I dont have children, and spending the week with my baby nephew has cemented in my mind that children are not for me. His mum gets no more than 4 hours sleep a night, that is SURE to push me into hypomania, perhaps even mania if it goes on for months. Let alone trying to be off medication, dealing with pain, breastfeeding, ensuring your child has the best possible start to life...

Spending this time with him has made me remember that humans are naturally happy. He is an extremely happy baby. But he has a very stable and committed mother. I think that will make a huge difference. As I have been around young babies with mums that arnt quite as committed and content and you can plainly see the difference in the children.

Its what you think is right for you. Im sure there are bipolar mums out there who have coped well, but dont let all the good stories lead you into a false sense of security, just as you should not let the bad stories scare you off. It will be a challenge, even more so with BP.