I have a particularly soft spot for viral videos of kids meeting their newborn siblings for the first time. There’s something about the look of wonderment in the toddler’s eyes when they see their baby brother or sister (and the emotional music usually played on top) that gets me every time.
But as much as they make me tear up whenever I watch them, it’s a moment I know I’m never going to experience myself. While I never would’ve predicted it before I became a parent, I’ve joined a growing number of families who are choosing to be “one and done”.
"So, when are you having more kids?"
My daughter was about three months old when I was first asked when I’d be giving her a sibling. Not if. When.
While I knew it was mostly just people making polite small talk, the thought of having another was completely overwhelming. I was still covered in baby vomit most days and hadn’t slept for more than three hours in a row for weeks.
After having a difficult birth and extended stay in hospital, it also wasn’t an experience I was keen to go through again, aside from the part where I got hot meals delivered to my bed three times a day – that part was bliss.
Watch: Be a good mum. Post continues below.
But more than that, my husband and I both felt completely content with the baby we had and could see how sticking with one child would work better for us. It’d be easier to juggle both our careers, we wouldn’t have to split focus between multiple kids, and financially we’d be able to give our little girl more than we would with two or more.
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