Are You Ready to have Another Baby?

Responsible parenthood does not only entail proper care of the children by both the husband and the wife; more importantly, it means proper family planning. Couples who can successfully plan the number and birth intervals of their children not only have more fun taking care of the kids, they also encounter less problems raising them. I've come up with a checklist to help you find out if you are indeed ready to welcome a new addition to your family.

• Financial Stability--Do you have enough income or savings to support the needs of the kids you have now as well as that of the new one? Before you have another baby, you should first ensure that you could adequately provide for your brood's needs. Kids need to have a stable household, proper health care, and a good education, and you should be able to give those to them and the new baby.

• Physical Readiness--Succeeding pregnancies should be placed about two to three years in between. This will give the mother enough time to recover fully from her previous pregnancy. Also, she could devote more time to taking care of her other children.

• Psychological Preparedness--Do you feel you could manage taking care of another child? Are your children ready to welcome a new sibling? The whole family--parents and kids alike--should be prepared to adapt to the changes brought about by a new baby. Children, especially, need to be informed of the parent's decision to have another child. It will avoid issues such as jealousy over the new baby.

• Family Planning Awareness--In order to practice responsible parenthood effectively, couples need to be informed of the choices they have. Talking to your doctor or reproductive health care provider will let you know about the various methods of family planning. The TRUST Family Program offers a variety of contraceptives for every budget and preference, from oral contraceptive pills and injectable contraceptives to condoms. They are available in health clinics, drugstores, and pharmacies nationwide.

Your readiness to have another baby will depend on these four very important factors. It's necessary to be sure that you are ready in all aspects, because these factors affect one another. If you've checked all the items in the list, then you can consider yourself ready for another baby.