Does seeing a newborn cause a desire to have a/nother baby?

Hmmm...this thread is a godsent!

I'm 26, no kids. Most of the girl friends have at least one kid; and my mom has a nasty case of 'give me a grandchild!". I hear it every time I'm with them "when are you going to have one? Don't you just LOVE babies?!"

I do love babies and kids. When I hold one, I can feel that milk coming on. But, I don't want them 'for keeps' . That would seriously cramp my style!

Do I actually want to BE a mother? No. Not now.
I will just enjoy other people's kids. And y'know, I would be perfectly happy to do that my entire life. I am really on the fence.

What really makes me melt is when I spend time with toddlers-8 year olds. I love playing and interacting with the little ones.

And I would like to experience pregnancy. I think about that a lot.

we'll see, we'll see....I'm somewhere in the middle of the two sides.

Im the same as Chai Tea..I have never had the urge to have a baby
all my friends have had many children between them all, and I
just dont have that inclination at all.....I have a career and I love to travel
and kids just dont fit in there anyway...but I adore all my little nieces and nephews when they visit and best of all they get to go home with their parents....so kids for me?, thanks but no thanks

The last time I held a baby I accidentally dropped it. The mother got really pissed.

Geez, flushd, you feel the milk coming on?!?! No, seeing kids, being with babies, watching a birth - all those things reenforce my lack of desire to have a kid.

Seeing little kids crying and screaming in public places REALLY reinforces my lack of desire to have any kids(on purpose).

Yep.

I think if you want kids, it makes you think about having another one. If you don't, you won't. If you're on the fence, then, uh, I dunno, though it may be a push to have a child.

LOL, Slappy.

Having kids is tough, but even the worst times are pretty darn good.

I read in th epaper today that newborns couldnt be 'cooed' over because it goes against their human rights!!
Some maternity ward had a pretend baby with 'What makes you think i want to be looked at?' written on its babygrow.

Flushd - I didn't have any children until I was 34. At 26 I felt the say way you do. I used to get the same lines from my mom. Just do what I did - I told her if she really wanted a grandchild, I could arrange it (I was single at the time). That shut her up for quite a while.

Gus, you can hold my kids - they are old enough that dropping them might do them some good.

Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely! I adore everything about pregnancy and babies and children. I truly and honestly wanted 8 of my own and now, everytime I see a newborn, I still have longings for more even though my youngest is now 22! I stopped after having two babies. They were each 10 pounders and both had to be C-sections because of their size. The doctor was going to limit me to three going by the C-section route and since I did have one of each, a boy and then a girl, I decided I couldn't really improve on that.

I love holding babies, I love snuggling babies, I love their sweet newborn smell, I love planting kisses on those so very soft baby cheeks and feeling their tiny fingers wrap around one of mine. I love rocking them to sleep and then not wanting to go and lie them down, but feel their little baby breath on my neck as I hold them. So many times when my own were napping, I sat in the rocking chair next to their crib just to watch them sleep. They are a marvel, a miracle an amazement, a splendor and no greater joy have I ever experienced.

Every day of my life, they will always be the only two people in this entire world that I would, without question or hesitation, unconditionally lay down and die for.

I need grandchildren methinks. But that's not gonna happen for awhile.
::sigh::

wow, I'm thinking the opposite. If you're on the fence about something as important as a baby, you better just think about it until you're sure.

Once you've got one, it's too late to reconsider.....

Lady J - that was the most powerful thing I have read on the longing to have children. It was really beautiful. Thanks for sharing that.






You know what though, I think babies smell funny.

Linkat;
I tell my mum
1) she first has to learn to love the two grand-kids she has
(my cats. she hates cats. )
2) she should adopt a child and finally give me a sister (not gonna happen!)
3) "Mum, if you don't stop talking about this I am going to get you a lap dog for Christmas!" (she hates dogs)

Yeah, she's pretty incessant and I've had to learn to cope :wink:

LadyJ, that was a very sweet way of expressing that. You sound like the kind of woman who really truly loved motherhood. That's always a good thing! Too bad everyone who has kids doesn't have that attitude.
You also sound like my mum sighing about granbabies
Oh you sweet maternal women......