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“What is one topic couples discuss before marriage?
Whether or not they want children and if so, how many.
When my husband and I had this conversation 12 years ago, I don’t remember having a specific number in mind. I just knew I wanted children. However, my husband (always the planner) suggested we have 10 like his parents.
My response? Laughter. ‘I’m too old!’ I replied.
About a month after our wedding, I got a positive pregnancy test. I was thrilled! It was a dream come true to start a family so easily. The excitement was short-lived when we experienced a miscarriage just before the 6-week mark. I was heartbroken. Sure, it was an early loss, but it was a wanted pregnancy and the end of a dream.
‘When will I get pregnant again? Will I lose that one too?’
Six months later I got another positive test. I was both excited and scared. Thankfully, that baby stuck and in March of 2010, we were blessed with our first child. The delivery went well and we continued with life as a family of three. Sixteen months later, our second child arrived and thirteen months after that, number three came along. The babies were coming closer and closer and when our third child was only 3 months old, I found out that number 4 was on the way. These babies would be just under a year apart. Upon research, I discovered the term ‘Irish Twins.’ I must admit I was a little embarrassed to announce this pregnancy. ‘What will everyone think? I have a 3-month-old!’
Our fourth child ended up being just over 6 weeks early due to complete Previa. We had a 3-year-old, 2-year-old, 10-month-old, and a newborn. Surprisingly, I don’t remember life being that hard back then. I loved being a mother and after three boys, I was thrilled to have our first daughter.
This story originally appeared on Love What Matters.
Sometime after that, I began to not really care what people thought about our family size. Healthy pregnancies and healthy babies aren’t a curse. I was thankful for each one God sent our way.
Here I am now, pregnant with our 11th child. My oldest is only 10 and will still be so by the time this baby arrives. We had twins in 2015 and 7 of our kids are so close together that they are the same age as a sibling for part of the year.
Are there challenges having kids so close in age? Yes, for me it started whenever the twins were born. Our oldest was only 5 and I could no longer go anywhere without my husband. We filled two shopping carts just with babies and toddlers. A baby wore a lot in those days. Another challenge is finding a babysitter. Who wants to watch 10 kids? Because of that my husband and I make sure our schedules don’t interfere with each other. Date nights outside of the house are very rare. They usually happen whenever we’re visiting family back east.
All in all the blessings, fun, and laughter outweigh the bad. I love being a large family mom. I don’t know how many kids we’ll end up with, but I’m happy with the choices I’ve made and have no regrets.â€
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Courtney Rogers. You can follow their journey on Instagram.
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