Wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuh,

 

I can reassure you that you are not the only woman who feels this way. Most women do desire to have children, but there are many who don’t too. You have stated numerous reasons why you don’t want to have children, but at the same time have some underlying desire to as you also see a future with family get-togethers of children and grandchildren.

 

Having children is life-changing and that is a daunting thought.  Things can change dramatically and your routine will change, but it also does not mean that you have to give up on the things that you usually do too. It just requires an adjustment to allow for both.

 

Alhamdulilah, your husband says he will help and even if he will be working too, it does mean that at least you can rely on him every now and then to take care of the baby whilst you take some time for yourself. I will also reassure you that most women feel this way before having children. Firstly that they won’t be to do the things that they usually do and secondly that they simply don’t know how, but when women have children some kind of instinct takes over and they quickly learn how to manage these things effectively.

 

Obviously, at the end of the day, it is your body and your choice if you have children but do also keep in mind that your spouse who was children is entirely reliant on you to provide this for him so if he wants children needs a woman to do that for him. This may be what makes you fear he will seek divorce as if you don’t have children then he won’t be able to fulfill this desire. It is therefore recommended that you do at least sit down with him and discuss your fears.

 

It might be that you feel more comforted by sharing this with him that you feel more open to having children. It will make it easier for you to see things from his perspective and also help him to appreciate yours too.

 

At 27 time is still is on your side, but it is also limited but by no means should you feel pressured to having children if you don’t want to or are not ready to.

 

What can be useful to do, is as it seems you have already, contemplate your 2 options; have children or don’t. Think about the benefits and consequences of both. Think of this in terms of both the immediate and long-term effects.

 

Also, think about if you had children, would you regret having them? Or if you don’t,  would you regret not having children. Unfortunately, a woman is generally not able to have children beyond a certain age so you do have limited time to think about these options until the time passes. As much as you don’t feel like having children right now, it is a decision that affects your husband too and at some point in the future will be a choice you can’t make anymore as you go beyond childbearing age, so it is important that you do spend time thinking about this now. It might be that you even come to some kind of compromise that maybe you will live a year or 2 more without having children and will try after this period.

 

May Allah guide you to make the best decision that will be best for you and your husband and most pleasing to Him.