I have been out all day and haven't checked on my villagers since last night.... They seem to have had 3 more children in that time.... I left them last night with my one mother having just stopped caring for her child.... I now have 3 children and she is caring for a new baby do they breed automatically then??

One they learn how to breed, they will breed when ever they feel like it. It seems they feel like doing it all the time. Only the villager being dragged will learn this skill, so if you want to control (somewhat) your population, only train women.

lol, typical

You can also go to the detail and click on them to be a breeder. But remember children eat just as much as adults so if you are low on food hold off a bit on breeding.