How many children did you have and was it on purpose ?

Four all planned

Four pregnancies all unplanned! Lost the first and third from condition that I cannot carry female foetuses to term . Other two boysa? Perfect and big babies normal pregnancies. I'd have loved maybe 3 or 4 ! No chance.when I thought I was preggers again my rotten ex said "get rid of it or I go" stunned and devastated I had tubal ligation at 32 scared he'd leave me if I did. I ended up ditching him 11years later. Still wish I'd had more kids specially daughters as one of sons is a total washout other one too busy to bother and I've no confidantes!

Because of the way I was brought up, I did not want any children. I was terrified at home and frightened at school. I enjoy other children but I do not have any responsibility for them. I have never regretted it

This is exactly how I felt. I never wanted children and was never suckered into that whole mawkishly sentimantal "mother love" thing. I have never been interested in "family life" and could see no purpose which children could serve in my life other than to drag me down physically and financially.

Mine were all planned. The last one was by ICSI as I was still desperate for one more.

Two daughters nearly 8 years apart. Their brother was in the middle but he died when he was nearly 5, which nearly killed me! I was desperate to have another child , not to replace him ( that would have been impossible) but felt it would have been the only thing that might have made me feel slightly less despairing.

Unfortunately I had a very bad pregnancy with our third child ( she was 8 months old when my sons illness was diagnosed) and her dad had opted for a vasectomy as the birth put me off a fourth I had original planned. He wouldn’t consider a reversal. They were all planned and I was lucky enough they were all born more or less exactly when I wanted them.

Two girls, both pregnancies planned, both girls a joy. At one stage we were tempted to go for another pregnancy in the hope of a boy but came to our senses when we realised we could be building a netball team before we got a boy.... and money was tight for us in the early years of marriage.

Sorry should have said that our two daughters were planned but our son - born 11 years later - was a 'if it happens it happens' and it happened! But it was lovely to have a son after our two delightful daughters and he was definitely meant to be!

Two; both by IVF, so very much planned!

Big big hugs to all the posters on this thread ! I too had three miscarriages, never easy.

For those who chose not to have have children due to terrible childhoods

To everyone, whatever you chose to do I hope you’re all settled, happy and content now

One. Curiosity satisfied. No need for more.

3, 2 boys and 1 girl - in the middle. All planned.

Four - one of whom was planned - all four very very much loved

I have a daughter and a son. Both wonderful people. A third was planned, but it never happened.

My mother had heart issues and was advised to stop at one which she did. I had a very loving happy childhood which I shared closely with extended family cousins.

DD1 was a happy mistake as I returned home from our honeymoon pregnant. DD2 arrived as planned 2yrs 4 months later. Both very different characters, DD1 a homebody happy with our two adorable GDs, DD2, the bolter, who travelled the world and is now in Australia with our lovely SiL, the son we never had and decided not to have children being more career minded. Both girls happy and healthy which is all I could wish for. We are a very close family, constantly in touch.
DH was seriously ill last summer, thankfully now recovered, DD2 and SiL arrived immediately to join forces with DD1 and GDs with loving support for us. Couldn’t ask for more.

It is so sad to read of those on here who had such a dreadful childhood, something they didn’t deserve and so heartbreaking to read. 💐
You are the only one I ‘know’ well on GN Charley and are a lovely friend to me. Despite your early unhappy start in life you are such a caring, supportive lovely woman.

5 DSs and 1 SS . Wasn't planned and has been tough at times but was lovely when they were all little we had such fun . Now they are grown not so much . Not sure if that's because it's a large family? They are very close to each other though which is lovely to see .

We had four. ..... but we did stop when we found out what was causing it

One, planned, and enough blessings from him that we never needed any more.

Two, both very much wanted. Our first baby died of heart problems. Then I had a miscarriage a few months later. We were heartbroken and waited almost 6 years to try again, when we had a lovely daughter, now aged 38.

Two both planned. We were never going to have more than that, couldn't afford to. Miscarried in between having 2 boys. I've often thought that if the baby we lost had been born I would never have known my 2nd son....who was, and is, an absolute joy to me. [Ist son is too of course!]

I only wanted boys, so not having a daughter didn't bother me at all. I've been very lucky, they've been the best. Now 52 and 49.

None. Definitely on purpose.

We had two- the first one was our best ever mistake, and the second was planned, and arrived 2 years later.

One, planned. I wanted a second but DH didnt.

I'm not very maternal, needed a lot of DH support, so I said, "I only want another if you do too" he said "I'll support you all the way but tbh I dont want another".

And that was OK.

My one has turned out to be a loving husband and son with 4 lovely children, if one hadn't been severely disabled I suspect there would have been more, she is a mother hen loving running her busy household. they are the light of my life!

3 boys. Born 1982, 1983 and 1988.

We had the first two planned children, just under 2 years apart.

I always wanted an even number. However, when those two were 3 and 5, I had a miscarriage. Hadn't even realised I was pregnant. While I was recovering from it, a doctor told me to think about getting sterilised; he said I'd done my bit.

But hormones being what they are, while I lay there, I thought that it would have been nice to have another baby and I certainly didn't want to get sterilised.

A couple of years later I did get pregnant again. A third boy. He was so adorable but he never got a playmate.

He has accused us of not planning/wanting him, but that isn't true. (There are no hard feelings really). I'm really looking forward to seeing him again this weekend.

All 3 boys get on well together and we shall all be together for the Karneval/Fasching weekend from this coming Friday as the children have no school next week.

As a child (like an only one - as my only sibling was 12 years older than me), I always said I wanted to have four children.

However, when married, nothing happened and it took over four year before I became pregnant with our first. Having got into the swing of things, the second came along (full term) eleven months later (Pij and pair - neighbours called it).

Loved it, although rather hard-up. Decided to foster babies as a way to help me rid myself of the broodiness. Still, become pregnant with our third a couple of years later, (planned by me, of not by hubbie.)

Then a couple ofyears down the line perseuaded hubbie to try for a second son - and ended up with two more daughters!!

rwo and a half years later, Social Services came up with an elevent months old boy who needed fostering for a considerable time. He stayed and became our sixth child (just seven years between oldest and youngest)_.

Tumultious years, always short of money, yet wonderful happy times. I absolutely loved being a full-time Mother. and eventually returned to taking in more foster babies and toddlers, although mainly on short-term basis.

I have two - a boy and a girl, three years apart. One planned, the other not - both a joy. Before I married, I could never see myself as a mother, but DH came from a large family and couldn’t envisage marriage without children. My much older sisters both had large families - one had six and the other five (all boys - they kept trying for a girl but gave up in the end!).