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You can't do multiple votes

I needed to work at least a year before the birth of a second to qualify for maternity leave (I didn't go back to work until he was 19m), and we needed to move into a bigger place (we were in a shoebox apartment). I got a BFP the week after my one-year anniversary at work and we ended up moving a few weeks later.

There were other, smaller things, like ideally E will be out of diapers by the time LO2 comes, but the above two were the really big ones for us.

And...this wasn't quantifiable, but I needed to be emotionally/mentally ready. I really don't think I could have handled 2 under 2, or any closer, for example. I just wasn't ready to do it again yet.

ETA: And it wasn't a deal-breaker I really wanted to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight...which I hit right before my BFP

We're planning to NTNP (EEK!) right now and then TTC for real in a couple months if it doesn't happen. We were going to wait a while (sometime later next year) but DH got a raise/promotion that would make it possible to pay for another spot in daycare and I always wanted kids that are closer in age so we are going to go for it. I am struggling with the fact that I'm still dealing with PPA and I don't think I can go off my meds yet so I'm not sure how that will work but I guess we will figure that out when we need to. I think finances are an important thing to think about but being ready emotionally is the most important.

All of the above? We wanted a larger age gap, I needed to heal physically and emotionally (emotionally took much longer) wanted to lose some weight, wanted to sell our house move closer to family....

We've pretty much achieved everything I listed above so we're planning on TTC in the fall. That should give us a 3.5 yr age gap!

I just wanted to feel like I had parenting 1 down before we TTC #2. We are now an entire year past when we had planned to start TTC and I'm still not there yet. Everything else is in place!

@T.H.O.U.: yes this! I answered "other" because I realized once LO came along that the age gap really wasn't that important after all. my kids will hopefully be close whether they are a year or 5 years apart. I just wanted to enjoy my little girl and soak up every minute of the phase when she's still changing every single day and growing so fast. Also, I wanted a little time after weaning before getting pregnant again. and last but definitely NOT least, I wanted some time with DH, because we didn't have a ton of spouse time together when LO was young.

I'm feeling like all those things are starting to be in order, and we'll be comfortable TTC in due course. but i don't feel any pressure.

I'm not sure we do want another, but if we do we will wait to TTC until LO is at least 2 years old. The biggest reason is that I had a c-section and some complications and was told that getting pregnant less than 2 years from LO's birth would be a bigger risk to me. Also if we were going to do it we'd want to sort out my job situation, our financial situation (mostly due to double daycare costs), and I'd like LO to be old enough where she could be a tiny bit helpful with a new baby, rather than a crazy toddler who still needs supervision every single second of the day lest she kills herself or one of our animals lol. Realistically I think if we do it we'll probably wait until she is about 3.

Our main criteria were:
- LO at least 18 months old (to give my body time to recover and time for her to be the baby)
- Aim for a spring/summer birth if possible
- General feeling of really being ready for another
- DH didn't care but I wanted to be done paying off a certain student loan so we could put those monthly payments towards daycare tuition #2
- (Originally I also wanted to be done nursing LO but now I'm just going with it)

We just checked off all the boxes so we are gearing up to start trying next month.

I started two jobs within a short time of each other. I didn’t want to go into maternity leave for this job or my last one in my first year, so we have waited. Also I wanted about a 3 year age gap. We’ll probably have a slightly larger gap than that if things are timed a certain way. For age reasons, we probably should have had them closer together, but I wasn’t interested in doing that.

@LovelyPlum: this is hard for me. I am realizing more and more that I didn't do well with a newborn and that as Ben gets easier (he was a hard baby but is a fairly easy toddler...so far) I want time to actually enjoy having a baby. We have always planned to table any talk until he's two, but at this point I can't even imagine being ready then. Daycare costs are an issue that I also will factor in. A three year age gap will be a lot more feasible financially.

I think that no matter what you decide to do you will find a way to make it work. There is often not a perfect time for a first, and I suspect the same is true for the second.

My age was a big factor. We want a big family and didn't have our first until I was almost 32.
Now that #3 will be here before I'm 35 I think we're going to take some time before #4.

For TTC #2 I would like to
-Lose some weight/ get healthier. Pregnancy was hard on me, and I started about 30lbs overweight. I would like to be in great shape to handle a second pregnancy with a toddler in tow. I have a feeling M is going to be an active one!

-Buy a house. We upgraded to a two bedroom apt when I got my bfp, and I realized once DD was born that it's too small for 2 adults, 1 baby and all her gear, and two dogs. We put a contract to build a house when she was four weeks old, and are so excited after years and years of saving and feeling like we would never get there. Hopefully, everything works out, and we will close in December.

-Other: This newborn thing is hard! I will need some time to forget the colic, reflux, and sleepless nights! Also, I don't want to rush this time with DD. I'm a new parent, and just want to soak all this up. However, I don't feel our family is complete. There is another person missing who just isn't here yet. Someday, I can't wait to meet him or her!

@LovelyPlum:

My dd is 7 weeks old right now. I have to go back to work for 9 months to be elegible for leave again. June 2016 is when I can take leave again. We will probably start trying in April.

I wanted a 3-3.5 year age gap because I wanted to limit the number of years we will pay double day care bills. I also wanted to feel like we really had a handle on parenting and wouldn't be spread too thin by having kids really close together. Lastly, my career is important to me. I didn't want to take two maternity leaves really close together. We decided we would go for 3.5 year gap so we could have a spring baby. Well, I got pregnant a little earlier than expected and I'm due 10 days after LO turns three. But we are thrilled. The important things like emotions and finances were all in place, we were just planning to wait so I'm not stuck inside on maternity leave but a Christmas baby will be fun too.