Now that we've let you into our lives a bit and have a loyal following, (thank you so much to our many readers) I thought I'd open up a bit about myself, and how we came to be Baby Bunchers.
I have been married for eight years. My husband and I began trying for a baby after one year of marriage. After a year of trying we finally got pregnant. Unfortunately, I lost the baby at seven weeks due to an ectopic pregnancy. Another year went by, and I was devastated when my coauthor (and best friend) got pregnant after simply thinking about a baby. During this time, we were in the middle of a major international move overseas to the Middle East, and I just consumed myself in all of that. We arrived in Qatar and two weeks later I found out I was pregnant. Ironically, only a month behind Cara. That was five years ago.
Alex was born in Qatar, and he was a busy baby with his share of feeding problems. I wasn't so sure about motherhood in the beginning. In fact, I was seriously ready to go back to work. When he was about six months old, I finally felt human again and like a mother. My husband and I always wanted three kids, but with our history of fertility issues, we weren't sure if Alex would ever have a sibling. We knew it had taken us two years the first time so we started trying "just in case" it took that long again. Nope. It didn't. I had one period and then I was pregnant again. Alex was seven months old.
I seriously flipped out. I had such a mix of emotions. I had always wanted my kids two years apart and this would bring us a little closer, but so what? I could already tell this was going to be hard when I could barely manage pregnancy with a baby. I knew I was in for a crazy ride. My daughter was born in between our tours overseas when Alex was less than 16 months old. The first 18 months with the two kids were a giant blur. Beyond the fact that we were in Sweden, which I loved it, I remember so little. Thank goodness I documented it all in emails and our book notes.
I had never planned to have my kids so close. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't do it this way again. Every month makes a huge difference when they're 16, 18 or 21 months. I would have waited, had I known. But I love the spacing we have and the kids really are each other's best friend.
We'd love to hear your own Baby Bunching story.
I swear I could have written that myself! We struggled to get pregnant, even going through three rounds of insemination. We finally got pregnant on our own. When we started thinking about having our second, we knew that it had taken so long with the first and we wanted our kids around two years apart. We started thinking about thinking it and wham, the first try I was pregnant again. Our kids are a week short of sixteen months apart. My oldest is now twenty-one months and we're in the midst of toddler hell. I enjoy reading about other people out there in the same predicament, it helps me stay sane! I can't wait until my kids can play and entertain each other, I know that's when it will all come together and the closeness in age will pay off. Thanks for the post!
Posted by: Casey | Oct 04, 2008 at 01:56 PM
I love your blog! I have a 9 yr old boy, 18 mo girl, and am expecting my third (another girl) in December. We also tried for over a year to conceive our daughter and suffered a miscarriage. We knew we wanted a third and I wasn't getting any younger so we decided to "not try but not prevent." Very unexpectedly I got pregnant immediately with our third. I've been babysitting a friend's baby three days a week which has been awesome practice but the idea of leaving the house however still scares me. Also my girls will have to share a room so I'm not sure how that will work. I very much appreciate all the advice and understanding. Thank you!
Posted by: Lisa | Oct 06, 2008 at 02:45 PM
Hi! Just wanted to let you know I linked to you with an award for you blog! God bless! Here is the link:
http://theglamorouswahm.com/index.php/2008/10/06/my-first-glamorous-award/
Posted by: The Glamorous WAHM | Oct 06, 2008 at 08:01 PM
My sister and I are baby bunched--18 mo. apart with a brother 4 1/2 years older than me and 6 years older than my sister. When my husband and I got married, we got pregnant quickly. My OB joked that my husband had super sperm. Because my mom struggled with fertility issues, I figured our first speedy conception was a fluke--it wasn't and our 2nd son was born 18 mo. after our first son. Fast forward 3 years and I am due (hopefully!) within the week with our third. Her conception, although not long by many books, took a lot more time. It was all I thought about. I finally one day just put away all of the fertility charts and then we got pregnant.
Now there will be a 3 and 4 1/2 year difference between baby girl and her two older brothers. Although I worry about there being a bigger age gap between baby girl and her two older brothers, I am glad that fate had us wait to have our third. I love that the boys are so close and their favorite part of their school days is seeing each other on the playground. I wonder if our daughter will feel left out. Maybe we should try for a 4th? Nah....my husband has promised me a new wardrobe after nursing if I promise this is our last. Sure, honey...can you put that promise into writing?
Posted by: AmyS | Oct 07, 2008 at 03:05 PM
My husband & I tried to get pregnant & after many months we went to a doctor & he said basically my eggs were 'old' (I was 36 at the time) & it would be next to impossible to get pregnant without fertility help. We decided against fertility treatments & decided to adopt. We met our daughter in Guatemala in May 2007 when she was 3 weeks old but had to leave her there untill the process was finished. The process was long & hard. In December 2007 we found out we were pregnant. In early march 2008 we were given the ok to go pick up our daughter & bring her home. I found myself preparing 2 nurseries. Our daughter adjusted beautifully & her baby brother was born a month early in July. I love being a mom but it has been quite the culture shock. I worked full time as an accountant until Feb this year. Now I have the hardest job I could imagine. With 2 I have found routine & schedules are my life savers! I feel so fortunate but also often overwhelmed. I can't wait untill they can interact with eachother & I look forward to each day since they are changing so quickly. It really is a miracle!
I LOVE this site! It really helps to hear that I am not alone & that is will get easier:-)
~Deena
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