If it weren't a package deal, would you have another preg/birth/baby?

[american_mama]

I know several women who would love to be pregnant and give birth again, but don't really desire to have and raise another child. Just wondered how common that is. If my weak attempts at humor don't make it obvious, this is not a poll about becoming a surrogate mother or adoption or anything, just wondering if we lived in some alternate universe and being pregnant, giving birth, and raising a child weren't a package deal, what would you choose?

I'd love to be pregnant and give birth again. Still wondering if I'm up for actually raising that child.

[amazz]

I didn't really like being pg or having a c/s, but love every stage of Kami's life so yeah, I would love just getting the baby. But I don't mind being pg if it means getting another precious Raisin. :)

Angela
Mama to Kami Allyse (10/10/04)http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/otn/love/luvlove.gif[/IMG]
A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif

[kath68]

What we need to do is hook up those of us who want the pregnacy only with the ones who just want the baby! Imagine that on BBB Swap!

[kijip]

I want another child, another family member. No way would I want to be pregnant again and not get the new family member!

[RiaHannam]

I loved being pregnant despite shakey first trimesters. I'm done giving birth naturally (thought I'd have to carry my organs in a wagon after my 4th, lol!).

I'd just skip to the chase and have someone place a beautiful baby girl in my arms. Yep, that's my dream, lol!

(I have 4 wonderful boys but still ache for my girl!)

[jubilee]

I really, really want another baby- but sadly we've made the decision to not have anymore. This is a very hard issue for me and I'm trying to not be bitter. :(

[essnce629]

Be pregnant and give birth, but then I want out!

I'd love to have another baby someday, but not anytime soon (I need to finish school and get married some day). However, I loved being pregnant and I had the most incredible and easiest birth ever (homebirth/waterbirth). Actually, now that I think about it, I could probably skip being pregnant, and just do the whole labor and birth thing. I had an easy pregnancy for the most part, but hated the morning sickness (until I found my B6/Unisom cure) and then I had problems at the end with the summer heat (I would get nauseas and faint whenever I got too hot). I would love to go through the labor and birth experience every year if I could (that's how amazing my experience was). I've even thought of becoming a surrogate, but my boyfriend said "no way!" He said I was extremely moody while I was pregnant and doesn't want to go through that again, but I think it's all in his head!

***Latia
Conner 8/19/03
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif 22 months & counting! http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/9870.gif

[aliceinwonderland]

I guess I never thought of it in terms of all the choices you list.

I got pregnant very easily and had the best pregnancy ever and was a happy pregnant fool:), but I have no desire to do it again. ANd it's not because I don't want to raise more children (I do). I just feel in *my* case, knowing what I know, having another biological child is wasteful. Thankfully, DH agrees with my craziness.

e.

Edited to add that if my sisters or my best friend wanted to do the surrogacy thing very badly (1.e., having a child that way was the only way they envisioned becoming a parent) I would consider doing it for them. Of course, in light of what I said above, I would MUCH prefer they chose adoption, but that is not my choice to make.

[bluej]

There is no way I ever want to be pregnant again. I don't enjoy being pregnant period, but I really hate how I'm not the mom I want/should/need to be the first three months and then again at the end. Labor and delivery I don't mind. I've had three very different experiences, some more emotionally difficult than others (and most definitely physically difficult), but I'd be willing to go through that again to have another baby. But first I'd have to survive Ryden's toddlerhood :)

[Wife_and_mommy]

As I've suffered through HORRID all-day sickness for the last 5 weeks, I've SO wished I could just skip to being 6 months pregnant. I LOVED being pregnant once I wasn't sick but the sickness lasted 4 months. Give me 11(yes, 11!) months pregnant if I don't have to feel like this and take care of a toddler on top of it. It breaks my heart that I can't interact with her the way I'd like to and that I scare her to death when I'm hurling my guts several times a day.

I'm really looking forward to a better birth experience with this second baby so I'd love to birth babies galore. It's an awesome experience.

Latia: Please share your B6/Unisom sickness trick. I tried B6 but it didn't do anything. Maybe Unisom is the trick? I'd love to be knocked out until I'm 6 months! :P

Elizabeth

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]

Our second morsel due early February 2006!

[bunnisa]

Also try Milk Thistle (3 capsules a day) and Cod Liver Oil (1/2 or 1 tsp a day) -- I'm doing them both this time around because I had awful morning sickness last time.

Apparently these work because they support the liver. We'll see...!

Bethany
mom to William 6/03
and another little one due late Feb '06!
http://lilypie.com/days/060226/0/8/1/-6/.png

[Mommy_Again]

it's funny, I've been telling people lately that I am really "jonesing" to be pregnant again but not yet ready to have another baby. Of course, at the end of my first pregnancy, I said I was ready to not be pregnant anymore but not ready to have the baby yet!

That said, I could never imagine one without the other.

[dr mom]

Well you didn't have an option for this in your poll, but if I could fast forward through the entire first trimester and go directly into the second, that would be excellent indeed. I had the world's worst morning sickness and dread a repeat performance.

Oh, and I'd keep the baby, but after #2 I'm DONE. ;)

[Wife_and_mommy]

Thanks! Maybe I'm a big wimp but I have horrible castor oil memories and *cannot* do it again with cod liver oil. I haven't been taking my vitamins because I can't stand the feel of them in my mouth. Not even for a second.

Are you feeling better with those? Sour Altoids are doing the trick for me but my tongue is raw(literally) and I have to keep sucking on them. Peppermint worked last time but I can't stand it either. I'm just miserable!

Elizabeth

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]

Our second morsel due early February 2006!

[kristine_elen]

Are these women you speak of from planet Earth?

[Vajrastorm]

I was miserable while pregnant. Bad morning sickness, which gave way to bad reflux. I spent most of the pregnancy feeling awful.

Birth? I loved giving birth! Best day of my life. I'd love to give birth again. I am in awe of the process.

Dd was colicky as a baby, and still isn't sleeping through the night, so if you could guarantee me a non-screaming, happily sleeping baby, I'd take the baby. Otherwise, no way. I'll stick with birth. :)

[Moneypenny]

Interesting question! While I was pregnant I didn't particularly enjoy it, but looking back on it now, I think it was wonderful. I ended up with a c-section, so I would like to have a vaginal birth. If I could have things any way I wanted them, I would have another baby but not until Avery is grown. I would want to be able to lavish all my time on a new baby just like I do on DD. I'm too old to actually wait that long, though, so I'll either not have another baby or try to have another one quickly. (I don't know why, but the idea of having more than one kiddo so they can be siblings and have a close relationship just isn't a factor for me at all.)

Susan
DD - Avery, born 8/5/04

[C99]

>I'd love to be pregnant and give birth again. Still wondering
>if I'm up for actually raising that child.

I keep talking about #3, but I am still not sure how much of that is wanting 3 kids rather than just wanting to go through pregnancy/birth again. It's somewhat reassuring to know that I am not the only one w/ this feeling!

[starrynight]

I would give birth again in a heartbeat if I could, it's such an amazing experience! But I don't want any more kids, not if I was paid all the money in the world and pregnancy is kinda not on my list of things I'd like to do again either. I didn't mind it and once in awhile I think of the nice parts about it but the horrid morning sickness and the weight gain keep me from wanting to go there again!

So in our hypothetical world where you can pick only 1 or the other I would go for giving birth.

[aliceinwonderland]

same here. I feel a twinge of regret that I will not have the pregancy/nursing a baby thing again, along with the fact that if I were to do it over, I'd try for a home birth. Oh well.

e.

[stefani]

Well, I am done with having babies, but thinking over the whole pregnancy & birth, this was my experience and thoughts:

I didn't find out about the pregnancy until 12 weeks, so the first trimester was blissful (blissfully ignorant). Overall I had an easy pregnancy, except for 3 weeks when my uterine fibroid was giving me trouble. The pain rivalled giving birth with epidural, and I could not walk (I was in electric wheelchair for 2 weeks at work, needed it especially for 1 week), then it was OK. So if I can skip those 3 weeks, the pregnancy was easy.

As for the birth, I worked that morning, went home at noon, called the doctor, called DH, went to the hospital. DS was posterior, so I pushed for 2 hours, and then he was vacuumed out around 10 PM. It was an amazing experience, despite the fact that I hate needles, and it took 4 tries to give me the IV. I wouldn't mind going through it again, but can it be a little easier (on the IV and anterior?) LOL!

The first 3 months were rough, and I cannot imagine going through that again, especially with a toddler who still consumes so much time, energy, (and $$!) The sleep deprivation was (and still is occasionally) brutal, and I need time for myself (never mind DH and everyone else).

Hats off to those who go through it 2nd., 3rd., and so on!

[TraciG]

I'd take the package, I have actually been thinking about having another baby in about 4 - 5 monhts ( hopefully i'll be ready then ! ) I loved being pregnant, I felt good & I felt so special, it was such an exciting time for me, second time might be different, scary thinking about having 2 !!!!!!

[jbowman]

I love the whole thing, but I LOVED being pregnant the first time. Ask me in a few weeks about this time ;)!

I joked (when I was pg with Ellie) that if I had known how much I'd love being pregnant, I'd had 10 kids!

[nov02mom]

I voted cut to the chase.....because it's so hard to get pregnant, stay pregnant, and just be pregnant in general for me. I wouldn't even mind birthing so much- it's just the 30-something weeks preceeding it i'm not so good with!!!

[pb&j]

xxxxxxxxxxxx

[jk3]

Same deal here. Birth and on!

Jenn
DS 6/3/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[marinkitty]

I voted for "all of it" but really I think I would like to skip the pregnancy, but give birth and keep the baby!

I really felt horrible the last half of my pregnancy with Jack, just so drained and sore and miserable. I could totally do without going through that again (and so could my DH b/c I know I was a horror to live with).

But, my two birth experiences have been easy and wonderful and I would do it again in a heartbeat, and I soooo want more children. Each day as Mia gets older I'm just more in awe of her, and I am enjoying Jack's babyhood much more than I did with Mia, so I can imagine that future children I will enjoy even more (and I have already thought that with our third, if we are so lucky, if it is our final, it will be so bittersweet).

DH and I are "in negotiations" - I think we will definitely try for a third (the timing is more the issue, I want sooner, he wants later), but really I would have four - I'm just not sure my body or my marriage could withstand a fourth pregnancy! But to have a family with a little pack of kids is my dream - I always envision these vacations and family moments with the kids older and there is always a gaggle of them!!!

Holly
Mom to Mia (3.17.03) and baby brother Jack (3.23.05)

[urbanmama]

I think this topic is so interesting because I feel the exact opposite. I really think I want another child (a third), but I don't want to go through all of it again.

I don't know why I feel that way because I got PG very easily both times, had extremely easy pregnancies and labors, etc. But it seems to take me forever to feel normal after the baby is born.

So, I would definitely love it if someone would just bring that child to my front door!

[sbjf]

But I do not want to go through pregnancy and labor/delivery again. I loved being pregnant for the most part, but could do without it again, just no desire to experience it again. L & D, didn't care for any of that and have absolutely no desire to go through it again. Kids though? I love them and would love to have a couple more. Ideally I'd love to adopt 2 girls, sisters if I had my choice, not young babies either, maybe 2 and 3 years old.

ETA: I had a positive L&D both times, but it's just not my thing if you kwim. I'm happy and grateful that I got to experience it but do have a desire or strong need to again.

Also, I do feel a sense of completeness with my 2 boys, but would also be happy to add to the family if fate does step in.

[mamicka]

I voted "All of it" - we'd like 4 - maybe 5. But I'd be willing to go through all but baby right now. Wouldn't be ready for the baby part for about a year.