log in | register Track your baby's growth

Your Avatar

Sign up to get FREE personalized newsletters about your baby each week.

Enter your due date or baby’s birth date:

Find baby registries & websites

Find a couple's baby registry. Enter parents' name here.

Create your own baby registry here.

Top Five Wrong Reasons to Have a Baby

Read to make sure you're not TTC for all the wrong reasons.

What's with the new baby boom? And more important, what's to stop you two from jumping into the race ASAP? If the baby buzz is hitting close to home, you're not alone. We're sure you know that having a baby isn't something to take lightly -- but be careful you're not rushing into it for the wrong reasons. Before you get baby fever, read this.

Wrong Reason 1: You Need Something New to Obsess Over

Now that the wedding planning is over, what will you do with all your free time? Suddenly there's a strong urge to fill it with another big project. Don't mistake boredom with baby cravings. Take up a hobby -- whether it's searching for houses on the Web or learning how to wallpaper your bathroom. Sure, you've proven that you can stick with something and follow it through to the end, but get the most out of this free time (and alone time) while you have it.

Wrong Reason 2: You're Freaked Out About Fertility

No matter how well we know our bodies, most of us have no idea about a fundamental aspect of our health -- our ability to conceive -- until we actually start to try. It's this nagging feeling that makes us anxious to jump into the baby ring. But take some of the pressure off yourselves and let nature take its course. Some couples have to wait a while to conceive, some get pregnant on the first try, and some without even trying! Assume the best, and only start the process when you're truly ready for the pitter-patter of little feet in the house.

Wrong Reason 3: Everyone Is Having Them

Come on. What's that saying about all your friends jumping off a bridge? This is a decision that will change your lives like no other. Make sure you're both on the same wavelength about the big issues: Who, if anyone, will stay at home? Can your living situation handle it? A solid, united front is the key to being perfect parents to a kid. Just because Sam and Anna are ready doesn't mean your twosome is ready for a threesome. And just because Britney did it, doesn't mean anything.

Wrong Reason 4: You Think a Baby Is a Quick Fix

Being married isn't easy, but it's easy to think a baby will make your life a fairy tale. Parenthood isn't all romance. Don't make the biggest mistake of all and expect a baby to fill a void in your marriage, or use the idea of starting a family as a Band-Aid for your relationship. Instead, work on the two of you, and remember all the fabulous reasons you got together in the first place -- then make room for baby.

Wrong Reason 5: There's Pressure From Parents

For years before your engagement, Mom dropped tons of not-so-subtle hints about wanting you to hurry up and tie the knot. Never one to let up, she's now talking about her grandma urges. Like you do with everything else your mother tells you, listen patiently and then calmly explain to her how you're still the master of your own destiny. Don't worry -- tell her she'll be the first to know.

-- Liz Zack

See More: Fertility and Ovulation

Have something to say? Share your opinion and advice.
Want to participate? Log in to share your thoughts.

Two reasons that should have made the list but didn't (and should have been higher than any of the 5 listed: 1) "I can't afford to have a baby and/or am not stable enough in my life to have one but I just want one so I'm going to do it anyway" and 2) "We didn't have a condom handy but didn't want to miss the lovin', so it was an accident"

by SuperDeDuper

Last January my dad passed away, so instead of having that "Quick Fix" we've waited to even talk about having kids until we knew that bad reasons were not going to affect our decision. I just used this as another form of "you're doing the right thing". Very comforting!

by dmweeks10

I do know people (including my step-son) who think that having a child is going to somehow fix their relationship. Yeah, cos having little ones certainly doesn't add stress to your life! And, sadly, I know a couple of the "accident" people "SuperDeDuper" mentions too. Anyway, I wish the people who go into parenthood blindly lots of luck! Well, we all need it, even the ones of us who (hopefully) went into it with our eyes open.

by Cheriemimi

I know people who only want to get pregnant because they want to be young moms so when their child or children are teens they still look and are young compared to others which I believe is the wrong decision completely. You should have children when you're financially stable and ready for a baby.

by twitch11

as the mom of an "oops" baby, i just wanted to say that i disagree with SuperDeDuper. while it may not be the very best way, it's definitely not worthy of this list. we were not what most would describe as financially stable, but we will always ensure that our child has the necessities. sorry if this is snarky, but i get really frustrated when people tell us we should have waited and planned better. i wouldn't change anything.

by willowprincess

I completely disagree that concerns about fertility should be disregarded. If you're worried, talk to your OB/GYN and insist on getting your ovarian reserve tested and your SO should have a semen analysis as well. My husband and I wanted to start our family two years into our marriage, but were told to wait by everyone and our fertility concerns were dismissed by our doctors. We have now been dealing with the heartbreak of infertility for four years with no baby in sight. My husband has a low sperm count that has decreased by about two million every year for the four years and now he is completely infertile. There is no hope for us to conceive except through ICSI, a $40,000 procedure that we cannot afford. If we had begun trying earlier when we wanted and his sperm counts were higher, then we may have been able to conceive naturally or with $200 Intrauterine Insemination. It's a decision that I will regret for the rest of my life.

by tinymouthwash

I always wanted to be one of those young moms (not for the looks or anything, but so when my kids are old enough I still have the energy, and desire to do things with them). But I have never made it a reason to have my kids. Ill admit Ive had the "oopsy" baby, but it didnt turn out so bad. I just dont get the women who get pregnant and depend on everyone else to raise their child..... "Im your friend, not your kid's nanny, I will NOT raise her for you..." is something I have said a few times before. If your not ready to make the decisions for that child please dont have her/him, or at least find someone who is equiped too.

by nici84

Number 2 really hit me today as I just came back from my regular obgyn appointment. I'm 31 and freaking out about my fertility. I feel like time is running out. Yet my fiance and i aren't ready to have kids yet. I feel like I need to ttc just find out if I can concieve. But the doc just said eat right and excersize so you'll be healthy when you are ready to start ttc.

by suorkaterina

SuperDeDuper - my husband and I were not planning on having a child but our surprise blessing has been absolutely wonderful. I agree with your # 2. In fact, we aren't "planning" for our second. We are waiting to be surprised!

by RoseTor

I think the number 6 reason I see women get pregnant is to keep the man from leaving her.

by ZachnLoriahn

The bump should do a flip side to this article and state the top five best reasons to have s baby. It'd be interesting to read the findings!

by apezula

I agree that this are bad reasons to have a baby but I don't think fertility should be in the list. Fertility is a very real problem for a lot of couples, more than anybody will ever tell you, you will not know until you start trying. My parents tried for almost 10 years before they had me. My husband and I tried for 2 years, went to a fertility specialist, made all the exams and were told that we were not going to have children without fertility treatment. It's very hard on a couple but now we have the biggest blessing of all. I'm 10 weeks pregnant without any fertility treatment. So listen to your heart and get tested if you think something might be wrong. Good luck for the ones ttc and for the ones already expecting. We are all on the same boat, let's be supportive.

by heavendreams

love your comment RoseTor. We didn't plan my pregnancy, but the last thing I would call it is an accident!

by amaruu

@suorkaterina - don't freak out. I'm 33 and DH is 29. We are 3 months pregnant with a healthy baby. Unless your doctor has given you reason to worry about infertility, it'll happen. Stressing about it certainly won't help. We tried for about 6 months with nothing. Then I started going to the gym 4 times a week and decided not to think about when my ovulation time was and that's when I got pregnant.

by Torinos

I know a couple of people who had kids for the welfare money or child support. What these people dont take into consideration is that YOU NEED MONEY TO RAISE A KID! DUH! It makes me mad when people have kids to use them for something for their own personal advantage/gain. You should have a child as an addition to your family, carry on your name/legacy, addition to the future of the world and, most importantly, someone to LOVE! :)

by MEspinoza415

You will have none. Most time not spent with your child will be spent catching up on work you need to get done. You and your spouse must carefully plan any time away from your child, and very little can be done spontaneously. To pretend otherwise is probably neglectful of either your child or your spouse. -Instant Tax Solutions

by InstantTaxSolutions

I think these are great reasons not to be TTC. A baby is a blessing that should be cared for and not for the reasons that are listed here.

by melody1981

A reason I think should be on the list: You want the attention of being pregnant/having a newborn. Pregnancy has been so glorified in the media lately (just look at entertainment news, it's all about who's expecting and who has a new baby), and there are definately people out there who want to be pregnant for that reason. They don't realize it's a lot of hard work, and that after a few months, everyone moves on and it's you and your baby. Pregnancy and children are awesome, but they shouldn't be a way of focusing attention on mom.

by dereksbrideWed54299

And the father of the baby usually leaves the baby mother and finds someone else to be with. They even usually cheat on you while you're pregnant. If you have a true spouse, then that's certainly something to be proud of. And being a fatherless child is even more hard. There's never pressure from parents to have children. It's exactly the OPPOSITE. They yell, cuss, and blow up fumes if they find out that their children are having sex or possibly will have sex. Usually its the fathers. They will antagonize a girls boyfriend or boys surrounding her (if she gets her period). If its a bad mother? They will call names and other horrible outbreaks. And if your parents fail to teach you about sex ed? Schools are heavily teaching health class and sex ed to students. It just really depends on the person whether or not they have a messed up life and want something to love and don't care if they have a man. Other times its individuals who end up pregnant on accident but are not pro-abortion. And some may be lucky if it strengthens their relationship. And yes, some do, do it because they want their partner to stay. But really, facts and "HELP IT" books and articles don't really prevent anything or bring a shock factor. It only gets you when IT happens to you. And women have a maternal nature by nature. Some get it and some just don't.

by l33txangel

And those who know some females that say "I want to do it because I want to look young!", they don't really believe that. It's a defense mechanism against others who find out that young females get pregnant. Why? Because they are ashamed and they know people around them are calling them terrifying names and starting rumors. It's a big fad that has spread from Middle School to High School. Females sometimes gloat about those things but they're really internally hating themselves for getting pregnant because they aren't ready. (This is the last input) lol Sorry.

by l33txangel

I agree with everything written here, but lots of parents had their children already from all the wrong reasons mentioned here. You can't do anything about that, but you can recommend them a good soy baby formula, right?

by ibmdude