seriously... what makes you ladies decide to have children?

I never really thought Id have kids. then when I was 18 I just one day thought, it would be nice to have a baby, and mentioned it to my then husband, who said "yeah, why not" and we fell pregnant 2 weeks later.

10 years and 5 babies later I love my life and wouldnt change a thing.

No I dont think you need councelling, not everyone wants to be a mother, decades ago women had babies, thats what they were there for, then women realised we could have jobs AND babies and it was almost expected that thats what wed all do..

Fact is there are lots of happy childless couples who choose not to have children, you dont have to.

Then theres the women who decide not to have a child and accidentally fall pregnant, have thier baby and love it so much they have a few more.

Theres no rush. I dont know how old you are, but chances are youve got a bit of time to think about it, its not something that should be taken lightly!

Goodluck, and dont worry you dont have to have kids!

This is an excellent question.

I didn't consciously say, "OK, I'm ready, let's do this!" My circumstances were not exactly ideal, but there it was. You could say it sort of fell into my lap.

Scared? Absolutely. On one hand I loved being pregnant. On the other hand, I was terrified. I sort of alternated between the two the entire time...the pregnancy rollercoaster.

As far as childbirth, I wanted to go natural (w/an epidural). I was very, very scared...but I think that is completely normal!!! It's fear of the unknown. I just tried to get as much info as possible by reading, talking to others who had experienced it, and taking a childbirth class. When the moment finally arrived, the circumstances were such that I could not go this route; I ended up having to have a c-section. Everything turned out fine.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was to expect the unexpected. How true this is...you can only do so much to prepare: mentally, emotionally, in every way. After that, it is out of your hands. This can be a tough thing to truly accept, but I've learned it's THE most important.

You, like everyone else, will always have unanswered questions. There is no possible way you can be 100% "ready"...if you wait until then, it will never happen.

Just remember that should you decide to have a child, you are not alone (it can feel that way). And should you decide NOT to, that's ok too. You're still not alone. It's totally your choice. That's a great thing!

I don't think you need counseling, I just think you should go a little easier on yourself and try not overthink it.

I'm soon to be a mother. Before my husband & I decided to have child but unfortunately I had miscarriage. We were really upset of what happened. Then we decided to try it after 1-2yrs. But then after 1month of my miscarriage, I got pregnant. We did not plan for it. But it did happen. Now I'm enjoying my pregnancy & excited to be a mother. I feel scared of the responsibility of being a new mother then at the same time scared of the labour. I've heared it is really painful. But it can be avoided. I'm proud to say that I was born a girl or else I will not experience the feeling of being a mother. Having a child is really a great blessing from God. Though it's hard to take care of a children from birth up to the time they become mature. But the most important thing is u have taken care of the gift that God has given to u.. If u r not really ready of getting married then talk to ur bf straight. Or if everything already settled then I think better u accept the truth that u r getting married very soon. Better u take advice from an expert. Just pray for it. I wish u a happy life or a happy marriage life. ;-)

If we all thought no children because of the pain what on earth would happen to the human race....i had a lot of pain and was in labor for over 21 hours, and no it wasn't easy but my gorgeous son was worth it and then some.

You seem to be focusing on the fear of the pain...let me ask you a question if there was no pain in childbirth would you have children?... if your answer is yes then it is a selfish one sorry.... you are not ready and may never be...there is so much help to make a woman as comfortable as possible in chilbirth..... i love my partner and whats the greatest way to show your undying love than to make a person who is part of the two of you and your love..... being scared...we all feel scared of many things in life but still do them, and realize that actually we grow and become better people for having done those things at the end of the day it is your choice...good luck.

You will know it when you are ready for sure. The pain was never that bad for me. My first kid scared me too. I always thought about what labor was going to be like. The contractions feel like period cramps only like 20 times worse and they come in waves. I got an epidural soon after the contractions started. After the epidural I felt nothing and just sat back watching TV. I didn't feel much of the actual birth either. Everyone is different. The pain is forgotten so soon after. The real pain...changing diapers for 3 years.

I'm with you on this one - the part about not having children. Pain is not my fear and neither is all the sacrifice and effort you put into raising a child.

My fear is making or allowing an error in that child's life and I know I would not be able to forgive myself for it. I look around and see the kind of terrors some children have been through and I wonder what the parents had been doing to allow for things to go wrong. I do not want to be that parent who is to blame.

yea i felt scared. the pain hurted like heck but its all worth it once you see your child, and knowing that you brung another life into the world.my childbirth was easy the only hard part is the contractions. i feel that if your not ready emotionally then wait a while. no i dont think you need counseling its totally normal to be scared.

I'm scared of the pain. But when it happens it happens. Also finances, you always find a way to make ends meet. You did when you were alone and first moving in together. You will now!!! And as for looking after the child, you naturally know what to do. If not you have other mothers all around you who will gladly help you!!

it is so funny that you ask this question. I believe that some women may be chasing the dream of the "white picket fences" or keeping a family if the children's father is around. Please...to all women...don't fall into the trap. Even if you are married or if you are seeing this person an a regular basis...do not have children until you know that you are financially,mentally and have the stability to take care of them.

All women have a biological clock inside of them..now true enough some women's clocks may be ticking a little louder than others. All women have a sense of motherhood, thats why a woman can be in a store and see a cute baby and her heart will melt,its just instilled in us, the time will come when youre ready and if you have a good boyfriend/husband he will understan that. The worst thing you can do is to rush into having a baby and you havent lived your life yet. Hope I helped :)