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I just had my LO & though some days I'm dying to go for a walk, I think the timing is perfect. Since she's so little we stay in and cuddle most of the time. By the time she's big enough to go out more regularly it will be getting warm. It's usually pretty nice by the end of March here, which is perfect! I loved not being sweaty and hot while hugely pregnant too! Plus, I didn't have any swelling, which was nice.

I had a winter pregnancy (LO born in Feb) and although I was so worried about her getting sick or catching a cold, I think it's definitely preferable to being hugely and miserably pregnant in the dead heat of summer.

I had an end of may baby, and i think ideal for me would be Feb or March! I found we were stuck inside a lot of the summer!

I'm having an end of August baby this year, so we'll see how that goes!

I can DEFINITELY comment on this because Wagon Jr. was born on one of the coldest days of the year and Lil Miss Wagon was born on one of the hottest days of the year!! I specifically TTC for a winter baby the first time because I did NOT want to be huge and hot and pregnant (I don't deal with heat well). Little did I know, even though it was great having a winter baby (you don't feel as bad being stuck indoors since it's so cold and icy out anyway!) that led to a HUGE, chubby 6 month old in the dead of summer. I exclusively breastfed him and we were both miserably sweaty and slippery. It was AWFUL.

So for the second, I planned the total opposite: be huge and pregnant in the dead of summer so that she'll be 6 months old in the dead of winter (just a month ago). Even though I didn't nurse her (I exclusively pump) this has been SO much better for me. Being huge and pregnant when it's hot out is not that big of a deal-- you just have to make sure you stay indoors in the a/c.

Another important factor is maternity clothes. It's really really tough to find good maternity clothes when you're at your biggest, especially for winter stuff. You basically have no choice other than maternity pants and sweaters, and you have to buy a winter maternity coat. All of that is really expensive and most of your sweaters will be too short to cover your whole belly by the end. On the flip side, in the summer you can wear flowy dresses. I wore some of my favorite non-maternity summer dresses up til the very end!! And of course there's flip flops vs. winter boots... if your shoe size changes (which mine did, drastically) you have to buy all new winter shoes and boots, which won't fit you after you have the baby...!! Flip flops are much cheaper and chances are you can still wear yours if your feet grow a little.

Hope this helps!!!

ETA: I forgot to also add a note about when they're a little older... until they're 6 months old or so, it's ok to stay indoors since they don't walk or crawl yet. Just put em in the stroller and walk the mall. But when they're approaching a year old, you're desperate for things to do with them outdoors. It's SO much easier to find things to do in the spring/summer than in the dead of winter!! Spring is now approaching and LMW is starting to crawl... I'm so excited to be able to take her out to the park and maybe her first steps will be in the soft grass!!

I'd rather be pregnant during the winter to have a newborn when it's warmer. Sunshine and nice weather does so much for my mood - I'd have appreciated this during the first super stressful month with a baby - rather than dealing with the month with the LEAST sunshine. I'd also rather not have a newborn around the holidays again - too much stress. Give me a winter pregnancy any day!

For me, I guess it doesn't make much of a difference, and I think it really depends on the climate you live in. I grew up in Texas, where summertime is likely to bring 30 day stretches of days over 100 degrees. That might not be comfortable for a pregnant woman, but its also not comfortable for any adult or child and no one goes outside for more than 10 minutes walking from the car to a building that all have AC. I definitely wouldn't be taking my baby out for walks in that heat.

Also in Texas, there are only a handful of weeks that you can't go outside in the winter because it doesn't stay cold for long. So having a summer baby there would be fine.

Now that I live in the NYC area, it's totally different because we walk all the time, and frankly I don't like summer or winter. Few places have decent AC units here, so even inside restaurants as a non preggo last summer, I would be sweating. I worked at a summer program and taking the kids outside everyday for recess was miserable because it was close to 100 degrees. But then again, winter brings wind and freezing temps (I don't mind the snow) so that's a different brand of misery. I wouldn't want to take my baby out in either extreme.

Clearly, I need to move to so-cal, where i can have moderate temps all year.

I had a winter pregnancy and am due late this month. I much prefer throwing a coat on (which I hardly need anyways) to the brutally humid summers of the Midwest. I go stir crazy if I can't get outside and both our summers and winters are harsh for a newborn

I absolutely love being pregnant in the winter. Granted, winter here is mild, on average we're looking at 30s-40s through December-February. By March it's 50s-60s.

I hate hate hate coats, I rarely ever wear one, so being pregnant in the winter has been awesome. I'm always plenty warm enough without a coat!

I loved being pregnant in the spring/summer! I had my LO at the end of August, and I loved that I could wear dresses all summer, especially for work.
Pros:
* I didn't have to shove my bump into maternity tights (my super professional company requires nylons Oct-April)
* Non-maternity maxi dresses looked adorable, cutting down on maternity clothing I had to buy
* My feet didn't swell, but if they had, I sure wouldn't want to be trying to buy winter shoes/boots! Flip flops were so comfy for my pregnant girlfriends whose feet did swell up
* Bringing baby home in late summer meant that we could go on lots of stroller walks, and I didn't have to worry about cold/flu season! I felt better knowing that once cold/flu season was in full effect that he was old enough to get a flu shot.
* It's winter now, but my babe can't walk or crawl yet- or even sit up unsupported. Once the warm weather hits, he'll be the perfect size for taking to the splash pads in the park, or down to the beach where he can crawl around in the sand.

Cons:
* The day that we brought LO home was the hottest day of the year, so we had to sleep in our downstairs of our house
* No margaritas!!! I missed them!

I will say, I live in Seattle, so we don't get really hot hot summers, and I work in an air conditioned building, so I was actually quite comfortable. I also had my baby a little early (36 weeks), so I didn't have to suffer through those last REALLY uncomfortable weeks of pregnancy. I would still totally do things exactly the same way (pregnant all summer).

@mrs. wagon: I totally agree with you on how a summer baby is the way to go! Norah was born August 25th so although there were some crummy things (swelling, going outside in the heat, maternity bathing suits) there was a ton of good stuff (flip flops and flowey dresses, swimming) The best part for me though is I work in education so my last day of work was the end of June so I had two months that I was the most pregnant that I didn't have to worry about work. Also because of the timing I get to have up to two full years of maternity leave which is awesome.

Our little girl was born in March and I loved it. I was super hot, so the cool air outside was a blessing, and we ended up with an early spring so we were out and about within a week of coming home!

@mrs. wagon: I have only had a summer baby...but, you summed up my thoughts exactly on why I'd rather have a baby in the summer!

Maternity leave is a good point. I was hoping to have a baby due anytime close to or in the summer months, since I get the summers off anyway and it would extend my Maternity leave.

As it is, I'm due July 19th, and my last day of school is something like June 26th. So I get the last few weeks of being huge off from work, then I get the summer, then my Mat leave of 12 weeks doesn't start until school starts Sept. 5th....

Which means I don't go back to work until November something. That means I get from June 26th-November something for Mat leave----yay!

For my next one, I want to try for a due date in the same time frame.

Had my babies end of march.... Got pregnant in July and wasn't huge all summer.... I think it was the perfect time....