babies passport, alone, because your husband has to report to his new duty station, or you'll have to leave before him, and with the possibility that he wont be there when the new baby is born, so, what i am trying to say is, think about it!! But, it's your life & your body, of course you are free to do whatever you like!! Hope i have helped you a little!

Val

K., baby fever is natural when your baby turns one:). I would suggest waiting for your next assignment since it is less than a year away because then you'd have to leave earlier than your husband who may or not may be able to get there in time for the birth (wherever you are). Also, it is really difficult traveling and setting up a household with little ones. I too, had gotten the baby fever when my now 15 year old was only 2; once I had the baby, it took away a lot from my little boy and I regretted that because we were so close and he needed me. I waited 6 years for my 3rd child and it was a great blessing since I was able to spend a lot of time with the first two and enjoy all their baby years before "pushing" them to the side. Good luck with your decision!

I loved being pregnant! I have two girls 11 months apart. We're in talks about doing it all over again and hoping to get them even closer together in age. It was hard and tiresome especially at the beginning. My husband was gone for most of their first 4yrs with deployments, det's, and classes. I just put both of my girls on a tight schedule and stuck to it. It worked well for us and now I could not have been more happier about how they are and close they are. Since we move constantly we wanted to make sure when the girls change schools that they atleast had each other as friends when we moved. That way they weren't alone and going through the process together. With whatever you decide just make sure it is good for you, your family, and your body. It takes a toll on you so it is good to have a thought process behind having another one. Good luck with whatever your decision may be!

Hold off just a little longer. As a nurse who works with the military, I see a lot of people get pregnant and end up in a similar situation to you. If you got pregnant now or even in the next 2-3 months, your PCS is going to be a nightmare. You can't fly overseas after being 32 weeks pregnant, which would mean you might have to leave before your husband. Dealing with a pregnancy and a toddler on your own for a couple months is difficult. Also, if you get pregnant before you leave, you will have the hassle of starting out with one doctor and having to switch over when you get to your next base as well as finding childcare for all of your doctor's appointments, depending on what base you are at. Also, speaking from experience, I loved being pregnant with my first and never had a single problem, but my second (which we waited until my first child was 2) has been so different and much more difficult. I am thankful to have a supportive husband who can help out with my 2 year old, as well as a toddler who can walk up and down the stairs on his own, feed himself and be on his way to being potty trained by the time the new baby is almost here. Expense is another thing to consider. Diapers for 1 is bad, but 2 is worse! I hope this helps you with your decision to wait a little longer.

I have a 2 year old and a 9 month old. They are 22 months apart. I was 21 when my second child was born and turned 22 three months later. My husband and have been married for 3 years now. My husband and i got the itch to have another right after my sons first birthday. The whole pregnancy was different i couldnt sleep when i wanted to. I got horrible morning sickness so we didnt do much of anything the first four months of it. well we ended up having a baby girl. I love both of my children dearly but its really not easy to have two young children so close in age. Its very stressful and they both demand alot of attention. Ill be feeding my daughter one moment and my son will need or want something that moment. He doesnt understand why mommy cant get it now all he knows is he wants it. Its alot of work to balance two young children at the same time. Going out is alot of work ill have a baby carseat in one and ill be carrying my son in the other. Lets not even talk about the shopping trips alone if your husband is gone. Now that he is getting closer to three he understands me alot more its getting alot easier. So i would say if you could for your childs sack wait until the baby is a little older to try for baby number 2. It will save you alot of premature wrinkles and gray hair. If i could of done it over again i would of spaced them out a little more. There is an upside my children just adore each other and are great playmates but i also believe that has to do with the parenting. I encourage them to play nice, share, hugs and kisses. Ive seen some close in age siblings that arent so nice to each other.

K.,

while I do understand the desire to be pregnant again, I also know of the frustrations of having children close together in age. I have 3 boys; the first 2 are almost 6 years apart, however our younger 2 are only 18 months apart.
With a husband in the Army who has been on 3 deployments and is preparing for his 4th the decision to have another baby does not come lightly!!! Although my younger ones play with each other VERY much, they get very envious and jealous of my attention!! It can be very time consuming and tiring especially when your alone.
On the flip side you should listen to what your body and heart is telling you. I wouldn't jump into getting pregnant right away. I would set a timeframe with your husband. For example, Ask your husband if he would be willing to JUST consider the pro's and con's of trying to get pregnant and having another baby for 30 days. If by the end of 30 days you both have come to the conclusion that now would be the time, then finish off the month of birth control and ENJOY your time together. Remember though that you don't always get pregnant right away after getting off birth control, sometimes it can take a few months...
I'm glad that you asked!! Sometimes having an extra piece of advice can help make the BEST decision for your family. Good luck with this and may your family be blessed....

S. Score

I know what you are saying and the one thing I can tell you is that most women feel this way at some point or another. The reason that you may be feeling this is that your daughter is getting more independent by the day and you want to have the feeling of taking care of someone at all times. Plus who knows why we seem to always miss that pregnate belly and the thought of having a little person comming to life inside us. My kids are twenty months apart I love them but i really wish that we would have had a little more time between them, and at least got the older one started on potty training befor the younger child was born.

Hi K.,

Well first of all I'm impressed you have the energy to want to be pregnant again with a 1-yr old! (this is coming from a 33-yr old, so I'm no spring chicken) But, she might not be as much as a handful yet as she WILL be!! My advice is to WAIT!!! I have three kids - 7 months, 2 (nearly 3), and 5. Being pregnant is very tiring for me and makes me nauseous for about 4-5 months, so being pregnant with other kids around is hard on me...I can barely take care of them, myself, and the house!

Anyway I think you'd thank yourself later if you do hang on and wait, and if you are moving back to the states in 9 months then you will be glad to wait til that madness is over before trying again! You also will have more support from your hubby if you wait til he's feeling more ready! Hang in there!! This next year with your baby will fly by as she will start to be very active!! :) Enjoy your time with her and soak it all up before life gets more challenging with #2!

Talk to your husband about it before you do get pregnant. If you get pregnant now you have to get a note from a doctor to fly for 6 months or more. You said you can't wait to get home to the US. You getting pregnant could delay you going back to the US. Take care and really think about it and decision with your husband again. Take care good luck when you have another one it is a wonderful feeling.

I was the same way as you and I did stop takeing birth control. It took a couple of months to get pregnet and about the time the baby was ready to come in the world I had are girl almost potty trained and she was haveing fun watching my belly move. They get alone better then some sisters that are farther apart in age. I have a friend that has kids that are 5 years apart and they do not get along. Besides if you get pregnet right away they will be close to two years apart , and it might take a few months .