We had four lovely children and our own home—we were happy. Then, when I was 42 and my youngest was 9, I found out I was pregnant again. My husband, who loves our children, was devastated and demanded that I have an abortion. I stood my ground and refused. There was this feeling inside me that I wanted this child, that it was the right thing to have this child, that it was wrong to even consider an abortion.  

‍

My husband and I fought. He tried to get my parents on his side. He hardly spoke to me during the whole pregnancy. What I did not know was that he was having financial difficulties which he had hidden from me.  He was worried that he would not be able to support another child.  

‍

She was born in good health, with my husband fretting at the hospital. She looked like him, but he was too upset to see that. Life continued and she became his favorite, enjoying his attention and keeping him company almost all the time. Until today, they are a great pair; scheduling lunches, babysitting, and keeping each other company a few times a week. 

‍

Two years later, at 44, I was pregnant again. We went through the same issues about abortion but this time he was furious. (I had no idea that he was almost bankrupt, and that we were about to lose everything that we had worked for over the years including our house.) But again, I refused to have an abortion.  Our beautiful, healthy daughter came into the world amidst financial destruction with the loss of our house and all of our income.

‍

Was I right? Well, almost thirty years later, the results are in. It is not us who controls the world, it is the Almighty. He decided that we would have the best life. We ended up with another house, holidays, children who all completed college degrees and are well-balanced, happy people, and we count sons-in-law and grandchildren in our family.  

‍

We’ve just returned from a two-month overseas trip—mostly funded by one of the daughters who was not aborted, in appreciation of us being her parents. When we returned, another one of them (again who was not aborted) filled the house with food for us. We enjoy dinner invites, wonderful Shabbat dinners together, and a lot more.  

‍

When one of our family needs support there are all of us there, extending to the next generation. Baby furniture and children's clothing gets passed around the family. We have our own WhatsApp group sharing happenings and photos almost every day.

‍

Since birth control and small nuclear families became the norm in our society people have missed out on the beauty of large families. There is nothing nicer than having our own tribe, with each and every baby born a valuable addition to our lives.

‍