There may come a time in your life when you begin to think about starting a family. It’s not something that everyone wants, and it certainly isn’t something you have to do, but for many, it is the next logical step in their lives and their relationship. If you are at the stage when you are thinking of having a baby, here are some important questions to ask yourself first.
1. Is This Your Idea?
There are lots of influences in our lives from peers and family members such as parents who keep hinting how much they would like to be grandparents, to the media including TV shows that seem to say how great a family is. If all or many of these are pushing you to have children it might be that the idea of having a baby isn’t yours; it has come to you from outside influences.
While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you do need to ensure that you are happy to go ahead with this; it is a huge decision, after all. If you’re not sure, wait until you are no matter how keen other people are for you to do it.
2. Can You Afford It?
There is no doubt about it and no way of getting around it, having a family is expensive, and you don’t want to find that you are struggling to pay the bills because you also need to pay for diapers and formula and, eventually, child care.
From childproofing your home to buying baby products to having to calculate whether you can afford to take any time off work, it all adds up. If you can’t afford it, you’ll need to put a plan in place so that you can, or you’ll need to wait for a better time.
3. Do You Have Support?
Having someone to come with you for scans at the Family Planning Associates Medical Group, to be there when you are shopping for baby items, to be there for the birth itself is a good thing; it will help you to feel more relaxed and even enjoy the experience. This doesn’t have to be a partner, and it doesn’t have to be the baby’s father – it can be a friend or family member if you prefer. Having support throughout your pregnancy and beyond is crucial if you are going to be happy and be a good parent to your child. Going it alone is extremely hard. Who is around you who can help when you need it?
4. Is Your Relationship Stable?
You don’t have to be in a relationship to have a child, and being a single parent works perfectly well for many people. However, if you are in a relationship and it is failing, you might think that a child will strengthen it. Sometimes this can work, but more often than not it will simply put more pressure on an already crumbling marriage or partnership. You will need to make sure your relationship is stable before adding the pressure of a baby into it.
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