Am I Ready for 2Nd Child

My daughter and son are 23 months apart and while its been busy and took time to adjust i wouldnt have it any other way. if you wait til you are ready, it'll never happen. parenting is learning on the go. My hubby is in the coast guard and while he hasn't been deployed, i know friends with several little ones and their husbands were deployed. You can also look into getting WIC to help with groceries later if you find out you need it. Just budget. accept hand me downs. you'll be fine!

Only you can really answer that hun :)

I will say though that if you keep waiting for the "perfect" time to have another one, it might be too late. There is no "perfect" time really.
You're always going to worry about money. Good thing with a 2nd or third child is you already have the "old" baby stuff. You might be surprised at what you WON'T have to buy. At least for a little while.
I know the feeling though.
I'm 24, have a son who turned 2 on the 4th of Aug, and I'm 38wks pregnant with #2.
And honestly I've had times during this pregnancy * & my first* where I thought "OH god I'm not ready for this" but it all works out :)

Like S.H said. Talk it over with your hubby.

My son will be turning three next week and I'm 7 months pregnant with baby #2. I struggled with the same questions. I knew that I wanted my son to be out of diapers, so that was a big factor for me.I wanted him to be a little bit more self sufficient as far as using the potty, brushing teeth, combing hair and cleaning up his toys. Not that I don't want to be needed, but that I know a second baby will command a good portion of my time. It was a good time for us and him. As far a being financially ready, I think that it all works out. I've decided to breast feed again which is totally cheap! We are reusing a lot of items from when our son was born and fiends are handing down all their girl clothes. Talk it over with hubby and make a list of pro's and con's. See what you come up with. Just keep in mind that it could take a while to get pregnant to. We tried for 6 months before we finally got pregnant. I think at some point you know you're just ready.

I'm inthe same boat you're in my dd is 13 months and I plan to get my mireana removed at the end of this month. I hope that we dont have to wait a year to get preggers again. I was an only child and was very lonely, I dont want my dd to feel that way. and my hubby has an older sis that was just a B#tch to him and never got into trouble for it, he always got nailed. so he is a little confused as to way I would want another child. But I plan on being equal and not letting things like he went through happen. so go for it things will always work out. dont let what might happen get in the way, you cant live thinking what if this or that happens. gl

If you want another, there is no time like the present. Tomorrow isn't promised.
I think it's easier to have them close together. My kids nickname for each other is best buddy. They occupy each other and keep each other company. I was 7 yrs apart from my brothers and we had nothing in common. Then you are left trying to please a teenager and a little kid at the same time.
BTW--- thank you! to your husband, for his service and you for your sacrifice. We appreciate it.

Well, one can never be really perfectly 'ready'... or they can. And 'waiting' for that perfect epiphany and realization, can sometimes take a LONG time or not. Or never.

All I knew is, we wanted a 2nd child. We did not want our first born to be an 'only' child. Our kids are 4 years apart. Just so happens. By time my 1st child was 3, I was ready for having another baby...

Have you talked about it with your Husband? That is key.

all the best,
Susan

Ashkey, I had the same question when I had only one child. Now that I am older so many of my friends are saying that they wish they had not stopped having children. They yearn for more - but it is too late.
You sound like a great mom. Children are SUCH a gift! Yes, alot of work but oh so worth it. You might consider just being open to it happening and let God handle the rest. If He thinks you are ready then it will happen.
Best of Luck.

You might want to explore all the great reasons for having an only, which is a question posed by another mom today. Read the responses she got here: http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/5929452319845515265

Wanting another baby is an interesting phenomenon. I've felt it myself, and I've watched it in hundreds of friends and acquaintances over the years. The one thing that seems universally true is that it's a biological urge, and has very little actual connection with how happy and fulfilled many women feel. In fact, the inverse is often true: The more children a couple has, especially for the first several years, the more stressed, tense, worried, drained and unhappy the whole family is.

Yes, of course there is love and joy. And the stress factor, the lack of sleep, the medical issues, the endless sibling strains and scheduling and problem-solving and personal demands and child care conundrums and bill-paying, take a toll. It's really impossible to look at the average family of two or more and insist that they don't.

There's also the "thought" connection: What we believe, perhaps have believed all our lives SHOULD make us happy (or not), often blocks us from noticing how satisfying our lives actually are. We often keep chasing dreams that we or others have implanted in us, that on closer inspection just aren't as true as some other possibility. And that could be where your "sooo confusing" comment is coming from.

So before you commit to the enormous task of birthing and raising another person (and remember a "baby" is a "tiny" only briefly – each one is a new person with a whole, complex life waiting to unfold), consider what's best not only for your desires, but for the child you already have, the man to whom you are committed, and your own best interests.

I think you can tell by my comments that I stopped with one. And it was fabulous. I have no regrets at all. (And in spite of what other posters will probably say, there are moms and dads who sincerely regret having another child. For all sorts of reasons. I have heard about many, right here on mamapedia.)

To be honest, I don't think you're ever "ready"! I mean you could always have more money and more time, but really, will you ever?! ;) When we got pregnant with our second I of course was happy (and we were trying) but I was also terrified and second guessed myself a lot those first few (okay maybe 9 ;) months! It's a scary thing, but if you know you want more kids, then do it. It's going to be a bit scary at any time, but think about things in a more rational way, like how many years apart would you like your kids, how old do you want to be when the graduate...how old is too old, etc. Of cousre things may not go perfectly as planned, but if you have a general idea of what you want and don't want in terms of long term, then plan it out and go for it!

I wanted our kids to be 2 years apart, but I did NOT want to have another C-section, so I waited until the very last second to start trying. They are about 2.5 years apart. I really wanted the end result, but didn't want to go through the delivery. So I think it's perfectly normal to take the logistics into account. Since your hubby will pretty much always have a chance at being deployed, you can't work around that one. As far as affording the things you need, only you can know if waiting a year will make a difference or not. I don't think anyone feels like they can ever "afford" kids. Pray about it and go with your instincts. God bless!