Yes, think it all through and talk with as many people as you can. I had three and was very depressed during the pregnancies but had no postpartum. Go figure!

One thing to remember is that parenting does not stop at eighteen. It just goes on and on. Realize that although there is great joy, there is a long haul.

We have several sets of friends who are childless and they seem very happy. They have a lot of disposable income and travel and do things. We are stuck at home paying for college. While i wouldn't give my children up, going without kids is definitely a viable option.

When I was pregnant and had young kids, I had to hide my illness a lot. People totally did not understand. This was 30 years ago. I hope things will have changed a great deal for you.

And yes, make sure you have a rock solid marriage. There will likely be times you are too depressed to attend a band concert or whatever. He'll have to pick up the slack. It's really helpful also to have a lot of extended family members that can be there when needed. When you are manic, things can get just damned crazy.

Hope I wasn't too negative...just trying to be realistic.

Good luck to you.