People: “is this your second?”
Me: “no, it’s my 4th.”
People: “huh? ohhhh. wow. uh…”
Me: “don’t worry, my condition is not contagious.”
Being pregnant with baby #4 has garnered some personal, awkward and downright hysterical questions and comments from “The People”. Here are some examples:
- Was this one planned?
- How old are your other children?
- Do you stay at home with them?
- What does your husband do?
- Is this your last?
- Wow! College will be fun!
If we currently had three boys or three girls, I’m sure the first question would be:
- You gotta be hoping for a girl.
- I bet your husband desperately wants that son!
I’ll start by answering the questions some people have had the guts to ask and some of you may be wondering.
- Was this one planned? yes, this child was planned. My husband would love 8, we have settled on 4.
- How old are your other children? 6, 4, and 2.
- Do you stay at home with them? I do. I work from home writing in this blog and running my own social media business, and I absolutely love it.
- What does your husband do? haha. I’ll let him answer that one. And no, he isn’t a doctor, drug dealer or have affiliation with the mafia… even though he did take a lot of notes while watching The Sopranos (I kid).
- Is this your last? absolutely, yes. Lord willing. My body has been through a lot in 6 years, and I’m too old for this ish.
- Wow! College will be fun! never too soon to push for those scholarships, eh?
I will be the first to admit, 4 children isn’t exactly common in this day and age. In fact, I can’t think of anyone else in our neighborhood who has 4 kids. Two and three children seem to be the magic numbers.
Our family takes evening walks to the park, and as we pass, friendly people will look at my growing belly and then take a mental headcount of our children. Usually, they smile and walk on. Sometimes, they stop and chat. The same thing happens at Chick-fil-A and Target. I know, 4 is a little unusual and it generates some questions.
Hey, I’m not throwing stones at all. I’ve been in your shoes too!
The other night my husband and I were sitting on a bench while the kids played on the playground and we noticed a large van parked in the parking lot. My husband is one of seven children. Breathe that one in… it gets a lot of mixed reactions. Especially him being a child of a large family and wanting a large family in return.
He mentioned to me that the van looks like a newer model of the one they had growing up. Our conversation shifted to something else until we noticed the playground starting to clear out.
There was a mom and dad standing next to a double stroller with a bunch of kids swarming them. We quickly did a headcount. There were six girls, possibly seven. The one in the stroller was too covered to tell if it was a boy or girl.
Me: wow, that’s a lot of girls!!
That poor dad.
I can’t imagine the weddings.
I wonder if they kept trying for that boy and it never worked?
That poor mom.
She looks pregnant again.
No, that’s just a belly that’s carried six lives.
OMG, the oldest looks like she’s 9.
Are there twins in there?
There have to be twins.
I wonder if she stays home?
She has to stay home.
I bet she homeschools.
That has to be their van.
That’s a really nice van.
I wonder what the husband does?
Imagine that grocery bill!
Oh, and college, ouch.
I want to talk to her.
I want to ask her so many questions.
No, that’s rude.
She probably feels like a freak show.
I’m going to sit and be quiet and stare and smile and stare some more.
You see?! Guilty as charged!
I’m only 20 weeks with baby #4, but this pregnancy is preparing me for the gawks and stares and comments that are to come. Honestly, I enjoy it and maintain a good sense of humor about it. I wasn’t kidding when I told you my response to other moms is not to worry and that my condition isn’t contagious.
As I’ve mentioned here before, I am an only child and as a kid I constantly received comments like:
Oh, you must be so spoiled.
Why didn’t your mom and dad have any more kids?
Who do you play with?
I’m so jealous you get anything you want.
I bet your family is so rich.
Oh, you fly to vacation, we have to drive.
Do you get to eat out at restaurants a lot?
I’m so jealous.
I hated being an only child. And I can’t even imagine the comments my parents received.
That being said, if you’re a mom of one or a mom of seven girls embrace it! Every single child is a gift. There are moments throughout the day when I will selfishly think, how on earth can my heart handle one more child to love? How is it possible to have four children to feed and bathe and wipe tears and kiss boo-boos? Will I ever sleep again? Will I ever get my body back from carrying babies and breastfeeding? How am I going to manage all of this chaos? How will we survive?
But I know the moment this last baby is born I will burst into tears of joy, and tears of sadness…that this is the last hurrah in my great pregnancy journey.

Saffron Dodd
May 13, 2019 at 10:53 amHi there! I’m also pregnant with #4, and my all time favorite question (Not really.) is, “You know how that happens don’t you?” I always make sure to ask for the refresher course lol.
We have three girls, and we did choose to find out the gender of #4, and you’re so right- so many people ask if my husband is happy to finally have a boy. The truth is his girls are his world, and he would have been thrilled to have another; having a boy wasn’t even on his radar.
Thank you for the relatable content!
Shanisty
May 14, 2019 at 8:34 amhahahah! Oh, I love that. I need to start asking for a “refresher course”. Congrats on #4 and it’s so nice to “meet you” 🙂 Thanks for following along here.
Hanah
May 18, 2019 at 6:02 pmOh, how you’ve made me laugh! We are expecting #4 in less than 4 weeks, and don’t know what we’re having. We have 3 girls. You can imagine the heartless comments we manage to barely smile through! What a journey! We aren’t sure if we’re done yet or not, so I’ve taken to maximizing the shock factor by throwing that little tidbit in : ). I figure it’ll save me explaining next time around!
Shanisty
May 22, 2019 at 11:38 amhahah! I love this! Also, congrats on #4! I would imagine the comments would be even more brutal if we had 3 boys and didn’t have Eden. I’m excited to hear what you have… and I imagine you are hoping for healthy, I mean it’s all the matters in the end 🙂
Chrissy C-Shockey
May 19, 2019 at 7:46 amI remember when I had #4 and I was guilty of all the things you said from having other people look at me like I was crazy for being pregnant again to looking at other moms with more kids than 4 and so on. I’m currently pregnant with #6 and often get the questions I got with #4 & #5 as well. This will most likely be my last as I am getting older, at the age of 37. My sister is a year older than me and currently pregnant with her 5th, lol. I’m sure you know in your heart just as you think back to when you were pregnant with #2 you probably wondered if you could love a second child as much as your first, love grows and isn’t limited to a certain number of children. This one will not be neglected either emotionally or physically and it will be loved just as much with that love Mother’s never seem to run out of (if only patience were as abundant as love at times 🤣) congrats on baby #4. Love you blog!
Shanisty
May 22, 2019 at 11:40 amHi Chrissy! Congrats on #6! Thank you for sharing your journey with me. I’m 36, so this is my last as well. Beyond the age though, I also just feel in my heart 4 is a great number for our family 🙂 Do you know what you’re having? I’m excited for you and can’t wait to learn more about your adventures. Thanks for following along!