More Kids? My Heart Spoke Loud and Clear.

Immediately after the birth of my first child, I knew in my gut I would be having more children. The same feeling arose after the birth of our second child.

But the third? Not a flutter of longing in my body. My instincts were telling me our family was complete.

I have had a few crazy moments over the years of wondering what life with four kids would be like. Those moments usually come when I am holding a friend’s infant. But after the baby snuggles are over, my gut tells me, “three is good.”

So many parents declare themselves as “One and Done,” completely happy with their decision to only have one child. Others are surprised by their desire to grow their family past one baby. Some mothers never feel done and would happily have as many children as they can.

Women talk about bouncing back and forth between having more kids or making a permanent birth control choice. It sounds like an oversimplification but my stance is, “when you know, you know.”

There is an almost tangible feeling you get when you know you are done having kids. You may list all the financial, physical, emotional and practical reasons for not having more children, but if your mama heart longs for more children, that voice is hard to silence.

Sometimes circumstances force our hand about how many children we can carry. But when the decision was up to me, it was shockingly easy to make.

I love our family of five (six if you count our fur baby.) Our last birth felt like a puzzle piece clicking into place. As our youngest child neared her first birthday, I felt like I could see the puzzle clearly for the first time. And the picture was perfect.