Anyone Get Baby Fever Even Though You Are Done?

I don't get baby fever. I didn't even like the baby phase when mine were babies(I prefer toddlers and older kiddos) , but I do sometimes get pangs of wanting another child. I really wish we had had three children, but pregnancy and birth complications kept us from having more, and adoption was simply too expensive for us. The two we have are so much fun to have around, such blessings, I sometimes wish we had tried harder to find a way to make adoption work. Now we're too old, or at least we think we are, and the adoption agencies would probably agree. I'm so thankful for the two we have, and whenever I feel that longing for another, I think about how much easier my life is now that my boys are older and they are both in school.

Only when I see a very newborn baby. Then it kicks in pretty hard but then I realize how nice I now have it without all of that baby stuff! Diapers, strollers and all the gizmos you have when they are little. lol
Also LOVE telling them to get dressed and put on the shoes and hop in the car without my help! Yep, I'm done :)
C.

I sooooooo understand what you are saying!!!

I'm DONE DONE DONE (and if I could make my font size bigger with each DONE I would!! LOL!!!) but I STILL love the infant stage.....I miss it.

Although each time I think about it - I think about the 3 miscarriages I had - the worst at 20 weeks - that that thought just evaporates in my head!

it's not a second guess....you are "normal" and having those feelings, IMO, are TOTALLY normal!!

It's SO normal to feel that twinge of longing. Nature designs that into us childbearers, mind and body, so we'll be willing to endure pregnancy, childbirth, the demands of babies, lack of sleep, etc. If that urge wasn't strong in us, the human race would probably have died out long ago. Many, many women stop having babies while still longing for more.

Among all my lifelong acquaintances (I'm now in my 60's and stopped with one daughter, myself), there are far more women who would gladly HAVE more children, but realize their families and/or circumstances can't reasonably accommodate them. Nor can the world indefinitely sustain a rising human population – many scientists and social scientists are seriously concerned that we've already reached a tipping point that will have severe consequences for future generations.

How to cope? Can we alter our longings? Well, Baby Fever will probably always be there to some degree, rising and falling with your hormones, because it's programmed in. But we CAN shift our attention away from what we don't have to what we do have. We CAN decide to stop dwelling on what we don't have. This is the "secret" to contentment of all the women I know who would gladly be pregnant again, and again, and again…, and yet are content and joyful with the families they have, of whatever size. Contentment is a state of mind, and it is mostly deliberate.

And our minds can override just about anything our bodies tell us. Or else people wouldn't be able to to diet, to run marathons, to overcome crippling accidents, to surrender needed sleep to meet the needs of a new baby, to quit addictive habits. Choosing to override our longing for another baby is one of the things our minds can do, if we decide to. We can just notice it and keep on keeping on. It is a choice.

A few times when I just HAD to have contact with babies, I offered help to new moms in my circle. They loved it, and so did I.

I call that Itchy Uterus.... :-)

NEVER. Love my 5 year old to death. But definitely one and done.

Yep! My husband is DONE but I still dream about it. Our first was stillborn though so I have to wonder if the void I feel is for her and not really another baby. Especially when my 3 year old gets mouthy! Then I remember why I don't even press the issue with my husband!

I'm 52 and my 'babies' are 22-28 yrs old. I still get baby fever even though there's no friggin' way in hell we're having more babies. New babies are the greatest thing in the world so of course baby fever is normal.

I personally don't. However, most woman do. My 61 year old mother in law just told me last week she dreams of having another baby, misses the newborn phase, and laments how her reproductive years are over. Then...I bring my 20 months old over!! What I'm saying, is for a lot of woman that never goes away. Many many woman carry the thoughts of babies until very old age. It's totally normal. A lady at my church decided to fulfill those desires every time she had them and now has 10 kids at age 32, and is impossibly overwhelmed. Most woman go through this, and most woman can rationalize when it's not a good idea all around, to add another baby.

I was always told that I would know when I was done. When our fourth
child turned about 15 months I just knew I was done. The kitchen table
and dining room table were complete. Each came with 6 chairs LOL.
It was just a feeling and I never looked back. Did I love looking and holding
newborns, absolutely. So only you know for sure.

I sometimes hold a baby and think "what if..." but it's rare and that feeling goes away quickly. I look forward to the grandchildren though!

Oh yeah. Every 2 years, just like clockwork. And I'm not just "done"... getting pregnant stands a very real chance of killing me & the baby. But the urge actually gets strong enough that my brain comes up with wacky things like my son would be better off without me to "justify" / hop on board with the baby-cravings.

Hormones suck.

OH YEAH....I have a 6 yr old daughter and 2 stepkids 20 & 18. My hubby is DONE I on the other hand want one more but like you that mouthy little 6 yr old walks in and then reality slaps me in the face. I know deep down I don't really want another one but I miss that baby phase as well.

yes I get baby fever pretty bad. I only have 2 kids ages 4 and 2 but I'm 28 weeks pregnant right now. The crazy thing is when I had my now 2 year old I wanted another right away! I was nursing and new I wouldn't get pregnant but we didn't use protection that whole first year after she was born cause I was hoping maybe I would ovulate. I ended up not getting my period back until 14 months after I had her so yeah didn't get pregnant for a while after. But now that I'm pregnant again we said we would be done with 3. But I am already baby hungry for another! Like I keep thinking after this one lets just have one more. haha I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself. But I really feel like I want 4 kids now even though we planned on only 3. So yeah I don't know if that feeling of wanting a baby ever goes away.

YUP! Logically we are done with our 2. I feel like I can handle the 2 of them pretty well on my own (my husband is military and is away a lot...currently deployed for a year). Almost daily I argue with myself for and against a 3rd. I know sticking with 2 is the best choice for this family, but that urge for another baby...another child can be so overwhelming. I never thought I wanted kids. We had our daughter and I couldn't imagine NOT having more! I adore being a mom and I completely fell in love with all things baby!
Honestly, though, I'm learning that the babyhood is the easiest part! (My DD is 3 going on 13!) So I know I have to trust my logic and mind over my heart on this one.

My daughters could be sitting on my lap...arms around me...squeezing the juices out of me and pouring "i love you"s in my ear ...and still I miss the baby versions of themselves. So YES YES YES! I do long for the 3rd girl and I have named her Mercedes and I will nickname her Sadie...Maybe before we get too old my hubby will consent to adopting one. A girl can dream right?

I get baby fever anytime I watch A baby Story, anytime i find out someone is pregnant, or anytime I see a woman with an infant carrier. I don't think that feeling EVER goes away. It really is such a blessing to be pregnant and have a new baby. But on the other hand, I also get those times where I can't possibly pile anything else on my plate, times when i'm really stressed out! And I always say that a baby is the easy part....but a baby only stays a baby for about 2 years, then the hard part begins, and they really need and deserve every ounce of your attention.

My kids are 2 and almost 5 and I just turned 40. I look at my toddler and think I would love another little girl like her...then I remember how hard my son makes me work and another one like him I could not handle. Of course the reality is we don't have the time, energy, space or money for more kids and I don't think another pregnancy and delivery would do me any good either.

I'm glad to start packing up all the darn baby gear though. I have friends with newer babies and I know my sister is trying so I am content to play "auntie."

i think that is why my kids are 19 yrs apart :)

Definitely, my kids are 16,13 and 8 and I often think how nice it would be to have a baby, but reality is, we are done and I honestly wouldn't/couldn't go through night feedings again. Back in the fall, I honestly thought I was pregnant or starting peri-menapause, that made me really wonder if I wanted another baby. I finally had a regular period after 2 months and I was relieved!

I do. I keep telling myself we can't, we're done, blah blah blah...but it's hard sometimes. I asked a similar question several months ago had people tell me to go get counseling and had one woman email me and tell me that I needed help because I already have four kids and that is "too many".

I hope someday it goes away...and I hope I'm not like Bug's MIL and still have this feeling when I'm in my 60s!

Absolutely! I have 3 sons (2,4,& 5) and a stepson (8), but I definitely still have the urge to have another (and NO, not to try for a girl! :) ). I love, love babies and my "itch" gets a lot worse when I am around them. But, then one of my strong-willed little boys throws a tantrum or breaks something and I am brought back to reality!

I feel that way every once in a while. I have 4 daughters, my youngest is 6. I would love to have one or two more. I know that i can't though. I have a disease called IGA nephropathy, i take BP meds, dieuretics and heart meds. I keep telling myself that i can't.... but the urge does come back here and there. My husband is very content being done.

Maybe Bug is right, there are some of us that will always dream about it. I am sure that my mother in law is the same way. She is about 67 and still talks about missing the baby stage with her kids. She had 7 kids :)

Know that you are very normal and not alone :)

I have a great time holding my baby niece and thinking "wouldn't it be fun?", but I can barely keep track of the two I have (6 and 2) so I know we are done. I always wanted three until the minute the second came along and I was so overwhelmed I knew I couldn't handle another. But, yes, holding a newborn does make me think...

I think it is perfectly normal to feel this way. It's not something that has happened to me much, though. I got to raise two stepchildren, and then when I was 41, finally have my own daughter. I loved being pregnant, had a great birth experience, and my daughter is the greatest. But, I always wanted one child. I remember having a few pangs because I felt like the choice for more wasn't given to me in my circumstances, but mostly, I love my life the way it is.

My daughter (now 8) has reminded me often that I didn't give her a sister to play with, but her older stepbrother (28) has provided her two nieces (6 and 1) and a nephew (4)! So life works out.

It is totally normal. I have a 20 year old, a 3 year granddaughter, 2 sons, 10 and 7 but yet I feel the pull to have a baby like nobody's business. Thank goodness I had my tubes tied or I would have already thrown caution to the wind. At 37, the thought of 2 a.m. feedings really turns me off. I love "borrowing" everyone else's baby. I get to babysit too. It helps me remember that I am a little old to be running after toddlers and getting up in the middle of the night. The people with babies sure appreciate some time away so it helps two people at the same time. My best friend has a one year old and he loves hugs and cuddles. My two sons do not have time for that stuff now.

Yes, I always feel this way. Especially when my youngest is in Kindergarten. I have 5 kids now but they are all spread out in age so I always start doing the same thing you're saying.