Support NeoGAF

[RoryDropkick]

It's been a bit but we just got the phone call from our pedi, and Andrew's chromosome tests came back normal. *phew* That was a stressful couple of weeks. Otherwise, the kids are doing fine. I experienced my first diaper blow out with Andrew last week, which wouldn't have been too big of an issue but he has casts for his club feet, so it ended up soaking the tops of his casts and sliding inside which required re-casting Prune juice is a dangerous thing people.

 

[Mixolydian]

Sooo... the sex talk. Who here has done that, and at what age? Obviously a lot of that depends on the child, but I'm just looking for stories from those with experience.

 

[Violence Jack]

Question for you guys. My fiancee and I have decided that we want kids. However, she doesn't want them after turning 35 (she turned 33 in December), and I'm wondering if I waited too late to start (I'm already 35). We'd like to start trying after we get married in October. So how late is too late to start raising kids?

 

[Icefire1424]

Question for you guys. My fiancee and I have decided that we want kids. However, she doesn't want them after turning 35 (she turned 33 in December), and I'm wondering if I waited too late to start (I'm already 35). We'd like to start trying after we get married in October. So how late is too late to start raising kids?

I think that decision will depend entirely on the couple. I know some couples who stopped having kids after 30, and some (like my great uncle) who just had his first kid at 58 (his wife is obviously quite a bit younger than him). My personal thought is 58 is probably too old yea, but 35 is definitely still within range. Fact is people are waiting longer to have children nowadays, and I'm pretty sure mid-30's is becoming more of the norm. Just be prepared that getting pregnant often takes longer than you would suspect. Took nearly two years after my wife and I started trying.

 

[The Lamonster]

Found a smaller-than-pea sized cyst in my 1yr old's neck, a little below her ear. It was alarming at first but after some light Googling it appears to be pretty common. Will still bring it up to the ped in April.

 

[Icefire1424]

Found a smaller-than-pea sized cyst in my 1yr old's neck, a little below her ear. It was alarming at first but after some light Googling it appears to be pretty common. Will still bring it up to the ped in April.

To ease your concerns a bit more, I had two growing up (both in my chest) and two of my cousins also had cysts of the same size. In all cases, they went away on their own. Really common in my family, but still worth bringing up.

 

[Violence Jack]

I think that decision will depend entirely on the couple. I know some couples who stopped having kids after 30, and some (like my great uncle) who just had his first kid at 58 (his wife is obviously quite a bit younger than him). My personal thought is 58 is probably too old yea, but 35 is definitely still within range. Fact is people are waiting longer to have children nowadays, and I'm pretty sure mid-30's is becoming more of the norm. Just be prepared that getting pregnant often takes longer than you would suspect. Took nearly two years after my wife and I started trying.

Thanks. I feel a little better about it now. We've decided that if she's not able to get pregnant by her time requested, we're going to adopt.

 

[mr jones]

My daughter had issues latching, I tried nipple guards but they were a giant pain in the butt and did not work for me. On the second day home I just could not get her to latch and her pediatrician and two lactation consultants did not help. After a very difficult few hours my mother went out and got a Medela breast pump and I used that for an entire year. It was difficult and I honestly have no idea how I stuck with it for so long, but if the next one doesn't latch I'll do it all over again (at least try to do it all over again). Each day I spent 4 hours either pumping or cleaning all the pumping gear.
All my life, though, I'd been told that breast was better, it's really pounded into you in certain cultures. It was like if I didn't breastfeed I was harming my child which meant I clearly didn't love her. Very stressful, which does not help milk supply, but for months it was basically my state. Because I could see how much I was pumping I knew exactly how much she was eating and I was forever comparing it to what she was supposed to be eating and if my fridge supply started to disappear I'd feel like I had to pump more and it was just a constant cycle of worry. Since I didn't know what to do in the beginning, pumping schedule wise, and since I traveled so much and wasn't able to pump consistently my supply ended up starting to dry up by ten months and it was like some horrible race to pump more than she could consume.
If you can breastfeed awesome, if you can pump sure why not, but if you can't oh well it's not the end of the world. It doesn't mean you love your child any less or that you're a failure, that was really hard for me to grasp, though.

Holy crap when did my girlfriend get a GAF account? This sounds EXACTLY like her. All the guilt and stress. I'd tell her "bae, he's EATING, right? Doctor says he's GAINING weight, right? Don't trip because he's not breast feeding the way "folks say he's supposed too."

We later found out (he's 5 now) that he was on the autism spectrum. I STILL think that she secretly thinks it's her fault.

Stop stressin'. Even though you may not think it, your body will become honed to your baby. You'll KNOW when they're going to wake up. You'll know when they're starting to get sick. You'll feel it when they're really happy. All that mommy crap that I don't get cuz I'm a guy.

Thank god. Y'all women are cray.

 

[H.Protagonist]

I'm 38 weeks today. Scary... -_-;

It seems like you are worrying too much already, causing you to overthink it. Just take it as it comes. A little pain is common the first days/weeks, but it often goes away within a week or two.

People are different though, of course. Just remember that if you stop cold turkey, your breasts will become engorged and hurt like insaneeee.

I live in Japan and it is a VERY traditional country. People dislike formula, and I'm always afraid I'm being silently judged when mixing her food in public. That's my only issue with formula (and how much effort it takes to clean the bottles every day, and such). No regrets, of course, my daughter loves her milk and she always seemed very happy with it.

Breastfeeding is way easier in many ways. Traveling, going out for dinner, etc. Takes me some time to get ready since I gotta pack clean bottles, boil water etc.

But whatever works out. Give it try. You might find breastfeeding insanely easy and convenient. Heck, it's supposed to be a very effective way of losing weight because of how many calories you burn.

Edit: I don't like to give advice without people asking ("Everyone and their mom have an opinion when it comes to babies"), but I highly suggest you bring a donut pillow to the hospital, if you're giving vaginal birth. I couldn't sit without it, which made breastfeeding so painful since I had to sit up. It's also very good for the car ride home + the coming weeks!

Probably! It's just because it's the one thing my husband and I had pretty different opinions on for the baby, and being in Australia I feel a ton more pressure than I would in the states. Likely, I'm just seeing it everywhere (in the news, online, etc.) because I'm thinking about it all the time. Of course I'll give it a very strong go. I'm just fretting that it won't pan out exactly and I'll be in even worse knots.

Pillow-wise, my giant pregnancy noodle apparently doubles as a breastfeeding pillow, so I think I'm covered. I'll be trying for a natural birth, so happy to hear it should help there.

Just found out that I'm going to be joining you soon, ParentGaf! My wife and I have been trying to have kids for years with no success. We were on the verge of giving up, but yesterday morning my wife took a pregnancy test, which came up positive!

In RL, we're only telling close friends and family, but we are so excited!

Congrats! Wishing you guys well~

Pro-tip: develop a good swaddling technique.

I've asked the cat to make sure to sit on the child in an even manner. Kitty swaddle.

Question for you guys. My fiancee and I have decided that we want kids. However, she doesn't want them after turning 35 (she turned 33 in December), and I'm wondering if I waited too late to start (I'm already 35). We'd like to start trying after we get married in October. So how late is too late to start raising kids?

Nope. Not at all. That's exactly my sit. I was 33 when I got pregnant and I'm 34 now ('scheduled' to pop in the next two weeks). I, too, have had my eye on the 35 milestone and had hoped to be done before then, but if we go for a second kid I'll probably be 36 or 37 by then. I do wish I was a few years younger for the energy, but I'm not really fussed. Very common these days. You just have to stay active and fit.

 

[Red]

.

 

[Skellig Gra]

Wife is a couple days past her due date. She is feeling very discouraged. I just keep telling her it's almost over.

 

[RetroMG]

Thanks to all for the well wishes! We're very excited.

Question: My wife keeps going from being really cold to really hot and back. I assume this is normal, but can anyone verify?

 

[Fonz72]

Wife is a couple days past her due date. She is feeling very discouraged. I just keep telling her it's almost over.

We were 10 days "overdue." There is no such thing as an exact due date. It's actually a range of days, so tell her to relax and all will be well.

Don't let the doctor pressure you too much to induce as long as everything is stable. Our doc was super laid back. We checked blood pressure daily and did an extra ultrasound and a stress test. Everything was good so she let it ride. D-day +10, baby came.

 

[Ayumi]

Just found out that I'm going to be joining you soon, ParentGaf! My wife and I have been trying to have kids for years with no success. We were on the verge of giving up, but yesterday morning my wife took a pregnancy test, which came up positive!

In RL, we're only telling close friends and family, but we are so excited!

Congratulations!

Question for you guys. My fiancee and I have decided that we want kids. However, she doesn't want them after turning 35 (she turned 33 in December), and I'm wondering if I waited too late to start (I'm already 35). We'd like to start trying after we get married in October. So how late is too late to start raising kids?

Rasing kids is never too late. :3

But the earlier, the better, because the chance of Down's Syndrome increases significantly after the age of 30. I'm not saying don't do it, I'm saying you should just go for it! But even though the chance is higher, it doesn't mean it will happen - you just need to be aware of the statistics.

I don't like to be too personal, but my mom raised my youngest brothers from when she was around 40 (they are both adopted). The youngest is 9, and my mom is now 50.

Raising kids has no age limit, I just think people choose to not have their own children after a certain age because of increased chances of various diseases, but mostly because it's probably lot harder to be pregnant at 40 than 25 for instance.

Also I'm 26 and my husband is 34, our daughter is 6 months.

Wife is a couple days past her due date. She is feeling very discouraged. I just keep telling her it's almost over.

Any day now, within some days and the baby is here!

 

[RustyNails]

Holy crap when did my girlfriend get a GAF account? This sounds EXACTLY like her. All the guilt and stress. I'd tell her "bae, he's EATING, right? Doctor says he's GAINING weight, right? Don't trip because he's not breast feeding the way "folks say he's supposed too."

We later found out (he's 5 now) that he was on the autism spectrum. I STILL think that she secretly thinks it's her fault.

Stop stressin'. Even though you may not think it, your body will become honed to your baby. You'll KNOW when they're going to wake up. You'll know when they're starting to get sick. You'll feel it when they're really happy. All that mommy crap that I don't get cuz I'm a guy.

Thank god. Y'all women are cray.

Lol, exact same thing with my wife. She used to sit and cry if she couldn't pump out milk. It was very stressful and me as a dude I would be say similar things and also that the baby will definitely let you know very loudly if he's hungry. I mean that's the only thing they're good at!

Sorry to hear about the autism bit. How did you guys find out, if you don't mind me asking? what signs was he showing that got you concerned?

 

[anarckitty]

So sleepy. I'm currently feeding my 7 week old. I really wish he'd start sleeping in longer stretches. This waking up any where between an hour and a half to three hours throughout the night is starting to get old.

=(

 

[Red]

.

 

[RoryDropkick]

So sleepy. I'm currently feeding my 7 week old. I really wish he'd start sleeping in longer stretches. This waking up any where between an hour and a half to three hours throughout the night is starting to get old.

=(

I hear ya. we are at 3 months and the twins are not quite at a consistent schedule yet.

 

[Ayumi]

I hear ya. we are at 3 months and the twins are not quite at a consistent schedule yet.

Omg, twins? Jealous... ; ~ ;

My daughter sleeps through the night (usually) but it's so hard to get her to settle in the evening. She wakes up a billion times for cuddles, her pacifier, her safety blanket and what not.
It's getting better and better though, she's learning so self-soothe, which is great.

 

[Browny]

Wife is a couple days past her due date. She is feeling very discouraged. I just keep telling her it's almost over.

My partner went two weeks over both times, so nowt to be concerned about. They're simply dining more comfortably for a little longer

Question for you guys. My fiancee and I have decided that we want kids. However, she doesn't want them after turning 35 (she turned 33 in December), and I'm wondering if I waited too late to start (I'm already 35). We'd like to start trying after we get married in October. So how late is too late to start raising kids?

Our first was born when we were 33, and our second just before we turned 36. You'll both be fine.

So sleepy. I'm currently feeding my 7 week old. I really wish he'd start sleeping in longer stretches. This waking up any where between an hour and a half to three hours throughout the night is starting to get old.

=(

Our second has just turned 9 weeks, and is slowly starting to show more response to stimulation - so we can keep her more entertained during they day, which in turn leads to longer sleeps. When they can keep their head up themselves and focus at greater distances, everything changes.

I'm 38 weeks today. Scary... -_-;

Pillow-wise, my giant pregnancy noodle apparently doubles as a breastfeeding pillow, so I think I'm covered. I'll be trying for a natural birth, so happy to hear it should help there.

Almost there - all the best! And I swear by feeding pillows - super comfy for feeding, and also when they fall asleep in your arms.


On a side note, our eldest (3 next month) has gone through an "interesting" phase. She moved up a class in nursery (from 2-3 to 3-4) and her personality completely changed - everything was a major chore for her, very moany about things, etc. That coupled with the new baby was super fun times :-( Luckily this week has been a lot better than last week (where we didn't take any shit from her at all) - gentle coercion is working well, and we're letting a few of the little issues slide for the moment so we can concentrate on keeping her on the straight and narrow.

Although my having to get up at 5am every morning (to have enough time to get everything ready) is starting to take its toll. I just want to lie in the bath for an hour...

 

[Lucini]

Potty training ~!!!!

Dear lord. I forgot how much effort this takes. Even more when you split time with the ex. It's getting difficult to figure out the consistency problem. I don't want to let it slip and my baby take too long to get trained. Her sister figured it out and proceeded to show us that she didn't give a damn anyway until we made her.

Now with the back and forth between homes thing...man this is tough on me.

 

[JoeNut]

ohh god so i guess here we go, my fiancee stopped taking the pill as of last night, we're waiting until april to try though. kind of bad timing that i have really started to dislike my job now my role has changed.

realistically once we start trying, how long does it take on average?

 

[Goodlife]

ohh god so i guess here we go, my fiancee stopped taking the pill as of last night, we're waiting until april to try though. kind of bad timing that i have really started to dislike my job now my role has changed.

realistically once we start trying, how long does it take on average?

Depends on loads of things.
"Good" chance of it happening first time though, so that's what you've got to plan for.

 

[mikeybass]

Well, I've officially joined ParentGaf

Everyone meet Max. Born 28th Jan weighing a terrifying 9lb 4oz. His mum Lucie managed this Herculean task with just gas and air in a birthing pool. My respect for her, which was already admirably, is off the scale now.

We're three weeks in and I didn't think it would be possible to feel so much in such a short space of time.

That first week? Good God, what a ride. I don't know if it was shock, or panic, or exhaustion, but both my partner and I felt broken. I cried myself to sleep a few times (when sleep was remotely possible of course). I've never felt lonlier than walking around my house at 3am with this wailing little thing, not knowing how to make him feel better. I won't sugar coat it, I was terrified I'd ruined my life.

I think the main issue (aside from, you know, becoming solely responsible for another human being) was that we thought we were prepared. We'd both read a number of books, are very close to our young nieces and nephews, and also attending an NCT Antenatal Course (a charity run antenatal class available to couples in GB).

What we learnt in that first week though was that everything we'd read and learnt about up until that point was about either breastfeeding or labour. Nothing, literally nothing we'd done beforehand had prepared us for what to do once we had our little bundle of joy. I remember in the hospital on the first night whilst Lucie was asleep I needed to change Max for the first time. I just stood at the changing table completely dumbstruck, surrounded by all these lotions, potions, swabs and nappies. It was like trying to diffuse a bomb.

A very loud bomb.

That smelt like shit.

After that first week though things started to improve. The three of us slowly got into a rhythm and we learnt things very quickly. Sleeping as and when you can, not thinking he's going to die just because he's crying, and leaving behind any notion of personal space or hygiene to name but a few.

I can safely say though that, three weeks in, I am the happiest I have ever been in my entire life. Max is amazing, his mother incredible, and I cannot wait to see what the future brings us.

So all I can say to any new parents is persevere. It goes get better, and after getting better, it gets awesome. It's the most rewarding thing in the world... Even if you do spend most of your time cleaning poo off another person's balls.

 

[Icefire1424]

Congrats Mikey!

...and for the record, you'll be surprised how quickly you guys will figure things out. Before my daughter arrived I had never changed a diaper, and rarely even held a baby. Took a few classes beforehand which did help, but most of the stuff was common sense. Once you start getting into a routine things become natural, and even changing the messiest diaper becomes simple. We even have a process for the diaper blowout, which I'm thankful to say we haven't had to employ for awhile now. You'll get it!

 

[Browny]

Many congrats to you Mikey. Good choice of going to NCT - even if it's just for people to meet up with during the day (which is essential in the big scheme of things).

The first time I changed a nappy, I got the tabs at the front... Still managed it though.

Also, you'll become desensitized to the smell of poo soon enough. It'll still smell, but it'll be "oh it's just poo".

 

[mikeybass]

Thanks guys! Nappies aren't even remotely an issue anymore. I've already been exposed to more shit, piss and puke than I thought possible. Max has treated us to a few poo-namis, but at this stage it's more impressive than disgusting. In fact, he had a bout of stomach ache last week, so I've found myself cheering big dumps at this stage.

Browny, you sound like you're from GB so I don't know if you shared this experience, but the amount of pressure put on Lucie to breastfeed was staggering!

Lucie tried breastfeeding for the first three days and it seemed impossible. He was latched on perfectly, but no matter what she did it hurt her like crazy. Both the midwife and a health visitor who came round couldn't understand why it was hurting her so much. We had to move to bottles in the end (which has helped immeasurably and means I can take some of the feeds) but honestly, reading some of the hand-outs we were given at hospital it felt like we were the worst parents in the world.

Did anyone else find this kind of pressure when they first started out? I know Lucie felt heartbroken when we moved to formula but we had no other choice.

 

[Browny]

I am (Birmingham) - I didn't notice a direct pressuring as such, but on all the courses, literature etc they do always push for it. My other half didn't breastfeed our first (due to post-labour complications), but does with our second.

With bottles, as a dad you do get a great sense of worth in doing some of the feeding (which is very good for the male ego!). Our routine with our first would be me doing the feeding when I was home, so she could express what she could. She would manage to express enough milk for a full bottle every 4 or 5 feeds, and that can put your mind at ease a little - so worth trying if you can. But don't let anyone tell you you've made a bad decision in using bottles - your baby is feeding, getting the essentials, and is healthy and happy - also it's a lot easier to judge how long they feed for and how much, for when they start taking in more.

 

[Ayumi]

ohh god so i guess here we go, my fiancee stopped taking the pill as of last night, we're waiting until april to try though. kind of bad timing that i have really started to dislike my job now my role has changed.

realistically once we start trying, how long does it take on average?

It could depend on so much. Some forget the pill one day and become pregnant. It took me 4-5 after stopping. I do read that it might take a little time after she stops, because the body needs to kinda "reset" from the hormones and stuff.

@mikeybass: Formula guilt is real, and it made me feel really awful for a while. But it goes away. As long as the baby is happy and gets what it needs, that's all that matters.

 

[zbarron]

Nick is 13 days old now and last night was the worst we've had. We formula feed and every time we fed him parents choice he made an "ewww" face and was very gassy. We switched to Similac sensitive two days ago and he's doing better during the day and eating more but last night he was up pretty much all of it and at times inconsolable. We tried feeding, changing his diaper, bouncing, singing, burping, different positions and nothing helped. My older son is having some bathroom problems so I don't know if they're sick or not. I just don't know if I should wait it out or try something like gripe water. It seems too early to try a different formula already.

 

[mikeybass]

When we left the hospital we were given an NHS Leaflet called Start 4 Life or something like that. Instead of explaining the benefits of breastfeeding it was more about the dangers of not breastfeeding. I'm pretty sure it suggested mums who didn't breastfeed were more susceptible to cancer!!! Really not what you need to hear after being awake for 48 hours and having just pushed a human being out of your body.

Bottles don't seem to be doing him any harm though, if anything he's eating much more regularly. Little tank's already put on 10oz!

@JoeNut sorry but it's almost entirely random. We weren't even trying, just got sick of using condoms after five years together. Must have had unprotected sex 3 or 4 times and bam, baby central. Conversely, my sister-in-law's been trying for two years now and nothing.

 

[mikeybass]

I just don't know if I should wait it out or try something like gripe water. It seems too early to try a different formula already.

Our midwife recommended not switching formula too often as baby's stomach will become accustomed to breaking down the different proteins in different formula brands. Maybe wait it out another night or two and, if no improvement, speak to a midwife?

 

[Red]

.

 

[Soulfire]

.

 

[Skellig Gra]

Thanks for the kind words all. Still no baby but I'm at the doc right now with my wife and she is definitely making progress. Hopefully it's just another day or so.

 

[Red]

.

 

[Icefire1424]

Jealous of everyone that got pregnant easily. It took two years for our first. We've been trying for three months on the second and I just had a negative pregnancy test. Having lots of sex, but I'd like to get the second one underway soon.

You'll get there. In the meantime though, at least you've got that going for you.

 

[MMBosstones86]

We had our first steps Monday at just a little under 13 months. She's still uneasy taking steps but I have a feeling we're in trouble pretty soon.

So sleepy. I'm currently feeding my 7 week old. I really wish he'd start sleeping in longer stretches. This waking up any where between an hour and a half to three hours throughout the night is starting to get old.

=(

Yeahhhhh.

My wife and I tried to collect some data on various factors leading up to bed time to see if it had any effect on the sleep quality and we found out that....there is no pattern. Some kids are just better sleepers unfortunately.

Our 1yo slept 10 straight hours 2 nights ago. 10-effing-hours. It was awesome. The past two nights since then have been a blur, I think I've had to put her back down 5-6 times each night.

Just keep surviving

 

[Skellig Gra]

Doc sent us to the hospital to have my wife induced. Fluid levels were low. She is resting in her hospital bed now. Hopefully good news by tomorrow!

 

[Monkeylord]

People started finding out that my son will take my GF's surname and I've been getting weird looks all day.

Feels sucky, but we made our decision a long time ago and we're sticking to it.

Only real problem is the surname is only 4 letters long and has 2 E's in it... makes picking names more awkward than we'd like.

 

[anarckitty]

We're a little over seven months, and tell me about it

Wish you the best. It's tough.

Oh no. Please don't tell me that. Our first child was already consistently sleeping through (only waking up for one night time feeding) most nights at this time.

Thanks, and I hope you get some rest too.

I hear ya. we are at 3 months and the twins are not quite at a consistent schedule yet.

Twins. Wow, I have a lot of respect for any parents blessed with multiples. Hope you get them on more of a consistent schedule soon.

Our second has just turned 9 weeks, and is slowly starting to show more response to stimulation - so we can keep her more entertained during they day, which in turn leads to longer sleeps. When they can keep their head up themselves and focus at greater distances, everything changes.



Although my having to get up at 5am every morning (to have enough time to get everything ready) is starting to take its toll. I just want to lie in the bath for an hour...

Isn't it amazing how they quickly start to change? I'm looking forward to seeing his personality continue to develop.

We had our first steps Monday at just a little under 13 months. She's still uneasy taking steps but I have a feeling we're in trouble pretty soon.



Yeahhhhh.

My wife and I tried to collect some data on various factors leading up to bed time to see if it had any effect on the sleep quality and we found out that....there is no pattern. Some kids are just better sleepers unfortunately.

Our 1yo slept 10 straight hours 2 nights ago. 10-effing-hours. It was awesome. The past two nights since then have been a blur, I think I've had to put her back down 5-6 times each night.

Just keep surviving

There really is no pattern and every child/baby is different. Our first was already consistently sleeping in longer stretches. Our second has had no problems sleeping in his crib from day one so that's good. Our first had problems sleeping in her crib in the beginning. She went from sleeping in her car seat to a swing, and finally sleeping in a bouncer that was placed in her crib before she finally started sleeping in her crib.

::sigh::

Doc sent us to the hospital to have my wife induced. Fluid levels were low. She is resting in her hospital bed now. Hopefully good news by tomorrow!

Get ready for this wild thing they call becoming a parent. It's beautiful and frustrating all at the same time.

 

[zbarron]

Doc sent us to the hospital to have my wife induced. Fluid levels were low. She is resting in her hospital bed now. Hopefully good news by tomorrow!

Having just been with my wife during her birth a little bit ago my best advice is when the opportunity presents itself and if your wife is cool with it, rest when you can. We went to the Hospital at about 2 AM and she had the baby at around noon. I am so glad I slept when things were calm so I was awake, full of energy and mentally present for the actual birthing.

She was induced with our first. I'm sure your wife will be fine.

 

[Ayumi]

Gonna take my little lady flying alone to Europe (hubby busy with work). Very bummed out that KLM's baby cradle has a 9 months limit. She'll be 1 year then. Too expensive to book her her own seat, so she'll be on my lap (or running around).

First flight is 12 hours, then 2 more hours on the second. Last time we brought her to Europe she was 4,5 months, and she decided I was the only one allowed to hold her.. So she was on my lap 12 hours straight. Gonna be way different when she's 1, and knows how to walk (maybe) and crawl.

Read a lot of tips and tricks, but I will most likely lose my mind regardless. 8)

 

[RoryDropkick]

Another Thursday night where my wife is out teaching and I'm left with the boys. Fortunately, it is not a repeat of last Thursday where I was faced with diaper blowouts and double meltdowns. Everyone is nice and quiet and I am here eating chinese food and watching Cobra on Crunchyroll. *phew*

I swear, next Thursday is going to be a total blowback and everything will fall apart at once again, just watch. >_>;

 

[Qwell]

We had our big 2 hour ultrasound last week and found out we are having two little girls. Due at the end of June but with twins they say they are always early. Very glad the IVF worked out the first go round. Just did our taxes and added up all the medical we spent and yikes it was a lot. Going to be so worth it though. Already got the room painted and a lot of the baby stuff.

 

[Skellig Gra]

We had our big 2 hour ultrasound last week and found out we are having two little girls. Due at the end of June but with twins they say they are always early. Very glad the IVF worked out the first go round. Just did our taxes and added up all the medical we spent and yikes it was a lot. Going to be so worth it though. Already got the room painted and a lot of the baby stuff.

Congrats

 

[H.Protagonist]

H.Pro, you'll be a good mother. You don't need advice to love your child and it's clear from your posts in this thread just how concerned you already are for his well-being.

Thanks, man. I'll do my best and try not to drop it or do any permanent psychological damage. \[-_-]/ I'll probably go a bit mental at the start, but I'm going to have Skyrim primed and ready for weird hour feedings, so maybe it can at least be sweet, medieval madness.

Almost there - all the best! And I swear by feeding pillows - super comfy for feeding, and also when they fall asleep in your arms.


On a side note, our eldest (3 next month) has gone through an "interesting" phase. She moved up a class in nursery (from 2-3 to 3-4) and her personality completely changed - everything was a major chore for her, very moany about things, etc. That coupled with the new baby was super fun times :-( Luckily this week has been a lot better than last week (where we didn't take any shit from her at all) - gentle coercion is working well, and we're letting a few of the little issues slide for the moment so we can concentrate on keeping her on the straight and narrow.

Although my having to get up at 5am every morning (to have enough time to get everything ready) is starting to take its toll. I just want to lie in the bath for an hour...

SOON. *_* Cheers, and I'll keep that noodle within arm's reach at all times. Here's hoping your eldest lets up a bit and lets you have that bath. Ah, sweet bath time with a book and cold beer...

ohh god so i guess here we go, my fiancee stopped taking the pill as of last night, we're waiting until april to try though. kind of bad timing that i have really started to dislike my job now my role has changed.

realistically once we start trying, how long does it take on average?

Mmmm... As others have said, depends on a lot of things, but with reasonable sexy time frequency, maybe 4-6 months? It's hitting that ovulation bulls-eye and a lot of women don't toe the standard cycle.

Well, I've officially joined ParentGaf

Everyone meet Max. Born 28th Jan weighing a terrifying 9lb 4oz. His mum Lucie managed this Herculean task with just gas and air in a birthing pool. My respect for her, which was already admirably, is off the scale now.

We're three weeks in and I didn't think it would be possible to feel so much in such a short space of time.

That first week? Good God, what a ride. I don't know if it was shock, or panic, or exhaustion, but both my partner and I felt broken. I cried myself to sleep a few times (when sleep was remotely possible of course). I've never felt lonlier than walking around my house at 3am with this wailing little thing, not knowing how to make him feel better. I won't sugar coat it, I was terrified I'd ruined my life.

I think the main issue (aside from, you know, becoming solely responsible for another human being) was that we thought we were prepared. We'd both read a number of books, are very close to our young nieces and nephews, and also attending an NCT Antenatal Course (a charity run antenatal class available to couples in GB).

What we learnt in that first week though was that everything we'd read and learnt about up until that point was about either breastfeeding or labour. Nothing, literally nothing we'd done beforehand had prepared us for what to do once we had our little bundle of joy. I remember in the hospital on the first night whilst Lucie was asleep I needed to change Max for the first time. I just stood at the changing table completely dumbstruck, surrounded by all these lotions, potions, swabs and nappies. It was like trying to diffuse a bomb.

A very loud bomb.

That smelt like shit.

After that first week though things started to improve. The three of us slowly got into a rhythm and we learnt things very quickly. Sleeping as and when you can, not thinking he's going to die just because he's crying, and leaving behind any notion of personal space or hygiene to name but a few.

I can safely say though that, three weeks in, I am the happiest I have ever been in my entire life. Max is amazing, his mother incredible, and I cannot wait to see what the future brings us.

So all I can say to any new parents is persevere. It goes get better, and after getting better, it gets awesome. It's the most rewarding thing in the world... Even if you do spend most of your time cleaning poo off another person's balls.

Many congrats and 9lbs 4oz?! *_* Is 9lbs the norm now or something??? Please say you guys are tall or vikings or...

And for the bolded, that's exactly what I'll be doing (trying, anyway), so please share any tips you have! Props to your tough lady and sympathies on the breastfeeding issues. We had a good discussion on it a page back.

Doc sent us to the hospital to have my wife induced. Fluid levels were low. She is resting in her hospital bed now. Hopefully good news by tomorrow!

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[mrpookles]

Had a new one with the little man yesterday. I was changing his nappy and he vomited, which I began wiping up. As this was happening, he pissed all over the change table, then shat into the piss, which created a yellowy brown river that poured over the edge and onto the floor.

Savour these moments.

 

[zbarron]

Had a new one with the little man yesterday. I was changing his nappy and he vomited, which I began wiping up. As this was happening, he pissed all over the change table, then shat into the piss, which created a yellowy brown river that poured over the edge and onto the floor.

Savour these moments.

Ah the joys of having boys. If you are going to leave him exposed for more than a moment put a wipe on his penis. It seems there is a reflex when air is exposed to their genitals they take it as a signal to start peeing.

 

[| Praxis |]

Ah the joys of having boys. If you are going to leave him exposed for more than a moment put a wipe on his penis. It seems there is a reflex when air is exposed to their genitals they take it as a signal to start peeing.

This. My son has pissed on me a few times now when I have taken the chance without covering his junk. Be wary of explosive farts as well!