How common is it for parents to regret having kids or to become very depressed after having kids?

Jim G: How common is it for parents to regret having kids or to become very depressed after having kids?
I realize this is a touchy subject, and some parents may not be completely honest about it. How many parents regret having either one of their kids or all of this kids? This question is open to both parents and people who know parents who regret having kids and everyone else for that matter.

Answers and Views:

Answer by ericanoel
From what I’ve seen, it tends to be younger parents. My youngest sister is 17 and just had a baby a few months ago. She dropped out of high school and now she doesn’t get to hang out with her friends. She loves her daughter but at the same time she acts like the baby is a huge burden. She gets mad a lot that she can’t do normal teenage things because she has a baby to take care of.
It’s usually people who had kids before they were ready. I know when I was little my parents had a really rough time. They had 3 kids before my mom was 24.

Answer by Desperate Housewife
Not sure about regret, but about 1 in 4 women suffer from postnatal depression, weather it just be for a short time or for a prolonged time.

Answer by JAG
I can’t say I regret my kids – I love them so much and they each bring enrichment to my life and hopefully the lives of others. But I can say that there are times I can regret just the generality of having kids period. There is so much worry that goes along with kids. Illness, bullying, social issues, drugs, kidnapping, education, etc… that it is so overwhelming. Then I worry about their futures, their potential spouses, their careers, jobs, where they will live, the world, the economy, war, pollution, terrorists… the list goes on and on. It isn’t just the day in, day out chaos that goes along with parenting, it is the lifelong never ending responsibiltiy for bringing that human into the world.

Answer by Jillian
It is probably very common in teenage pregnancies and unplanned pregnancies due to one night stands and such. I have had friends tell me that they regret having their baby.

I always wanted at least one child and we planned our baby. I did get depressed after I gave birth for several months, but it was PPD due to my hormones. I took medication and I got over it within a few months.

Answer by kat
I don’t know anyone who regrets having kids. I do know a few people who wish they had waited but I don’t think that is regret. I know someone who had an abortion and she regrets that. I have known a couple of women who suffered from postpartum depression, but it was a hormone thing and it had nothing to do with the children.

Answer by awkwardly balanced
It is my hope that all parents feel these feelings momentarily, then are able to laugh at themselves when the moment passes. Of course we get frustrated – but we can’t imagine life without them. Beating yourself up or obsessing about negative thoughts may lead to more problems. Postpartum depression, however, is when the feeling is not fleeting and not only when there is lots of frustration – and mom needs professional help pronto and people to help out, and should never feel ashamed