I can’t believe I only have 7 weeks left of this pregnancy. The last few weeks I have had tons of Braxton Hicks, I won’t be surprised if this one comes early. This pregnancy has not been easy. I don’t mean to complain, I love being able to be pregnant, but I don’t know if it is being over 30, or just having this be my 5th, but I am tired, I hurt like crazy, and I am surprised my water hasn’t broken with how much pain I have been in with these crazy braxton hicks. My round ligament kills me every time I roll over in bed, and at night I walk around like an old lady with back problems because my sciatic is so sore. Even my husband gives me a look of concern like “we are not having any more kids ever because of how much pain you are in”, which is kind of uncommon for him. Not that he isn’t caring he just thinks it’s normal. But this one has done me in and unless God himself tells me we are supposed to have another child, I feel very good being done. Yeah 5 is good for us!
As I was holding my baby the other day…you know Little Mister who is only 20 months old, I started to realize how different having this baby will be than any other baby. MY BABY IS STILL A BABY!! I usually have my kids 2 1/2- 3 1/2 years apart, they are potty trained, can talk, don’t drink out of a bottle, don’t suck on a binki and are out of the crib. Little Mister is not ready for any of that, and in less than 7 weeks I will have another one. He is completely addicted to his “Ginki”, bottle, blanket, crib (which I don’t mind) and having me hold him, and I don’t really want to take any of that away. We have tried this weeks to restrict his binki time to bed time, but he begs for it all day long :(. Oh well!
Ready or not, he is going to be forced into sharing me and being a big brother. If any of you crazy (I mean this in a nice way) moms that have had kids close together have any advise for me I would LOVE it! Thanks in advance, just PLEASE leave me a comment because any help with help!
You could of just e-mailed me and not called me crazy! 😉 One thing I read between my one and two was not to make any of those changes be about the “new” baby to prevent resentment. Lucky for me most of my kids were too young before the next one came. Except for number 4 and 5. I let J do his thing like normal and not make any big deals about accomplishing any milestones before baby came. Switching him out of the crib was probably the hardest thing but he took it like a champ and was naturally ready. If you don’t make a big deal then they won’t know any different, you know? Those are my thoughts at least. Also, it is said that the more kids you have the more delayed you are to go into labor. My sister being one– going 11 days over due date. Once again, just saying…. I’m a good friend huh? 🙂
Mary Kathryn has some good points. I have to agree, don’t make a big deal out of things. They will probably be the best of friends as long as you encourage them to be and I suppose you could try to make a big deal about him being a special big brother and he can be Mommy’s big helper. My kids didn’t always get the fact that they were a big brother until after baby was born. However, they were never jealous either, because they were too young to know any different. So, don’t stress, everything will be just fine. Think of it as a reunion. These little guys were probably best buds in heaven, so that relationship will just get to continue down here. Now that you will have five, expect life to just be a little crazier than usual. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t get everything done that you hope to in a day. And remember that prayer is often the best way to keep your sanity some days. Good luck! You’ll be amazing!
I remember feeling just like you with my 6th. I could hardly walk it hurt so bad.
I would say let your little one stay as a baby for a while. He doesn’t have to give up his binky. You can worry about all that when you are more settled with the new baby. No changes for him is the best advice I can give In fact, just relax and enjoy them both.
Blessings to you all!
Yup. Five is good for me too 🙂 It’s the first time I have felt ok (actually, more than ok) with not having any more and I still feel that way even though Henry is growing like a weed. I’m savoring the awesomeness of a baby but at the same time I’m not sad that it will soon be over.
Jack was two and a half but more of a “baby” than any of the other kids. He has absolutely taken it like a champ! He adores his little brother “Ree”.
I agree with the other people who have commented. No big changes. If you need the crib right away then I would suggest letting your boy sleep with an older sibling. We came to that be accident but it’s been great and moving him from Spencer’s bed to his own bed was a breeze!
I have six kids, 4 years old and under 🙂 (Last ones were twins) Best thing to do with the ‘other’ baby is let him have a baby of his own to feed a bottle while you nurse or feed the new baby, they’ll sit right next to you. Also, since they’ll be so close in age, they’ll be best friends, start telling him now, “your brother is your best friend” helps him be on the same team instead of feeling like the new baby is competition.
I had my three boys in 3 years (my oldest turned three 12 days before my 3rd was born). Let’s just say things were (are) a bit crazy. The good thing is they have NO clue what is going on. We took them to the hospital and they look at the baby for a second, then start pulling trash out of the garbage can. With my boys there was no sibling jealousy because they were just too young to understand that the crying little bundle wasn’t going away. Having comfort items I think is actually a good thing, because they’ll get comfort from it rather than getting angry (hopefully).
I’m a little nervous about how Grant is going to react to our new baby since he’s already 3 and used to being the baby!
You can do it!
Laughing over here! I’m only 15 weeks in this pregnancy (baby #8) so I’m still pretty comfortable. Six of my spacings have been less than 18 months (two have been 13 months…hehe). You’ll be fine, he’ll be fine.
We get rid of a bottle before they turn 1. Sorry, a 12 month old is perfectly capable of using a sippy cup or straw sippy. Toss the bottle ASAP so he doesn’t think the baby’s bottle is his when baby arrives. My kiddos can use a cup with no lid by 19 months (helpful for nursery at church!). Your little guy is way more capable than you’re letting him be.
Paci – we’ve had two paci babies out of the lot. Restrict to bed only (nap and bedtime) for a while and then get rid of them after they’re used to that. It’s a rough two nights and then they move on.
Blanket – keep. Try to make it a bed/nap thing, but having ONE comfort object can be useful. 😉
Crib – up to you. Get a second or move them out. Most of ours climb out before 13 months so they move out. Mason is paralyzed from the waist down so he could stay in one longer but we’re moving him out to a toddler bed before baby arrives this summer (Mason will be 18 months, one of our longest gaps).
And potty training – skip it until 3! Honestly, before 3 you are Mommy training that you will take them all the time. Around 3 (maybe 2 months before) they’ll be completely independent in it.
Oh, and don’t attempt to drop the bottle, the paci, and the crib all in one week! Pick the one you want to begin with (bottle is fastest, toss them all and hand him sippy and straw sippy and cup – he’ll choose one or more within 2 days and not look back.). Then after that has been happening for a week or two with no drama you can do the next. 🙂
Good luck! I’ve found it is all much easier to do younger, but you can make changes now and survive. Don’t attempt changes the first two months after baby arrives! Nobody will be up for it.
And sending prayers up that you feel better for this end of pregnancy! ((HUGS)) It’s worth every ache and pain.
Just think Alan – Chad = 18 months, Chad – Marta – 13 months, Marta – Nathan = 22 months – that should give you a clue on how things could turn out.
I dont have kids yet but I have a niece and my sister in law is pregnant again. My niece is 3 and shes super excited. I think a little jealous is normal at first but pretty soon the role of big brother/sister takes over 🙂