5 Things That Made Me Feel Ready for Baby #5 (+FAQs)

I’m pregnant!!! I still can’t even believe this. Honestly, it took a while for me to process it.

We are expecting our fifth child so this was a lot to take in. Right now, we have all boys and they are ages 12, 8, 7, and 5 years old.

I woke up this morning even feeling a little overwhelmed at the idea of starting over again. We literally have no baby items. And even though I’ve been through this four times already, I feel like I’m a new mom again.

Over the years, we kept getting asked the same question, “Are you guys done?” I kind of always knew deep down that we weren’t, maybe because we wanted to have a girl so badly, haha.

The thing is, we also never had a concrete timeline or plan for when we wanted to get pregnant again. So, as you can imagine, missing my period was quite a surprise.

But once the shock of seeing a positive pregnancy test wore off, I realized that there are five things that make me feel ready for baby number 5.

#1 We Have More Space

Back in 2018 when we had our fourth child, we were living in a two-bedroom apartment. We had moved there two years prior after downsizing because money on one income was tight. But not too long after my five-year-old was born, we eventually moved into a three-bedroom apartment, which was a lot more comfortable.

Now we’re living in a four-bedroom home that we purchased and built! It feels so good to be homeowners with this pregnancy. Because not only do we have enough bedrooms to accommodate our soon-to-be family of seven, but our boys have a backyard that they love to play in, and a neighborhood that is filled with kids to play with!

#2 I’m A Lot More Organized

I’ve always been a naturally organized person, but becoming an organized mom has been a whole other beast. There were times we were spending all of our money on takeout and completely drowning in a messy home.

So I’ve had to learn how to weekly meal plan, create a laundry routine, keep toys organized, and declutter often just to stay sane. In fact, getting organized IS my secret to staying sane.

If I hadn’t done the work to learn how to become a more organized mom, I honestly don’t know how I’d be able to manage my big family and have joy in the chaos.

#3 Our Kids Are Older

As overwhelming as it feels to “start over” and have a 6-year age gap between my youngest and the new baby, I find a little comfort in knowing that since my kids are older now, they can help out a lot.

I’ve experienced having three kids under 5 at one point, and two kids in diapers at the same time, and let me tell you, THAT is stressful!!!

So it’ll be nice this time around since everyone is potty trained, can put a fork in their own mouths, and there will only be ONE child in diapers.

#4 I’m Still A Stay-At-Home Mom

I quit my full-time job in 2014 after I had our second son to become a full-time mama. Being a stay-at-home mom has been the hardest, yet the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. But it hasn’t always been easy raising a big family on one income.

We’ve had to sacrifice a lot, downsize a few times, and embrace experiences over possessions, but we saved a LOT on childcare costs, which made it all worth it!

One thing I know for sure is that being at home with my kids is what I’m called to do. If I’m honest though, I was beginning to question if I was still needed at home because my youngest will be going to Kindergarten this year.

Finding out I’m pregnant with our fifth child, I think, only confirmed that I am exactly where I’m meant to be! It’s not that I needed to get pregnant to justify our decision for me to stay at home — I was ready to own it without worrying about what people think. Because the truth is, I love being a homemaker!

#5 I’m Putting My Happiness First

I experienced postpartum depression twice after having my third and fourth child. It was a very dark season in my life where I struggled with my mental health, a messy home, and losing myself in motherhood all at the same time, so I never wanted to go back to that place.

I’m doing a much better job now at taking care of myself while taking care of my home and my family. But if there’s one thing that has contributed to my overall happiness the most, it’s been having something that belongs to just ME!

Starting this blog, and my YouTube channel, and building a community on Instagram gave me the creative outlet I needed to connect with myself and all of you! I’m doing more of what I love and it feels good.

Pregnancy Announcement FAQs

Q: Are you guys hoping for a girl?

Of course! I’m so tired of buying boy clothes, haha.

Q: Were you trying to get pregnant?

Not exactly. My IUD was removed in January because it wasn’t in the right position, then life got busy and I never got around to going back to the doctor to have a new one inserted. So we definitely weren’t trying to get pregnant, but we knew that we were playing with fire.

Q: If it’s a boy, will you keep trying for a girl?

Nope! We both agree that no matter this baby’s gender, it will be our last. Our oldest is turning thirteen next month and I’m not trying to be pregnant at his high school graduation. If this child isn’t a girl, I am mentally prepared to accept my purpose as a Boy Mom.

Q: How did your boys react to the pregnancy news?

Everyone was excited except for our oldest son because he thought we were going to put the new baby in his room, but he’s since come around.

Q: How far along are you?

As of writing this post, I am 11 weeks and 0 days! So I’m still in my First Trimester, which I know for some people is a little bit early to make a pregnancy announcement. But I only did it because it was getting harder to keep the secret, plus we both felt comfortable about going public with our pregnancy news! God forbid, though, if anything were to happen, I have no problem being transparent and sharing that with you guys too!

Q: Are you going to find out the baby’s gender early?

YES! We weren’t going to at first, but a friend of ours offered to throw us a Gender Reveal Party since this will be our last baby! I thought the gesture was so thoughtful and sweet, so we happily accepted! Our party is in about two weeks, I’ve already taken the SneakPeek DNA Gender Test (lancet), so I’m beginning to get really excited!

Q: When is your due date?

March 1st, which happens to be 6 days before my 32nd birthday! But all of my boys came about three weeks early, so we’ll see!

Q: Are you going to turn your office into a nursery?

Ahhh! That’s the million-dollar question. Currently, the fourth bedroom in our home is my little space where I write, do my nails, and store seasonal home decor. I’m really torn right now about whether to give it up and make it a nursery, share the room with the baby, or share our bedroom with the baby. So many options, but I’ve got plenty of time to make up my mind!

Q: How have you been feeling?

Overall, I feel great. But the first few weeks of this pregnancy were not easy. I’ll go into much more detail about my First Trimester experience, symptoms, cravings, and favorite products in a future post, so stay tuned!

Q: Wow! 5 kids, does that scare you?

Honestly, it used to be when I had three kids under five and I felt like I was JUST a mom. But since doing the work to reclaim my identity, my home, and my life, my capacity has grown. I know it won’t be easy, but I have room in my heart and I feel confident that I’ve got this!