K
Keepercjr
Guest
Christian
Logan was 3.5 when Scarlett was born. I found this to be a great age difference. Logan is somewhat independent and going to preschool (which he LOVES), giving me some time to spend with baby. He's also at an age where he can understand a lot of what is going on and has less jealousy issues than if they were, lets say, 2 years apart.
Having a 2nd child wasn't a hard decision but it was a scary one. I am with you - I was willing to accept some risk w/ the 1st one but way less with the 2nd one. Before getting pregnant I had irrational fears of being hospitalized for months for preterm labor, giving birth early, etc. Basically I feared anything that would take me away from Logan, even if just for a little while. I wasn't worried about my health <i>during </i>pregnancy, just being away from Logan. My health has been stable for about 10 years and all the studies point to pregnancy not adversely affecting CF decline. But if my health wasn't stable then I would not have had another baby. (for me, that would mean PFTs below 60% and/or a steady decline or frequent infections).
I fully believe that it is the parenting, not the pregnancy that can affect CF if you let it. Something interesting my doctor said was that they tend to see women do really well the first 5 years after having a baby because she tends to take better care of herself. I don't remember if she said it was a study or not (but I think it may have been). I can say it has been true for me. Prior to having Logan I was on IVs 1 to 2 times per year. I haven't had an IV for 5 years now. I think mothering is good for my health <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
Something to think about - you may be at the same PFTs even if you hadn't had a baby - CF is a progressive disease after all.
Anyway, IMO good child spacing is a key part to having a 2nd child. I found parenting age 1-3 to be the hardest. After about 3 to 3.5 years old things calmed down a lot. And for me, taking care of a baby is a piece of cake. But it all depends on the child's temperament.
I can tell you that if my husband would agree to a 3rd (he won't) I would do it. But not for another 3 years and only if my health was stable at the time.
I agree with your thinking - enjoy what you have now. You don't know what the future will bring. See where you are in a year. I love to travel and traveling with 2 is way harder than with 1. But we still do it - we're going to Hawaii in a month, and Florida in 2 months.
Oh one last thought - I may not have had a 2nd child if we didn't have fantastic support from both our parents. My parents live around the corner from us and DH's parents live across town. I see my parents practically every day. They take DS to preschool, spend time with him, etc. And when baby isn't nursing so much they'll do more with her. My MIL is already itching to babysit her.
Gotta run!! (sorry if I rambled a lot)
Logan was 3.5 when Scarlett was born. I found this to be a great age difference. Logan is somewhat independent and going to preschool (which he LOVES), giving me some time to spend with baby. He's also at an age where he can understand a lot of what is going on and has less jealousy issues than if they were, lets say, 2 years apart.
Having a 2nd child wasn't a hard decision but it was a scary one. I am with you - I was willing to accept some risk w/ the 1st one but way less with the 2nd one. Before getting pregnant I had irrational fears of being hospitalized for months for preterm labor, giving birth early, etc. Basically I feared anything that would take me away from Logan, even if just for a little while. I wasn't worried about my health <i>during </i>pregnancy, just being away from Logan. My health has been stable for about 10 years and all the studies point to pregnancy not adversely affecting CF decline. But if my health wasn't stable then I would not have had another baby. (for me, that would mean PFTs below 60% and/or a steady decline or frequent infections).
I fully believe that it is the parenting, not the pregnancy that can affect CF if you let it. Something interesting my doctor said was that they tend to see women do really well the first 5 years after having a baby because she tends to take better care of herself. I don't remember if she said it was a study or not (but I think it may have been). I can say it has been true for me. Prior to having Logan I was on IVs 1 to 2 times per year. I haven't had an IV for 5 years now. I think mothering is good for my health <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
Something to think about - you may be at the same PFTs even if you hadn't had a baby - CF is a progressive disease after all.
Anyway, IMO good child spacing is a key part to having a 2nd child. I found parenting age 1-3 to be the hardest. After about 3 to 3.5 years old things calmed down a lot. And for me, taking care of a baby is a piece of cake. But it all depends on the child's temperament.
I can tell you that if my husband would agree to a 3rd (he won't) I would do it. But not for another 3 years and only if my health was stable at the time.
I agree with your thinking - enjoy what you have now. You don't know what the future will bring. See where you are in a year. I love to travel and traveling with 2 is way harder than with 1. But we still do it - we're going to Hawaii in a month, and Florida in 2 months.
Oh one last thought - I may not have had a 2nd child if we didn't have fantastic support from both our parents. My parents live around the corner from us and DH's parents live across town. I see my parents practically every day. They take DS to preschool, spend time with him, etc. And when baby isn't nursing so much they'll do more with her. My MIL is already itching to babysit her.
Gotta run!! (sorry if I rambled a lot)