Motherhood!!!!??!!!!

Check out www.mothering.com and look into their "discussions" or "community" boards. Every pregnancy is different and you may find you enjoy it (well the first 7-8 months! LOL). I enjoyed being pregnant very much and even my labors and deliveries went well (no drugs/med intervention of any kind for either birth) It really is a very special time. Being pregnant DOES NOT equal being fat! I have lots of mom friends that gained only baby weight and got right back in to shape and some took a bit longer. But above anything DO NOT let anyone push you to have children. It is when you and your partner are ready and everyone else should MYOB. My only advice is that if you want to have a baby, don't wait too long (as if it turns out you have fertility issues with you or your partner you will have time to work through them if you decide to pursue fertility assistant options).

I had baby number 4 when I was 42 years old. I have grandchildren that are older. Only you can decide when/if you're ready to have children!

Sweetheart, you are young! People have babies later these days! I had my first baby when I was 36 and my twins at 39 - I'll be 40 this week. I weigh exactly what I weighed before I got pregnant with my son. I say I am trying to get back to highschool weight now, but really I just want to be in the best shape of my life to have energy for 3 small children. Having my babies makes me feel younger!

I didn't want to listen to all of the horrid pregnancy stories so I just expressed that when people started to tell them. And guess what....you'll have a completely different story of your own.....It's like .....my story is so much better!!!

Motherhood is glorious, rewarding, and challenging.... Follow your heart!

Let them know that you plan on having a baby after spending quality "just us" time. This is SOOOO important in a successful marriage. Have a baby when you are ready. What we did is just stopped trying NOT to and let nature take it's course. As for adoption, if you want to do it. Who cares what people think. If you have it in your heart to do so, do it. I am for my next child because my pregnancy was so hard on me. Do what your heart tells you and don't worry about hurting anyone's feelings for taking "too long." this is you and your husband's life together.

On another note...my daughter is 5 and she is AMAZING and is like my mini-me. Every morning after her daddy leaves for work, she crawls in bed to snuggle with me until we have to get up to take her to school and me off to work. I would go through that pregnancy a thousand times to have that.

As far as getting fat again, yes, you will gain weight with pregnancy, but you don't have to get off plan. Still work out as much and eat the same. You need to take your multi-vitamin/prenatal and probably not do intense weight lifting, but you can still walk, run, swim, elliptical, yoga, etc. It will make your pregnancy AND delivery easier.

Best wishes on your decision love.

Ok! So I can not be very helpful here I think but I can say this! I hated pregnancy and I freaked out a lot but it is such a small part of a greater whole!! If you are freaking out that much I would seek help! You may be able to get help with coping with the feelings of fear that come with pregnancy!

I also want to say that you should tell your partners family to go jump!! Theycannot force you to do anything you are not ready for and you hubby should be suporting you on this!!

About baby bellies - not all women put on a load of weight! I saw someone in my clinic who was 6 weeks post natal and she was a UK size 4 at most! I was so jelous!! Lol!! Some people do bounce back! And you may be one of them! If not we are all here to help you get your body back!!

Hope some of that helped!

First of all, although it's hard, stop listening to anyone but your husband. Having a child should be a decision the two of you make. Other people may be in a hurry, but that doesn't mean you have to be. It sounds to me like you should talk to your doctor and get some advice on a local resource center to help answer some of your questions. They'll be able to answer honestly while honoring your fears and not trying to push you in one direction or another. Maybe planned parenthood?

Not everyone puts on a ton of weight when they get pregnant. Remember- between the weight of the baby, extra blood, etc..., you'll lose about 17 lbs soon after delivering. Then, you need to give your body time for your uterous and such to adjust. I gained 23 lbs with my first child and 18 with my second. Not because I was trying to not gain a lot, but because I read about nutrition when pregnant and ate what was best for both of us.

If thinness is your goal, my advice would be to start doing yoga now, and continue yoga when pregnant. That will help a lot.

But, here's a thought to think upon. Our bodies change and develop as we age. Some areas widen, some thin out, If you look at a 120lb teenager and a 120lb geriatric of the same height, you'll be able to see the differences. It doesn't matter if either has had a child, it has to do with how we mature. Neither is preferable, they just are what they are. Try to be more concerned with being healthy, and keeping a healthy weight, than with waist versus hip circumference.

I absolutely loved being pregnant both times. I am weird I guess. And they were both totally different. The first was a breeze. I never got sick or anything. The only problems I had was towards the end and the weight hurt. The second, I had pretty much every non-threatening symptom in the book. My eyes went funny, terrible morning sickness, bad leg cramps and fatigue, to name some. With each I gained 40lbs and today I am below my first pregnancy weight (still not where I want to be but I'm working on it!). My tummy is still stretched but oh well (youngest is 8 months). The entire thing was worth it.
The best book I read was "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and I found a great online community at www.thebump.com.
When you're ready, and you don't want to actually be pregnant, you could always adopt.

I'm 23, and gave birth to my son when I was 17. He was unplanned, but for me there was never any another option; I literally never thought about adoption or abortion, he was and is a huge part of me. The pregnancy was pretty regular; I had morning sickness every day for 3 months, I craved full-fat milk and chips, cheese and garlic mayo :grumble: my ankles swelled up during the third trimester, and by then I was fed up of not being able to see my feet, but I wouldn't change any of it for anything.
Before falling pregnant I didn't even think about wanting kids or not, but as soon as I had it confirmed I knew I was ready, and trust me, a lot of people didn't believe it. My long-winded point is: only you know when or if you're ready to expand your family, nobody else has a say in it :flowerforyou:



And I really love the fact that when my son's 18, I'll only be 35 :laugh:

I was terrified of pregnancy for many of the same reasons. Turns out, I loved being pregnant. I occasionally ask my kids if they would care to go back and live in my tummy, because I would welcome them back.

I did not love having newborns. Everyone is different, and perhaps you should visit a friend/relative with a very small baby for a weekend to see if it's your cup of tea.

Being pregnant is a wonderful gift and a miracle! Only you experience the baby kicking etc. Believe it or not sometimes I miss it Not everyone can get pregnant so if you are able to remember it is a gift - may not always be easy, but a gift either way! I have had two children and I wouldn't trade my little belly I have now for anything knowing I have two little miracles to love! You know when you are ready!