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I'm starting to all of the sudden feel really guilty, and nervous and some other kinda negative/sad emotions over adding a new baby to our family and throwing DS's life as he knows it out the window. I'm guessing this is all normal, but it kind of hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday afternoon (maybe because of the thoughts/reminders of it being our last weekend as a family of 3). I know DS is excited and I'm happy and excited to bring this baby home, but I know it will be a hard transition, especially since DS is so used to having me to himself 24/7 and he's a HUGE mamma's boy. We keep reading a book we got him called "Waiting on Baby" and there's a page where the parents leave for the hospital and every time we get to the page he gets sad and tells me he's going to miss me when I'm gone. I think it's even harder for both of us knowing he won't be able to visit me at all

I hope all the new mamas are hanging in there and adjusting well! And I hope everyone else is making it through the last few weeks ok. We had our first hot days this weekend and it was rough for me. I had swelling and just felt gross all weekend. And it really wasn't as bad as some summer days can be. But I also don't handle heat well. I'm just glad I won't have to be super pregnant in the heat for much longer!

@bookwormmama: I totally can relate to your guilt and anxiety about adding a new one to the family! But with the family drama I've been dealing with lately I am so so thrilled I have my brother to lean on and help support my mom! Siblings are gifts for sure.

@Mrs. Pajamas: oh man i know me too! Every step is a knife to the cervix over here!

@rattles: thank you so much for sharing. i'm glad he's doing so well!!

@rattles: wow I'm glad you guys are doing well! I love the name!

@Mrs. Pajamas: you make such a good point about siblings. My parents have poor health and I'd go nutso trying to deal with them on my own. Having siblings to gripe to makes such a huge difference.

I've been slowly losing my mucus plug over the last day or so and I'm really hoping that means labor is imminent! Although my toddler has been having the craziest mood swings in the last three days. She is sleeping like a newborn, crying hysterically for us at night, refuses to sleep, constantly acts like she's hungry but only nibbles any food I give her. She's not sick and her poops have been normal. The only thing I'm thinking is that it might be her two year molars. Bringing a newborn into this situation has me so exhausted just thinking about it. And my husband has been doing all the night wake ups with her all weekend, which is great! But then I have to deal with a grumpy baby and a grumpy husband!

@winniebee: @Mrs. Pajamas: I've never heard the term "lightning crotch" but it's so accurate! I thought I might be starting labor last night but obviously I was wrong. That's exactly how my first pregnancy was, but this one is a lot more cervical pressure while standing, and then I get that stabbing feeling while laying down.

And my toddler just pulled a kitchen chair down on her head and freaked me out! I just got off the phone with the advice nurse and she was super reassuring and it sounds like my toddlers just going to have a really nasty bruise (she stopped crying within a minute and the swelling started to go down within about 20 minutes, plus there's no vomiting or odd behavior).

But I was so freaked out I was a little worried I'd go into labor. And then I went to the bathroom and lost a ton more of my mucus plug! Sorry if that's TMI, it just made me laugh.

@rattles: wow, I'm glad his NICU/your hospital stay was quick, even with everything he has going on! And love his name! No worries about the list...you've been busy and you don't need to be the only one to update the list!

@Mrs. Pajamas: @winniebee: @newlypregnantlady: yup the lightning crotch has been bad here, too! It started a lot later this time (I'm guessing because she was breech for a while) but I've noticed a lot of cervical pain during contractions, even if the contractions themselves aren't painful. But maybe any pain during a contraction means it's a "real" one? I never had this kind of pain during my first pregnancy/labor.

@winniebee: yeah, this pain is different from the lighning crotch pain for sure...so maybe it is a contraction. It's like painful pressure on my cervix and it's usually happening while my belly is hard, but I'm not necessarily having crampy contraction feelings if that makes sense. And it lasts longer than the usual quick lightning crotch. (Side note: my phone wants to autocorrect lightning with a capital L because we talk about Lightning McQueen so much around our house, haha!) It isn't the sharp, quick, stabbing pain, which makes me wonder what it is! DS was pretty high, even after my water broke (I'm pretty sure he was like -2 when we go to L&D) and I think this baby is a lot lower, so maybe I'm just feeling more pressure as my uterus contracts.

@bookwormmama: @winniebee: my pain has been pretty stabby too. I haven't been thinking of them as contractions because I can feel baby's movement during them. But there's a definite cervix pain during them, so maybe they are BH. And there's some dull backpain but nothing too sharp.

I just want this baby here already! My brother's wife gave birth over the weekend (5 weeks early!) and I'm just jealous she has her LO. I'd definitely never voice that to her Bc I don't want to belittle having a premie but I'm just so ready to go into labor. Plus my ILs will be watching DD1 during labor and they live about 2 hours away without traffic, but it can be 4+ in rush hour so every night I get worried she's going to come and we won't have anyone to watch LO! I'm just being dramatic Bc of course we have emergency options but it still makes me worried.

@winniebee: that all sounds perfect for 36 weeks! So exciting!

@newlypregnantlady: I totally know what you mean! The night that I first ended up in L&D, my contractions didn't progress and I got sent home for a week of early labor. My cousin ended up in L&D that same night but went home with her baby. I was so over the pregnancy and waiting and felt jealous that she was already holding her little one! I hope yours comes soon!

@bookwormmama: good luck heading into Friday morning. I would be a mess so I can relate but I definitely agree it will be better for DS if you can pretend it's no big deal and you'll see him soon. Good luck!

@bookwormmama: or whoever updates our due date board, Yogibeachwife had a MC...was chatting with her through another board yesterday and then noticed her here. She should be removed from this list. Let's hope she's on the next due date board!

Hi ladies! Charlie is now 5 days old, I suppose, so I'm finally getting a minute to write [:silly:] He's doing very well but things have been a little complicated around here (aren't they always?). We came home from the hospital on Sunday afternoon and oohed and ahhed over the big kids snuggling the baby (they had done the same in the hospital the day before)... and then M spiked a fever to 104 a few hours later [:crying:] She also told me at the same time that she couldn't bend her neck at all without crying (a red flag for meningitis). So I called our pedi who told us what to look for with M and told me that I had to get the baby out of the house. Even if M didn't have meningitis, any fever in a baby this young would mean hospitalization for a spinal tap and IV antibiotics. Thank goodness for my wonderful parents who came back after driving an hour home (they had literally just left after caring for the big kids during the hospital stay) and took me and Charlie to their house for a few days of quarantine and also have been driving me back and forth up here for a few lab draws and appointments for the baby.

Luckily all is well - M is fever and pain free so the ped kind of begrudgingly agreed we could come home and we're all back together again. I was feeling SO guilty about the big kids - "mom has a baby and now she has to move to nana & grandpa's!" and M was kind of focused on it being her fault because of her illness [:sad:] And of course it's been hard for DH to not be with his brand new baby as well. Anyway - we're all settled in now finally and going through the normal nursing sleeping pooping repeat - but so happy to all be in the same house and seemingly healthy!

@Mrs. Pajamas: @MrsF: thank you! I know things will eventually all be ok, but it feels more overwhelming than it did the first time I went into labor because now we have another person to deal with and think about! I'm so excited too, but I think the anxiety is taking over a lot of the excitement right now.

@MrsF: that is so scary and stressful! I'm glad M is feeling better and you guys are all back together. You're parents are amazing! We were exposed to the measles when I got DS second round of MMR almost 2 weeks ago (apparently someone was in the waiting room or something around the same time as us that was diagnosed with it 🙄) and my doctor really freaked me out about DS not being able to even be in the same house as the baby (the nurses all said we were probably in the clear but my doctor said it's 21 days after expose that we'd be "clear" which is like4 days after we come home. My mom lives 6 hours away, so it would be a nightmare to send him away. Plus super sad, so I can totally understand how sad and stressful it has been for you. Every time my DS feels warm or rubs his eyes I start freaking out, but we are pretty much past the days we'd start to see an infection, so I'm feeling less stressed about it.

@newlypregnantlady: yay for things happening! The car seat thing sucks...I know we RF our son longer than my brother and mom RFed my niece and I was a little worried it would cause an issue, but thankfully never did. DH asked if we were going to need to show my mom how to properly put him in the seat though because my niece was always too loose, but that was her mom who never belted her correctly, not mine. My inlaws are great about our car seat rules, but I know my FIL made some comments when we finally flipped him around. We are actually waiting on a replacement car seat for DS because I noiced last week some fraying on the strap that tightens the buckles when I was cleaning and switching seat positions for the bucket seat. Unfortunately, it's our only seat, but Graco is replacing it with a brand new one for free! I think it should be here tomorrow or Friday though. Hopefully you'll be heading to the hospital soon! Good luck!

@MrsF: oh my goodness I'm so sorry that happened!!! I get the mom guilt - now that you're all back together, lots of hand washing and keep the big kids outside! R had a fever Friday though yesterday and has laryngitis and a nasty cough. Hoping he is better by the time the baby comes. IT IS ALMOST SUMMER PEOPLE!

I just wanted to update and say my DD2 finally arrived! After 22 hours of labor I only pushed for about 15 minutes! Same tearing as with my first but my epidural was less effective than the first time, which I think contributed to my quick pushing.

I was that lady that had the doctor running to my room Bc baby was coming NOW!

My DD was born at 7lbs and 11.5oz! Almost the same as my first, in spite of gaining twice the weight! Nursing is going well so far. Biggest problem is just that I'm totally, absolutely exhausted from laboring and not sleeping.

I hope everyone is doing well!

@kitty: congratulations! Glad to hear your older LO is behaving well during visits, good luck heading home on Saturday!

@newlypregnantlady: Congratulations! I was in labor for 24 hours with DS before my CS and barely slept over night because I had to stay on one side and was uncomfortable, so I totally feel you on the exhaustion! I hope you can rest up a little today!

@newlypregnantlady: @kitty: huge congrats!! All these arrivals are making me so happy and a little jealous I must admit. I'm settling into the crazy mind game of waiting. Not easy!!

Any thoughts on how we can all keep in touch after our babies are here? I know some due date groups switch over to a private Facebook group. I would really love something like that for venting and to share advice when we're all nursing zombies dealing with cranky toddlers!

Wow! So much exciting news!

@MrsF @newlypregnantlady @kitty Congratulations!! So exciting!

I'm so sorry so many of the older LOs have been sick! I'm glad they are feeling better.

Things here are fine, closing in on my due date and starting to drag quite a bit. At my 39 week appointment they said they thought it was about 50/50 me making it to next week haha. Tomorrow is my last day of work. Technically there are 2 days of school next week, but I don't plan on working. It's always strange to say goodbye to a class, but this has been quite the year. Hopefully my pregnant exhaustion hasn't compromised their 3rd grade experience too much. Today one of them said, "You have to say goodbye to us so you can go meet your baby." They are so cute sometimes. Excited for more updates!

@tequiero21: omg I totally had that thought re baby clothes. I'm sure I washed them before they were packed up so who cares right? I texted one of my best friends who has 2 and totally thought she'd say don't worry about it but she said I needed to wash them! Sigh. So guilt won. It was only 2 loads including all our clothes, my nursing pillow cover, Moby wrap, and the infant car seat cushions/cover. But I would not judge you if you didn't wash them!

@tequiero21: oh I never bothered with the fancy detergent...even with my first. Maybe get DH to do it?