We’re undecided if to have a second child

But that doesn’t mean our family is incomplete without doing so

Trigger warning: this post discusses infertility

My son is now a fully fledged toddler. We’ve passed the days of him waking up every two hours throughout the night, needing to be carried everywhere and having to constantly second-guess what his needs or wants are because he’s not yet able to articulate them. I’m undoubtedly blessed with his development and constantly remark this to myself in awe. The newborn we brought home from the hospital, who spent most of his time in our arms or in the Sleepyhead pod, now walks and runs everywhere, has conversations with us and has banter, personality and cheekiness in abundance.

For many around us, and likely many reading this, the timing for us to have a second child is therefore perfect. We’ve had sufficient time to distance ourselves from the memories of being sleep deprived and adjusting to parenthood while having a newborn (that isn’t to suggest parenting is plain sailing now because it certainly isn’t; it just presents different challenges). Our son is also now old enough that his burgeoning independence would mitigate the challenges of having two children. And insofar as common expectations in society, a gap of a few years from our first child makes us ripe for a second child.

Aside from the latter, I don’t actually disagree. However, my wife and I are still undecided if we want to have a second child.