Here’s Why We Might Be One and Done

My son is almost 2 years old, so as you can imagine, we’ve been asked a fair number of times if we are planning to have any more kids. Some people pose it as a direct question – “When are you going to have another?”. Others offer it up as a suggestion – “It’s so much easier when there are two…they play with each other!” And then there are those who use flattery to “casually” drop the hint – “A little girl with your curls would be SO CUTE though!!”, like I might somehow special order a mini-me. The fact of the matter is – we might be “one and done”. And this isn’t the answer anyone wants to hear. So, even though I don’t owe anyone an explanation, let me tell you why.

To be clear – it’s not that I don’t want another child. I would welcome a second child into our lives with open arms and I would love that child fiercely, just as I do my first born. However, here are two big reasons why the jury is still out on whether or not there will be a baby #2.

1. Becoming a mother wasn’t that easy for me the first time around.

As I shared in a previous post, I suffered two miscarriages before I had a pregnancy “stick”, and that one was high anxiety and high risk. I worried every single second of every single day whether or not I was going to miscarry again. Or worse, have a stillbirth. So, there’s that.

With my last pregnancy, I had a rare placenta abnormality called velamentous cord insertion. I won’t go into all the hairy details, but essentially what that means is the umbilical cord did not insert itself into the middle of my placenta, as is the norm. Instead, my placenta split into two and the cord managed to insert itself somewhere in the middle of them, sprouting vessels to each and not really “grounded” to either. Weird right? This condition evidently only happens in 1% of pregnancies. So, lucky me. I was part of the 1%.

The main concern with a velamentous cord insertion is a condition called vasia previa, where the vessels are near the cervix, putting them at much greater risk of rupturing prematurely – likely resulting in a stillbirth. Additionally, since the vessels are essentially unprotected, they can more easily disconnect (like from a baby kicking them, for instance) or pinch, cutting off the baby’s blood supply. Add to that the fact that in some cases where the placenta splits in two, one can potentially crap out before 40 weeks, which means the baby doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, stunting it’s growth. Fun, huh?

I had monthly ultrasounds starting at 20 weeks, which gave me some peace of mind that the baby was doing alright. But even with those monthly scans, I basically worried my kid was going to die for five months straight, especially in the weeks between each ultrasound. I’m already a worrier, and combine that with the two previous losses, and I was a bit of wreck. So, as you might imagine, I worry about going through all of that again. Not just a complicated pregnancy, but the miscarriages too.

2. My marriage took a bit of a hit post-baby.

My husband was there by my side through it all and was amazing through labor and delivery. In the first few weeks home with baby, I struggled with breast feeding, was super hormonal and forgot how to cook, so we ate a ridiculous number of Milio’s Subs (and he’s not really a fan…) since I’d taken the food rules very seriously and swore off sandwiches for nine months. He came with me to see a lactation consultant, did the lion’s share of the cooking, and graciously ordered me a #12 whenever asked and he was amazing and supportive every step of the way.

But then, something changed. I felt like he started criticizing my every move. Even judging how I put on a diaper or swaddled the baby. And of course he felt the same way. Like he could never do anything right and I was “momming” him too. We butt heads over vaccinations (I’m for, he’s against), and talked over each other at the doctor’s office. We quarreled over big things and even more over little things and after months of this, it really started to take a toll. I didn’t know exactly what was going on or where things went wrong, but I knew we were headed for trouble.

Lucky for me, my husband agreed to go to a couple’s counselor. I know many women who are or have been in the same boat whose husbands refuse, so for that I’m grateful. Not only was he open to going, but he wanted to figure this out too, and together.

Even one appointment helped. We were reminded that we stopped giving each other the benefit of the doubt. That we were living as roommates and not husband and wife. That we both need to acknowledge what the other does well and show appreciation instead of nitpicking or criticizing. That perhaps we had forgotten what supportive behavior towards one another looks like.

We are working on it daily and things have definitely improved, but I wonder sometimes if our marriage can handle the stress of having a second child. It’s important to me that my children grow up in a healthy and stable home and until I feel 100% confident that we are back on solid ground, I’m not sure if bringing another kid into the mix is the best move right now.

So, as you can see, it’s a loaded question…and not a decision we make lightly. But whether we do or whether we don’t – it’s nobody’s business, but ours. Because ultimately, we are the ones who will have to live with it.

A couple with their child

Alicia
Alicia was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin and moved to Madison in 1996 to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she received her degree in Communication Arts with an emphasis in radio, television and film. She’s been working on campus in some capacity ever since and currently manages career and leadership development initiatives in the School of Human Ecology. Alicia married her husband Eric in 2012 and became a mom to her sweet and funny son Ellis in 2015. When she’s not playing with or reading to Ellis, she likes to read, watch TV, and might be caught playing bingo at the VFW. She also runs her own lifestyle blog (madtownmomma.com) and catches for her softball team through Madison Schools & Community Recreation every summer.

19 COMMENTS

  1. I love the truth about marriage after a baby here!!! I think everyone has times when they need reminders of what it’s all about ♡

    • Thank you Kyla! I know we are not alone in this, but I feel like nobody really talks about it. So often we feel these topics are taboo and actually helps to hear that others can relate.

  2. Excellent and honest post. I can relate to both the pre-birth fear due to complications, and the importance of thinking about what your family can handle before choosing to expand it. Thank you for sharing.

  3. Great article! If you don’t mind sharing, I am curious about the name of the counselor you saw with your husband. It is definitely a different road to navigate in a relationship!

    • Hi Laura! Thanks for your note. 🙂 In all honesty, we each saw someone individually first and they both offered to have the other one come in too so we could have a joint appointment to discuss the issues we were each experiencing together. I think many counselors will do this for you. I called our insurance company and asked for a referral to someone who specializes in marriage/family counseling and they gave me some recommendations!

  4. We should be friends. All of this hits home with me. I had 5 miscarriages before getting pregnant with my daughter. My pregnancies require lots of needles, pills, ultrasounds, NSTs, blood draws, IVs, etc. to keep my body cooperating until delivery. It was terrifying. I did kick counts round the clock to try and reassure myself that everything was ok. After our daughter was born my husband and I definitely went through a period where we were on different teams and not the same team while adjusting to being parents. We did decide to have a second and I will tell you this… I was still terrified during pregnancy, even though I knew it was possible for my body to do. And our marriage did take some hits again, although we were wiser the second time around and knew it was temporary and what we needed to do to get back to “us”. But I totally get it. We always thought we wanted 3 and now we’re really not sure. Because I am not sure I want to be stressed to the max for the entire pregnancy while trying to be a present mom to my children… and a partner to my husband. This all resonated with me SO much. Thank you for putting it into words so well. 🙂

    • Thank you for your note and for sharing your story Erica. My heart goes out to you because I know how difficult two miscarriages was for me, I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you to experience 5…I am so glad to hear that your story ultimately had a happy ending! It’s also encouraging to hear that you learned how to deal with the impact on your marriage the second time around! We should indeed be friends. 🙂 Let’s grab a beer on the Terrace some time and swap stories.

  5. Excellent post Alicia! Very honest, relatable, and well-writen. We need more open dialogue about these topics. Loved reading it!!

    • Thanks Evie! I appreciate your support and for you always lending an ear when needed. You saw me through much of post #1 and 2 and I so appreciate your friendship.

  6. Love the article, especially the section on marriage. Keeping the “you” during pregnancy and after is hard, even harder keeping the “us” alive. Kiddos to you both for recognizing the warning signs early on and taking time to work on that!
    Coming from a daughter of an only child, I always like to offer the perspective from an adult who now has to do everything for his aging parents alone with no sibling support. Though I don’t think it’s a reason to have another child, seeing how my dad struggles under the weight of carrying the burden of aging parents alone and I wish he had a sibling. He would also be the first to tell you how lonely his childhood/young adult life was.
    Again, just another perspective. Life choices are our own to make 🙂
    Thank you for sharing your story with us!!

    • Thanks for the message Amanda. Since both my husband and I have siblings (he a sister, me a brother) it’s hard to imagine my son growing up without that…that’s why the question still remains, at least for me, as to whether or not we really want just one. It definitely has to be a shared decision between the two of us, and not just one person deciding for the other. You make some great points though!

  7. This is literally exactly what I’ve experienced. VCI takes such a toll on you emotionally. I felt like you wrote exactly what was going through my mind. I have a 2 month old and already people are planning for us to have another. Your article just validated my experience and provided me with the words to explain this to others.

    • Thank you for sharing that with me Ashley! I’m sorry to hear you also had to go through the emotional rollercoaster of VCI, but am also glad to hear your story had a happy ending too!

  8. I this post hits home directly and somberly for me… both of my pregnancies were high risk and in the hospital with a procedure to keep them from coming prematurely. When my first was born about after 3 month my husband just checked out, he couldn’t handle being on the back burner and finally snapped outta it when my son started calling my Dad, Daddy! Now with our second baby, who is only 6 months… after 15 years of dating and 4 years of marriage, my husband has left me, our 2 1/2 yr old son my 6 month old daughter who also we found out had a cataract in her eye and have to go to the children’s hospital monthly to screen it and our new home we bought 6 months ago. Some individuals in marriages cannot hold up to the parenting stress, responsibilities and the sacrifices. There are some that love their children but do not love being a parent.

    • Oh Rebecca, i am so sorry to hear this. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be and how disappointing for both you and your children. This obviously isn’t what you signed up for…I hope you have a strong support system to help you get through it. Hang in there Mama!

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