I’m a Fertile Myrtle. My pregnancies are textbook. My labour experiences have been short and quite frankly, not all that bad. But I’m stopping at two kids and here’s a few reasons why.

#1: I hate being pregnant.

I’m sure there are women out there who love being pregnant. Michelle Duggar comes to mind. But I am not one of those people. Spending 3/4 of a year feeling 50 shades of awful is not my idea of fun. Puking, sore boobs, peeing myself when I laugh/jump/cough/sneeze. Generally feeling like a massive whale for the last few months took a big toll on my body. I have a short torso and long legs. Sure, it’s a nice physique when I’m skinny but shoving a human inside that short torso makes pregnancy very, very uncomfortable. Add to that the fact that I have a multitude of back & hip problems. Plus I like to whine. A lot. Basically my husband had to deal with the equivalent of a man-cold for 9 months. I’m surprised he agreed to a second child.

#2: I’m an only child and I’m rotten.

The only reason I wanted a second child was because I’m an only child. And I’m a Leo. So basically I’m an incredibly self-centred individual. I know my faults and many of them stem from being an only child. I was also the only grandchild until I was 20 when my aunt & uncle started having kids. So let’s just say I’m used to being the centre of attention. It has its merits but there’s only room for 1 only child ego in this house and it’s me dammit.

#3. I don’t want to be outnumbered.

The aforementioned Aunt & Uncle have 3 kids. Getting them all to their various extracurricular activities appears to be a bit of a nightmare. They don’t complain about it but I seriously wonder how they do it without always eating meals on the run and getting everywhere on-time. Now that I think about it, they’re rarely on-time. I have enough trouble with two kids. I couldn’t imagine throwing a third into the mix. 

#4. I’ve got the million dollar family.

I’ve got a boy and a girl. And even if I didn’t, I still wouldn’t have anymore kids. Quite frankly, I could have saved myself a lot of money if both kids had been the same gender. But the fact that I have one of each really solidifies my stance on not having any more kids.

#5. I don’t get Baby Fever.

I have never suffered from baby fever. Not before I had kids and most certainly not after. I love my children with all of my heart but if I could skip the baby stage, I would. Sure, they don’t talk back and they only eat at Hooters for lunch but man, do they know how to cry. And wake up in the middle of the night. And puke. And cry. Sometimes, when the crying just won’t stop, I wish the kid could just tell me his problem. Dealing with Miss O is soooooo much easier now that she can communicate to me her problems. Now she’s just turning into a three-nager and her only response is, “I ‘unno” but that’s a whole other can of worms.

#6. No dreaded Middle Child.

I have a degree in psych which I focused mainly on child psych. I’ve done a lot of research into family dynamics and things like birth order. Generally speaking, most middle children are on par with only children; the big difference is that only children crave attention because they get it all the time whereas middle children seek out attention because they never get it. Little J is a Leo like his mama. We looooooove attention. If I had another kid, he would become a nightmare of a middle child. No thanks. He’s trouble enough.

 

I love my children dearly and I’m very excited to watch them grow up together. As an only child, I don’t fully appreciate the sibling bond. Hubby has a brother but they are seven years apart and not very close so even he doesn’t really understand the sibling bond. Miss O and Little J are 26 months apart. They will be 2 years apart in school. Which means I will be mediating much of their teenage years but I’m looking forward to it. I’m glad that my kids will have someone to lean on as they get older. 

Did you decide to stop at 2 kids? What were your reasons? I’d also love to hear from those who kept on truckin’ with more kids!