Where some are delighted with their 'one and done' situations, others thrive on the happy chaos of a larger family.
To The Hills alumni and fashion designer Kristin Cavallari, three is the magic number.
Speaking to
about being at peace with knowing her family is complete and embracing the next stage of motherhood, the mum-of-three explains:
"I love having three kids. I especially love having two boys and a girl."
The designer says her three children with husband Jay Cutler is just right for them.
"We feel like a very complete family. We're good, we're done."
In Ireland, families have been getting smaller in the last two decades, with 2-3 children now being the norm. However, despite the shrinking size of Irish families, and Irish first time mothers being the oldest in the EU, Ireland stil had the
highest birth rate among European Union countries last year.
With her youngest almost 3 years old, Cavallari says there are some aspects of parenting that are simply easier than when the kids were smaller.
"We're finally at a really good place where we can just pick up and go," she says. "All my kids have a little bit of independence, and we're just in a really good place. I don't want to go back to the diaper phase and all of that."
With the baby stage behind them, Cavallari says she is also better able to look ahead to the future
, which now includes a return to reality television with
Very Cavallari on the E! network. But unlike her stints on
Laguna Beach and
The Hills nearly a decade ago, there isn't bound to be as much relationship drama this time around. Also absent from the show will be their three children, as Cavallari has vowed to keep them out of the spotlight as much as she can.
"I wouldn't let them do a reality show until they were 18 and they could make their own decision," she told
Us Weekly last year. "There's so much pressure as is in middle school and high school, and having a camera in your face magnifies all of that. I want them to be kids and stay young and innocent for as long as possible."
Especially now that she's certain (as can be) that there are no more babies in her future, enjoying this phase of motherhood is all that much sweeter.
