Pregnancy Soon?

Hi S.~
You have a lot of good advice as I scanned over what was here so I'll try not to get redundant.
All 3 of my children were complete surprises and each a blessing. First, I've never actually heard of choosing the gender, but if it's possible, then I'd do it holistically. I am very much against drugs (legal or otherwise) and there are some things that popping a pill cannot help.
Secondly, you know what you went thru when you had your other children, the stress on your body, all the changes, and don't forget about labor! That in and of itself can send some women running into the OR for a tubal ligation. I have 3 children, my 2 boys are 18 mo apart and the third came when I was in the middle of my divorce (talk about stress!) and so there is a 6 year difference with my younger son and daughter but I found that having my boys close was pretty good because they grew up together and weigh wise, I wasn't quite back to where I wanted to be, but then I had the chance to lose it all at once.
The bottom line is this: if you think you are ready, then go for it. If not, then explain to your hubby that you aren't ready yet and you'd like a bit more down time. My boys were terrific with my daughter and extremely protective of her, too, so your boys might react the same way if you wait, too. I'm not saying it'll happen, but it could.
In the end, the decision is yours and does not necessarily even need to include your husband (not what I would do) but you know your body and what you can and cannot handle. I wish you the very best of luck in your quest and with your family. If I can be of further assistance, please reach out to me...good luck!
J. :)

Its YOUR body and YOU will do most of the caretaking. Lovingly explain this to your adoring husband and tell him you need a break.

Hi S.,

Your cervical mucous changes during ovulation. The rest of the month it is creamy, lotion-like, or even more dried out feeling. During ovulation it is more slippery, clear, and egg white like. Some women have loooong stretchy cervical mucous which is really fertile stuff. Have you ever heard of a book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility? It's a wonderful book all about your fertility signs, how to recognize them and work with them for getting pregnant, or avoiding pregnancy.

yes, I think you are right not to have another child right now b/c you clearly don't want to have another one right now. That is the biggest reason. You have stated all the reasons why, they are logical and make sense, so be at peace with that. Tell your husband you are just not ready yet. Maybe agree to talk about it again in 4 months. In the mean time, get your body healthy and where you want it to be. Your 15 months old WILL play with the rest of your children, you do not have to have another child for someone to play with. Financial reasons are also a consideration for you, so talk to your husband about costs involved and make sure this is something that would be good for your family to do.

Don't berate yourself for not wanting a child now. Please listen to your gut and don't get pregnant. You've had health issues, have your hands full with your boys, and you are grieving. Never make any big decisions the first year after a loved ones passing. Your husband sounds like a sweetie so I'm sure he will understand. Also, check out the book Motherless Mothers by Hope Edelman.

Good luck

If you are not ready to have another baby and feel it's best for you to wait... then explain your reasons to your husband, I'm sure he'll understand and want to do what is best for you...

hi S.;

it sounds like you have two issues going on;

one is, you'd like to have a girl.

two is, regardless of girl or boy, it's very clear that you have as much as you can handle right now, and i think that's very SANE and SENSIBLE of you.

this may sound harsh, but i think this is the kind of thinking part of you wants to hear right now; most marraige problems start over money problems. even though your husband is clearly a child-loving, supportive person with the same goals as you, he may not be realistic about the financial, and other kinds of stresses, on your marraige, with so many children. it's up to you to take charge of this decision. even the best husbands are usually out of touch with what it costs and how much work it is to raise the children. it seems to me from what you wrote that girl or boy, you feel your family is maxed out, at least for right now, and i think you have to ask your husband to respect and support that. because and overwhelemd mother is an unhappy person, and not the best mom she can be. and a father who is angry about how much money is being spent that he doesn't understand, is also bound not to be very happy.

you still have plenty of time to have more kids. i was 35 when my first child was born, 37 for my second. i know a lot of very healthy first time and multiple time moms having babies into thier 40s. why don't you give your body a MUCH NEEDED BREAK, get all your wonderful boys into your own homeschooling system or into regular school whatever works best, get all the miles stones squared away, doing thier chores, and in like 3 or 4 years, have one more child. i think you need a break. and your boys really need your attention.

as far as choosing the sex, going the medical route in that pursuit is going to cost you a lot of money that it sounds like you'd rather save for other things. maybe a good break before your next pregnancy will allow you time to research more things you can do holistically and SAFELY and CHEAPLY to encourage your body to make a girl. and maybe this block of time would also give you the chance to reflect on how happy you would still be with another wonderful boy. maybe you are a boy-machine! i have a friend who is. 5 boys! you know you will love whatever baby you get. sure a girl is great, but i don't think it's wise to just keep having kids until you get one. you're sure to run out of money, health, and patience eventually.

one other thought; if you REALLY want a girl that bad, and you want to protect your health, why not do something even more unusual and adopt a girl? if you'd like a baby you can take in one of the many children in the foster care system who really needs your help and ultimately you would very likely be able to adopt that child. just google "adoption" or "foster care" for your area and i'm sure a zillion resources will come up.

lots of luck and love to you,
J.

It's up to you and your husband whether you are both ready to have another child.

Yes it is correct that when you are about to ovulate you'll get a lot more cervical mucus. A great book to read is "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler. It goes into great detail about how to read your body and know of signs that you are about to ovulate. It does talk a little bit about chosing the gender, but none of that is an exact science.

Good luck with your decision.

You're a devoted, wonderful mom. Wait until you're totally ready before trying for another one. I'm sure you've got your hands full with those little guys. Enjoy your time with them, and don't rush into another one!

You'll know when the time is right.

Fertility Friend.com is a great resource and very informative. I followed all of the information and tid bits it offered and conceived my son within a two months. Good Luck!

I totally feel your pain! I want more kids too, and so does my husband, but my first 2 pregnancies were AWFUL! I had insulin-dependent gestational diabetes, severe asthma problems, preterm labor, etc. I had pitocin with my first (just awful! made the experience so much harder). And an emergency c-section with my second. It's REALLY hard on your body to have kids close together, and yours are close! Our two are 13 months apart. I really love having the kids so close in age, while not originally planned that way, but it's hard to be a good caregiver and mom and wife when you're pregnant over and over again. If you want to take a break, you definitely should - just let your husband know how much better it will be for everyone if you wait until you are both ready. Your youngest has 2 playmates already and will make friends and become his own person, no matter when #4 comes along. I have a friend who has 4 and she calls the fourth her "love child." I keep telling my husband that we can try for #3 when we move closer to my family who can help us! Good luck with your discussion with your husband about this - I'm sure he will listen to you and trust your instincts.

Yes, you are correct. The mucus does get thicker when you ovulate. I conceived my daughter when the mucus was really thick. The Chinese calendar goes by the month & your age that you conceive. It was right on the money with my daughter. I got pregnant in August 06 & I was 32...according to the Chinese calendar, I was going to have a girl. Call it coincidence or chance. I am not sure what the formula is though. It has been accurate for a lot of people that I know. I recently checked the Chinese calendar because I am trying to get pregnant with baby #2 and it would be nice to have a boy since we already have a daughter. Don't get me wrong, whatever God brings us is truly a blessing and the main thing is that the baby is healthy. We are experimenting to see if it really works lol. I have been doing research on how to conceive a boy and have used the Chinese calendar and the different positions that have been successful in having a boy(we know it is 50/50). We won't be heartbroken if we do not have a boy. It is fun to experiment. :0)
Your feelings are your feelings. To me, what someone feels is never wrong. If you do not want another child yet, it's okay. It is great that your husband is supportive. Good luck!

Hi S.,

I am so impressed that you have three boys so close together in age! You must be a busy Mommy ;) It's great that your husband is so supportive, it sounds like he would definitely be open to your idea of waiting. Open communication is so important in a marriage so if he's asking the question then it's important that you answer it from the heart and let him know that you're not ready now and that you probably wont be ready in the first half of next year either. Just tell him all the things that you mentioned here, I'm sure he'll understand.
Regarding choosing the gender of your baby, well I have two girls and read the book 'How to choose the sex of your baby' and am now 14 weeks pregnant with a boy (actually we're not 100% sure but at the 12 week scan the technician said she thought it was!). My advice would be to buy that book....or I can send mine to you if you'd like, I'm not planning on any more children after this one. You have to be kind of careful regarding the mucus thing because when the mucus is of an egg-white consistency that's the best time to have a boy because of the lack of acidity. Diannas response to you was really good I think.
Anyway, feel free to contact me if you'd like when you're planning on trying for number 4.

Best of luck,
M..