Did you worry about finances when having a second child?

I accidentally clicked the "Yes" option without reading the whole thing. Yes and I do worry! I really wanted my children to be close in age with about a 2-3 year age gap but when we sit and look at finances (especially nursery fees) it's just not feasible. We really do want another child and I can't say I'm one and done but also it fills me with worry and guilt on the other hand feeling like if we have another we wouldnt be able to give our son as much. We're so on the fence about it all, so we aren't thinking about it again until our son is in full-time education so we can re-evaluate our circumstances.. but then it also means starting over again🥲

I have 3 and I can afford them. If I had more it would decrease our quality of life and my children wouldn’t be able to be in the activities they want to be because I couldn’t afford another 3 years of care and their activities. It would set them back and that wouldn’t be fair.
Do I worry we could lose our streams of income at a moments notice? Yes and I make sure to always have an updated resume and be cognizant of other job options available to me. We also know what luxuries we have that we could immediately stop paying for to save money. We have an emergency fund ready if needed and we already live below our means. Financial planning is important.

Kids are not as expensive as you think but also as expensive as you make them.

Had my daughter at 15 and utilized every resource available for support/second hand with minimal bells and whistles, welfare, and lots of prayer. Worked out of it within two years and used federal programs for reduced childcare and WIC to get necessities as I saved up.

Spent considerably more making more conscious choices for my son's supplies at 31, but had also budgeted and worked to make what we wanted work.

About to have our third and I e learned a lot about time management in my home, do meal prepping, mostly home cooked meals, shopping sales and getting clearance items (thank you poverty habits!) to ease the burden.

There are so many organizations, churches, and individuals online who are willing to lend support if you put yourself out there and share your circumstances/become a part of the community that are aimed at helping mamas. Not only that but resetting expectations to be realistic about lifestyle changes helps.