This Grandma had an unexpected surprise on the arrival of the second child. I was shocked that no one had told me that having two children is more than double work than having one child. One child is an appendage. It is easy to take one child along pretty much anywhere – even with all the accompanying paraphernalia.
However, figuring out nap time for two and carrying everything for two makes it more difficult to go anywhere. Three—well, when you have three, you tend not to go anywhere for a few years! And we have not yet addressed the cost of raising children!
2011 was the year of the lowest birth rate in the U.S. People are not having children for a variety of reasons. And the age of parents is increasing. We are learning a lot about old eggs and now old sperm. We are also learning that fertility – treatment babies set a record in the U.S. in 2012. The Miami Herald on February 17, 2014, in their HEALTH column reported
A new report finds that one or two of every 100 babies born in the United States now are conceived with advanced fertility help.
In vitro fertilization, or IVF, in which eggs and sperm are mixed in a lab dish, led to a record 61,740 babies in 2012. That is 2,000 more than the previous year and 1.5 percent of all births in the nation.
The report by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology also finds that more women are using one embryo at a time to avoid multiple births, which raise the risk of prematurity and other problems. Only 4 percent of women under 35 used single embryos in 2007 but that rose to 15 percent in 2012.
“Assisted reproductive Technology” did not exist when we were having children. Sonograms were new technology! It is wonderful that those who desire to have children have such options available to them. Yes, there are concerns with multiple births causing problems. We Grandmas know that the reality of “two children is more than double one” is a problem that also should be considered by the parents-to-be.
We grandmas are not getting any younger. Helping out with twins, triplets or more will age us quickly!
Joy,
Mema
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