after actually being pregnant, and seeing my SIL trying to handle her 2 yr old & 9 mo old in a restaurant last weekend, i only want 1 now.

4/5/2012 4:07:17 PM

I want 3, but will stop at 2. Surprisingly even though I'm still not really sleeping, I could find out I was pregnant tomorrow and be cool with it. I am cray cray.

4/5/2012 4:30:00 PM

^ Not sleeping much either... but better then 6 weeks ago.

I really hope my hubby changes his mind about only wanting one. I think as he gets older that he will. He struggled with the newborn phase. I really want 2. Could probably have 3 and be happy, but I would love one more. Thinking of NOT having another makes me sad. But I couldn't force him to have another if he truly didn't want one..

[Edited on April 5, 2012 at 4:32 PM. Reason : e]

4/5/2012 4:32:37 PM

Actually in terms of being pregnant, it is so different with this one. (I am guessing because it isn't summer and I am not sick).

I barely notice. I have gained about 3 pounds total and am still wearing my prepregnancy clothes and shoes. I would say just me being tired is my only complaint, but chasing after my son does that anyway (he is 18 months). Obviously the doctors visits are driving me crazy! I go to the normal appointments and then on top of that, I go for a liver function blood draw every other week. Now that I am in the 3 trimester, I will average 6 visits for this month (if everything is ok).

I think the scariest thing for me is if I get a bad blood test back, I will have to have an immediate c-section. On the plus side, HELLP is more likely in the first pregnancy.

I wanted 3, but am prepared to stop at 2. I can't imagine being outnumbered.

[Edited on April 5, 2012 at 6:56 PM. Reason : ]

4/5/2012 6:55:45 PM

wow! how are you in your 3rd trimester & have only gained 3 lbs & wearing prepregnancy clothes?

speaking of shoes, how much larger did you people's feet get with each pregnancy & when does that start? i'm still wearing my same shoes. my mom said she went up half a size w/ each kid (2 total).

4/5/2012 8:00:34 PM

The second is easier than the first. You know what you're doing, you're use to being sleep deprived, blahblahblah...

4/5/2012 8:02:20 PM

I read this and thought of you girls
http://m.jezebel.com/5897192/my-six-months-as-a-dirty-boob+swinging-derelict

4/5/2012 8:10:10 PM

^^^ I wasn't suppose to gain any weight until March. So I walk a lot more, and eat lighter in the evenings. Plus, chasing my son (and carrying him around at 34 pounds) is probably helping too. I recently noticed my arms seem more toned.

I carried my son over the summer. By 6 months, I couldn't wear any of my "big shoes". About 3 weeks after having him, I could wear the shoes I wore when I got pregnant. My feet are wider but not enough to bump the size in sneakers, boots, and most sandals. It is noticeable in some dress shoes.

My biggest problem is in the morning I could wear my sneakers, but by the end of the day I was at least 2 sizes bigger.

4/5/2012 9:52:57 PM

73, i wore the same jeans prepregnancy that i wore at 9 months with my first pregnancy, but i had HG and puked my way down 20 plus lbs. very different with number 2.

my shoe size may have changed half a size or went from the regular to the wide after two kids. my biggest problem was right after Amelia. my feet were extremely swollen for about a week and i could barely get any shoes on. even flip flops were an issue.

4/5/2012 10:25:09 PM

^^ MY feet stayed the same until after the c section. They were HUGE I could only wear my slippers. I looked a might bit funny going everywhere in slippers, but they were the only ones that fit. I retained a lot of fluid from the c section.

4/7/2012 5:28:36 AM

Does anyone know of a good stay at home job? We are exploring our child care options for after the summer, and one idea is for one of us to work from home. Unfortunately, as a teacher it's not really an option for me.

[Edited on April 8, 2012 at 11:29 PM. Reason : (I know it's a long shot... just trying to broaden our options!)]

4/8/2012 11:28:45 PM

so you want to work from home and take care of the baby at the same time? or have someone come to the house and watch the kid while you work from home?

because my company has a lot of work from home positions but it's understood that you wouldn't be caring for your child while you are working.

4/9/2012 8:47:31 AM

Both of the parents I nanny for work from home. Dad is a financial advisor and mom is a consultant.

4/9/2012 9:12:37 AM

Yeah, I worked for a mother who did statistics for a pharmaceutical company and she could not have done her job without me looking after the children.

I kept another child the same age as mine in my home for a few months for extra income. It worked out really well for us, but it isn't going to replace what a full time job would bring in.

If you can get into it, there are a lot of telephone jobs that are done from home -- appointment setting, phone orders, and that kind of stuff. A lot of transcription work is also done from home.

4/9/2012 9:18:47 AM

There's an excellent discussion on http://www.corporette.com about working from home. And the number one thing discussed is that you cannot be an active participant in child care. But, I think it would be pretty nice to have lunches or breaks with your kids.

Top five work from home gigs:
1. Crafty stuff (ebay, etsy, etc).
2. Virtual customer service for big companies.
3. Home-based freelancers to perform tasks ranging from software development to writing press materials.
4. Tutoring (this one you could do around your schedule)
5. Be a web guide.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/story?id=5522191&page=1#.T4Li-5k7UT0

Other than that, I've seen IT positions, business management, etc. But those you typically earn the right to work from home, in my experience.

Another list I found:
Virtual assistant.
Medical transcriptionist.
Translator.
Web developer/designer.
Call center representative.
Tech support specialist.
Travel agent.
Teacher.
Writer/editor.
Franchise owner.

[Edited on April 9, 2012 at 9:26 AM. Reason : obviously some won't apply to you ]

4/9/2012 9:24:55 AM

Quote :

"I kept another child the same age as mine in my home for a few months for extra income. It worked out really well for us, but it isn't going to replace what a full time job would bring in. "

This is what I do now, but just one day a week and I haven't fully started yet. It should become more regular soon. (hopefully)

Otherwise I looked in to medical billing.

4/9/2012 10:11:04 AM

If you're not use to juggling more than one kid at the time, it can leave you a little frazzled. But if you're going to keep your kid(s) at home, it goods or them to be exposed to their peers. Ultimately, it's easier because they will entertain one another and you're getting paid.

4/9/2012 10:43:17 AM

Great responses!! The idea would be for my wife to work from home, and have someone (we know someone) to stay at home with her to care for the baby.

4/9/2012 11:04:51 AM

If this is happening when the kid is getting older just remember that every time the kid hollers for mama or daddy you should not go running. Had this happen at one stay at home mom nanny gig, and the kid screamed for mom for every diaper change. Mom came every time, and finally asked me why does she scream for me at every diaper change. I told her she screamed because she knows mom will come if she does.

4/9/2012 6:53:33 PM

I'm sure this has been asked/answered a million times, but how long did it take you (anyone in this thread) to conceive?

4/10/2012 1:44:00 PM

1st time = 3 months
2nd time = 1 month

4/10/2012 2:03:15 PM

Was your wife on [hormonal] birth control for any extended period of time before the first?

[Edited on April 10, 2012 at 2:04 PM. Reason : ]

4/10/2012 2:04:33 PM

both times: less than one week.

4/10/2012 2:32:40 PM

I was on birth control for 7 years. Went off BC in August 2011 to try and have a baby.





Been wanting to post ITT for weeks now.......9 weeks 1 day pregnant. Had my first ultrasound this morning. Cute little baby. Can see the ears and eyes. Very very excited. Have had a relatively easy pregnancy. No morning sickness. Been sleepy but I'll take that over feeling sick.

4/10/2012 2:35:15 PM

^Congrats!

Quote :

"Was your wife on [hormonal] birth control for any extended period of time before the first?"

yes, for years.

4/10/2012 2:40:09 PM

^^Yay! Congratulations! I went off in October, and started trying in December after having been on for bc for 12 years. No luck yet.

4/10/2012 2:40:56 PM

3 months trying (we used condoms one month in between bc it would have made baby due on my brother's wedding day)

was on the pill, then depoprovera, then back on the pill for ~9 years total

------

today i've had the worst MG symptoms since before my surgery in 2005. i actually ended up taking mestinon, which i hatehatehate bc it tears up my stomach. i finally made it work at like 145. my arms & neck still don't want to cooperate 100%.

4/10/2012 2:54:21 PM

Yay, congrats fuckwads!

4/10/2012 4:01:48 PM

I got pregnant the first time every time. Hormonal BC the first time and Mirena the second.

Congrats on the pregnancy!

73, that sucks. Hang in there . -hug-

4/10/2012 4:03:09 PM

congrats!!!!!

4/10/2012 4:03:49 PM

Yeah, I feel bad mentioning how easy it was for us to conceive when so many people have a hard time, but part of me wishes it took a few more tries.

[Edited on April 10, 2012 at 4:36 PM. Reason : few]

4/10/2012 4:35:20 PM

Yeah, same here. It was shocking how fast it was.

4/10/2012 7:35:40 PM

Yay congrats Fhqwhgads!!

4/10/2012 7:41:29 PM

Thanks for the feedback guys! Even those of you who were very quick! It's good to have the whole spectrum of experiences.

4/10/2012 9:10:01 PM

congrats Fhqwhgads!

And I stopped taking bc ~6 mos after we started dating (due to the crazies it causes me to experience) and we practiced the rhythm & pull out method for ~3 yrs. once we were married we were less careful and little over a year later we were pregnant.

4/11/2012 9:20:18 AM

Quote :

"but part of me wishes it took a few more tries."

It gets more stressful the longer you try so I'd count yourself lucky you didn't have to deal with that stress.

4/11/2012 12:02:15 PM

Yeah, the dread of actually letting yourself hope gets pretty hard to deal with.

4/11/2012 12:04:52 PM

Quote :

"It gets more stressful the longer you try so I'd count yourself lucky you didn't have to deal with that stress."

I guess it's time to do a statistical analysis on the break-even point of having fun having sex vs. being stressed out by not successfully fertilizing.

JK, I'm grateful that we were able to conceive easily.

4/11/2012 12:15:12 PM

^^ I am all too familiar with that feeling and know exactly what you mean.

4/11/2012 2:59:25 PM

http://kateelizabethconner.com/motherhood-101-the-first-year/

No idea if it's good or not, but it comes off legit to me!

4/12/2012 9:31:44 AM

Yes, all good advice based on our experience. I think you have to be reminded often that "babies crying in public is not a big deal".

4/12/2012 10:01:14 AM

alliepaige knows her IRL. Cute little blog

4/12/2012 12:34:28 PM

Ok...so I am totally not ready to have this baby.

We haven't picked a name. I haven't set up a space for her to sleep. Haven't dug out my pump. Really haven't done much of anything. I am 30 weeks pregnant. I had my son at 34.5 weeks. I should probably be more prepared.

I will say the chronic nightmares have started. I totally haven't missed those.

4/12/2012 8:20:12 PM

take a deep breath... you have the advantage of this not being your first... we were stressing about the name too, but we came up with one all of a sudden that we both loved. if we didn't, we had some backups that we were both happy with.


unrelated... what does it mean when the mucous plug comes out? (yes, it sounds very gross)

4/13/2012 8:48:53 AM

It's pretty gross as well. Looks like blood tinged snot. It's a prelabor sign that could mean things are about to get interesting soon OR things are about to get interesting in a few more weeks

For a little perspective, Buddy was 5 days late and I lost my mucus plug prolly 2.5 wks prior to my due date.

4/13/2012 8:55:47 AM

gotcha... wife reported she had lost hers as of last night

4/13/2012 10:52:06 AM

The mucus plus is really gross.

I THOUGHT I had lost mine about a week prior to giving birth, but then I REALLY lost it when I went into active labor. Definitely a surprise for me there.

[Edited on April 13, 2012 at 12:57 PM. Reason : e]

4/13/2012 12:57:22 PM

wife had an ultra sound yesterday because they couldn't tell if he baby was turned the correct way... turns out she is! They estimated her weight at 6 lbs 14 oz. It could be any time now! (technically due may 2nd)

4/17/2012 8:04:16 AM

exciting

4/17/2012 9:34:21 AM

keep us posted

4/17/2012 10:02:35 AM