Are you a young woman who has gone through puberty, and has found herself completely stricken with the desire to have a child? Do you physically feel your uterus and/or ovaries explode when you walk passed the baby section at Target? Have you bought baby name books, and spent hours scouring over all of the possibilities of your future spawn?

If you answer yes to any, or all, of those questions I have bad news; you have "baby fever". Don't worry, though. This ailment is treatable, but unfortunately I have found that the only cure for it is to actually have a baby.

Let me start by saying this - you are not alone. I'm turning 24 on Saturday, and I can honestly tell you I've had baby fever since before I graduated high school. Obviously, baby fever does not mean that you're dropping everything and getting pregnant at that exact moment. I've had the "fever" for 7-8 years, and not once have I had myself a human spawn. I just treat it like a virus; you have to treat the symptoms instead of looking to cure the whole thing at once.

1. Be friends with ladies having children

I'm not saying that I did this on purpose, but one of my best friends had three children by the time she turned 23 years old. I was friends with her before she got pregnant with her first, and I remember being extremely excited when she told me she was pregnant. I've been there throughout her pregnancies, and I've had the absolute pleasure my "nieces" and "nephew" grow up. Holding my nephew for a couple of hours helps tremendously when I just want baby snuggles.


2. Buy baby items/clothes for your "hope chest"

I can't tell you how much money I've spent on my hope chest, but it's gotten ridiculous. I'd rather spend the money on baby items than on video games like the Sims 4 expansions (which is how you KNOW it is serious). I also have a wish list on Amazon that is more like a baby registry. Like I said....it's gotten ridiculous.

3. Look at, and plan, baby names

It helps me to talk to my fiance about the names of our future children. We have a hard time agreeing on girl names, but when it comes to our boy names we'd have to have 10 boys, at least, before we ever ran out of names. I bought my first baby name book at a family yard sale when I was 12 years old, and I've been obsessing ever since.

4. Babysit

I know that a lot of people dread babysitting, especially when the spawn are young, but I swear this helps some. Although, my youngest cousins are getting out of their threenager/fournager ways, and getting quick as a whip which makes me want kids again. Don't get me wrong, I know that when I finally reproduce I will be dealing with my own terrible two's. I'm looking forward to it now. :)


5. Admit defeat

It's okay to have baby fever. It's a perfectly natural, biological, psychological response to growing older. You're made to have the ability to reproduce much younger than is socially acceptable, and that is why your mind tells you that your biological clock is ticking. Embrace it. ;)