Second Baby

If I was you, having been a corporate ladder girl my whole life… I’d have the baby first.

You said jobs where you are don’t pay well and you’ve struggled to get back on the corporate ladder, so why delay further for something that’s not happening right now. Jobs aren’t a certainty but real life is and sadly you can miss it whilst chasing other things. If you wait for that job, settle in, start climbing the corporate ladder, that’s 2 years gone. Then you’re 39 with a 7 year old and baby 2 didn’t happen because work got in the way.

I’m 36 and can’t really delay wanting years for another job opportunity due to my mum and gran hitting the menopause at 39/40. I was drowning in that work world anyway with kids. I want a third baby and I’ll get back into that career when they all get to school, the longer you delay the lower your chances get sadly.

Also we are emigrating too so I’ve put jobs on the back burner and am focusing on family first.

The job market sucks everywhere right now. I've had two redundancy in 2 years and had my 2nd in between (a blessing and surprise) I'm running out of time but need a job before I try for a third, madness I know, but I'm the higher earner and we simply can't live on partners wage.
So we've got bad options, try but financially cripple us or don't and probably not again. But the rejections and waiting is so soul destroying! I do think get a job experience if you can then market is just getting worse.
But we shouldn't have to make these all or nothing decisions x

I would consider available childcare arrangements options first. Can you afford paying childcare for more than one child? I wouldn’t expect much childcare help from the grandparents because being in late 30’s the grandparents are usually too old to handle more than one child. In where I am at now (UK) nursery costs aren’t cheaper for second child. That means I will have to pay 2X the costs for childcare just for me to go to work. When children start nursery or school they will get sick almost every single week and have to be sent home very often.

Then there’s consideration for paying nearly everything double in long term (food, tuition fees, activities, holidays, health insurance etc.).

Personally I would prioritise getting a secure job first before even thinking of having a second. I am also in late 30’s and have given up having a second child. For me to have a second child I need a full time nanny and supportive family nearby which I don’t have any.