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Apparently a lot of people who don't know my medical situation are looking down on me for planning on getting pregnant again.

Why do people think you're something icky when you mention getting pregnant when you have a baby?

Since there is a very good chance of me needing a hysterectomy within the next 3 years, we've decided to try to get pregnant again after I have the tumors on my cervix removed (if I don't have any more tumors at the follow up appointment. If I do have tumors, then the hysterectomy will come sooner than expected).

So most likely in April we'll begin trying again - if I conceived immediately, the baby would be born when Walter is 17 months old. Knowing me, it might take a few months before it catches.

Is there really anything wrong with spacing your children less than 2 years apart?

I see no problem with it, especially considering your condition. Myself, I'm waiting at least five years, but that's due to our current finacial situation, and our living space. If I didn't have to worry about that, I'd definately try to have another baby sooner.

My son is 3 and i dont plan on haveing another , not for a while anyways maybe in a few years when i'm ready for another 3nodding

Well, in your situation, it's your decision and what's best for you. Now, if you're going by medically, the medical associations recommend you wait till the child is 18 months to try again for your body to fully recover, more energy, etc.

I don't have a problem with people who do have them close, but I've seen a lot of people have a hard time with it and I've found I have a hard time finding energy as it is right now, so we're waiting. Our original plan was to have our children 2 years apart and Logan is 2 now....it just isn't going to work or happen right now.

But there are positives too! Having kids close in age makes them closer, get all the baby stuff out of the way quick and a playmate for a sibling!

Well as most of you know I have 5 kids and they are all almost grown up, so I can give alot of advice regarding the subject, but in the end each child is an individual and just because something happens in one family doesn't mean it will turn out like that in different family.

My first 2 kids were only 10 months apart... the first was a girl and the second was a boy. For the most part they got along great and played like best friends until their teen years, but they had alot of the same friends, they were one grade apart in school, so that was fine... and now as adults they still go to each other for advice. Between that son and next child, my daughter are 2 3/4 years apart... when she was first born she was considered a novelity, but it wore off after a while. They'd play with her some as she got to be a toddler, but they were on different levels of play so it wasn't too often.

My next child was born exactly 2 years later, and he was a boy. So he was 4 3/4 years younger then his brother, 2 years younger then his sister and 5 3/4 years younger then his older sister. They showed him off to their siblings and when he was a toddler, they would use him as an excuse to play with the toddler toys. They still get along with him, but he has always seemed mature for his age.

The next child was born 4 1/2 years later was also a boy. There really was no one for him to play with, but I had babysitters..... and mother's helpers. My other kids by then were 4 1/2, 6 1/2, 9 1/4 and 10 when he was born. My daughters ages 6 1/2 and 10 like to pretend he was their doll to play with until he started crying and they couldn't get him to stop.

All my kids were potty trained between the 15 month and 24 month mark, but I think it helped that the oldest potty trained at 15 months, and the other kids as they came up the ranks wanted to be like the oldest so they couldn't wait to get out of diapers so they could be a big kid like their siblings.

All the kids got along with each other, but at times they forget that their youngest brother is still a younger sibling, like with the 4 teenagers, they all like electronic things, and they can't understand at times why their brother still plays with kids toys. That is about the only problem I've run into. The only thing that I can say about outside people is that my kids have all been in the 100% for their age and weight and so most people assume that they are older then they really are and when they were younger people would expect them to be able to do things that they weren't physically old enough to do.

The best piece of advice I can give is to not worry what people outside of you say, especially since they don't know what is going on in your life. They have no place to judge you or decide what is right for you. Whether my kids were 10 months apart or almost 5 years apart, they all did really good and managed to get along with each other and that is what counts the most. That and having lots of love to give.

i totally agree with your first statment.

and i really want Arielle to be closer to three and hopefully potty trained by the time we have #2 if we even do.

also, make sure dancing kitten, that you are having another baby when your body and yourself are ready and not because of time-constraints! ^_^

I say go for it Kitten.

there is all sorts of arguements for and against this topic... "oh, its better to wait"... "you should have them closer"....

its all opinions based on expeirence - NOT FACT.

go with what you think is right...... if you're not going to get another chance, and you want another child, the take the chance you have.

Me and my brother are almost exactly 18 months apart (June 17th '81 and Dec 22nd '82). So we spent a lot of time together as we grew up, since we were always in the same general thing and liked the same things.

I'll tell you this much: we fought like the dickens. Well, I'm naturally passive and he's aggressive, so it was more him fighting me and I took it. Which is kind of backwards, since I'm the older one *shrugs* The way I figure it, siblins of different genders so close to age is better than same genders... our society does a good job emphasizing gender roles from early on (starting as early as 'pink is for girls, blue is for boys'). Due to that, most boys will tend to have common interests, and most girls will tend to have common interests.

If two children were close in age but different genders, they could always retreat to their OWN things. If the son didn't want to play with the daughter, he could go play with other boys, likewise with the daughter. If they were the same gender, they'd always want to do the same things, and would constantly be stepping on each other's toes. There would be more fighting, I assure you.

Mind you, this is just a theory based on what I've learned about childhood psychology and my own experiences and observations, not cold hard facts. Oddly enough, this doesn't seem to be the case with twins... not sure why exactly. Probably due to the special bond they tend to have.