The next time around....

[mommyof3co]

So me and Mark have been talking and we are possibly getting my IUD out in the next week or so TTC in May!!! We really want a girl and the chinese lunar calendar says girl for may lol. We are trying everything possible to have a girl this time, diet change, me drinking special tea, him showering before, other stuff regarding sex as well lol.

Now before anyone gets upset....if it is another boy I will be very happy and love him just the same but after 3 boys we really would like to have a girl this time and are going to try what we can to make that happen...if it's a boy that's just fine

So now I have this list going of things I want to do this time around. Most of it applies to "natural parenting" which is why I'm putting this here. For instance cloth from birth, we didn't start Hayden until 2mo, not full time until 4mo. But that means I know nothing about newborn cloth really! I've heard of some good brands but not really sure where to start. OMG girls....possibly girly diapers. I will be going broke. Also exclusively nursing until atleast 2...I let Hayden self wean at 19mo and I have regretted it everyday since I have some other things on my list to do it "perfect" this time around.

Do you have anything you would change for your next baby?

Another big one is I'm going for a homebirth, water birth this time around. It will be my 2nd VBAC. Never done it at home so I'm really excited but nervous too and will be looking for lots of info later on I really hope it happens easily for us, if it doesn't happen in May we will be waiting months, I'm not having another March/April baby...2 of my 3 are there already plus me and Mark is May 2nd...just too much going on lol

 

[mommyof3co]

Well crap I totally thought this was in the Natural Parenting section.....

 

[Twiglet]

Hope you get the girl you want

I'm aiming for a homebirth this time and bfing and cloth diapering from birth too!

 

[Vici]

Am not sure about VBAC here, waiting to see someone as to whether or not its advised. I will aim to BF again however, I will not get so down if it doesn't work again!! Would do the same with cloth and go full time at about 3 weeks So not much different here really

 

[mommyof3co]

I was reading this list I've made and most people would think I'm totally nuts lol

Home water birth
breastfeeding, exclusively, for atleast 2yrs
babywearing more...which means buying more carriers
Rearfacing until 2.5 minimum
cosleeping only (which we did do before so not new)
baby led weaning this time around which I hadn't heard of until coming on here
Teaching more sign language and earlier on, we didn't really start until 12mo with Hayden
only cloth diapers and from birth

The average person would think I'm just some total nut lol......

 

[vanessayogini]

hi!
we had newborn cloth diapers ready. we had bumgenius XS AIOs and also the one size fits all 3.0 pocket nappies with newborn inserts/boosters. most nappy makers will have similar sizes/fits. BUT we ended up not even using the XS ones because we let her be nappy free for the first 3 weeks of her life. we kept pre-fold diapers under her bum when we held her or carried her or set her down. once we started diapering her for good she was already about 9 lbs (she started off at 7lbs). i'm sure also that there are lots of gals on here that'll tell you more about newborn cloth nappies!
next time i might put a nappy on LO earlier because when we did start using them she was all like "HEY WHAT'S THAT?!" hehe.
woohoo! i am so excited for your HBAC! you are going to do great. good choice on the waterbirth, you are going to have an amazing experience. good luck!

 

[Twiglet]

your list is so similar to mine!

Caitlyn refuses to use sign, she continousally signs milk though despite never wanting it

 

[vanessayogini]

I was reading this list I've made and most people would think I'm totally nuts lol

Home water birth
breastfeeding, exclusively, for atleast 2yrs
babywearing more...which means buying more carriers
Rearfacing until 2.5 minimum
cosleeping only (which we did do before so not new)
baby led weaning this time around which I hadn't heard of until coming on here
Teaching more sign language and earlier on, we didn't really start until 12mo with Hayden
only cloth diapers and from birth

The average person would think I'm just some total nut lol......

i think you are completely sane and making choices that are natural and LOGICAL and good for our environment in SOOOOO many ways.


edit: of course i'm sure some people think i'm a nut. hehe.

 

[mommyof3co]

Hayden has mostly stopped using it but he does like to show it off. He will notice another baby doing it and will do all the ones he knows to get attention :doh:

But he does still use "drink" all of the time because he can't say it clearly, it always sounds like other words so he uses it so we know what he wants but that's really the only one he uses. Every once in awhile he'll do it just from habit but not so much anymore.

But we only ever taught him eating words, like milk, drink, more, all done, hot...and then thank you and just a couple others. So once he started talking more he just stopped using them which is fine, but I'd like to teach more of them and earlier on so hopefully it helps even more

 

[PinkyLou]

When we try for number 3 I would love a boy but wont be doing anything special just keeping my fingers crossed, and I know OH wants a son lol. Wont be for a while though. I will cloth nappy from birth, bf exactly as I have Lylah, and until baby self weans, Don't drive yet so I dunno about carseats, cant afford to take up driving lessons again for a couple of months so we shall see, at the moment we never go in a car I walk everywhere.
I'd love a home water birth but I would be too scared, both my labours went just a little wrong. I dunno I think the only thing I will change is that I will cloth nappy from birth to be honest

 

[Rachel_C]

Congratulations on TTC!!!

I would definitely try harder to do things naturally next time (with the exception of actual labour - as soon as I'm in labour I'm camping on the labour ward until I get an epidural ). Before TTC I would concentrate on my diet and take vitamins and stuff. There's nothing wrong with Leyla but because we didn't really TTC her I was unprepared and could have done better for her. I would definitely BF for longer than 3 weeks. I loved it but we had problems because of jaundice and supplementing with formula. No way would I let that happen again, or trust any doctor who told me it was the only/best option. I'd start babywearing earlier and probably feel a lot more confident in things like co-sleeping and no crying-it-out etc.

 

[FemmeEnceinte]

Hmmm, Next time...

I'd have a waterbirth in a birthing centre (OH is not allowing a homebirth and so, as it's partly his choice, we're compromising).
I'd CD from birth.
We'd try cosleeping a little earlier (though Molly has always slept on us in the day and only starting cosleeping at 3 months instead of sleeping on us in the night too which we'd be thrilled to do all over again tbh).
I'd BF again, hoping Molly will self wean but not before 18mo. 2 is the goal!
I'd babywear from birth. We didn't properly do it until Molly was about 6 weeks and my god, it made such a difference to Molly's happiness! It seems daft that we didn't do it from birth when I think about it. I'll be walking out of that baby centre with newborn in a moby!
We'll not use any Johnson's products at all. The switch to So scrumptious was a great decision, Molly's skin is gorgeous!

I'd do everything we do now, just from birth. I was a little slow to fall into being fully AP, like babywearing and trying cosleeping but the majority was a natural to us and we've just gone with the flow.

*Hopes for a girl for you! Girly fluff is lush!*

 

[FemmeEnceinte]

I was reading this list I've made and most people would think I'm totally nuts lol

Home water birth
breastfeeding, exclusively, for atleast 2yrs
babywearing more...which means buying more carriers
Rearfacing until 2.5 minimum
cosleeping only (which we did do before so not new)
baby led weaning this time around which I hadn't heard of until coming on here
Teaching more sign language and earlier on, we didn't really start until 12mo with Hayden
only cloth diapers and from birth

The average person would think I'm just some total nut lol......

i think you are completely sane and making choices that are natural and LOGICAL and good for our environment in SOOOOO many ways.


edit: of course i'm sure some people think i'm a nut. hehe.

I don't think you are. I LOVE that you kept your LO naked around the place for 3 weeks! It sounds gorgeous!

 

[mommyof3co]

So Scrumptious...never heard of it? Is it a UK only brand? I'm looking for some new stuff for the boys

I didn't really start wearing Hayden until about 2mo and the first sling I bought was pretty crappy so I didn't really wear him until I got my babyhawk closer to 3mo....I would def have a Moby ready for right after "she" was born this time

Mark is unsure about the homebirth so if he really doesn't feel comfortable as we get a little closer I'll be ok doing a birth center, but would really prefer at home so we'll see as he learns more about it he will probably get more comfortable with it...or that is my hope

 

[FemmeEnceinte]

I get it from here: https://bibsnbots.info/so-scrumptious-c-52

Not sure if they do it in the US but they might still ship it over?


ETA: I use the wipe cubes to wash her with and I add them to her bath. I don't really use the balm, sometimes on the odd dry skin patch. All smells gorgeous though and she's the softest baby ever!

 

[anothersquish]

Errr....so far next time (if there is one...I hope!) I would do everything the same as this...homebirth, CD from birth, co sleep, babywear....I wouldnt change how Ive done things this time round as it seems to work and we are happy. Id change what nappies I bought and used a little but not much thats about all.
Sure more things will crop up later. If you asked me what Id do differently after DS1 Id have had a list as long as your arm at least!
Im really happy with how things have gone (so far!) this time. Now Im just hoping the BLW goes to plan and I dont have another one who self weans early!!

 

[kirsten1985]

Bfing, whatever and however long it takes to establish.
Co-sleeping
Cloth from birth
Water birth (hopefully)

I am looking forward to being more confident in my decisions and also not having to deal with peoples 'advice' because it is my 'first baby'.

Yay for TTC soon Beth!

 

[saraendepity]

yeah next time around i am not gonna let people sway me ...i will DEFINATELY

BF exclusively for as long as bubba wants
cloth from birth...(i have a vision of folding up the tinyest nappy in the middle of the night in the hospital and putting it on a tiny bubba )
as natural a birth as possible....(i would love a home water birth but not allowed as i am very likely to have same complications again...tho i WILL be out of that bed and moving about as much as i can ..with NO pain relief this time )
co sleeping from birth (probably with a side car crib as i was wary when daisy was tiny )
BLW again ...cant say anything bad about BLW from the way it has Daisy eating
ERF till atleast 2.5


probably lots more but i;m tired and cant think!! LOL

 

[princessellie]

my list is pretty much the same as all of yours, with the exception of cosleeping, i will do it, just not until shes a few months as i will be panicking too much! i have the cot literally right next to my bed though, my mattress touches the bars on the cot lol, and i wont be BW from birth because it just scares me

i will definitely be BFing this time, i am gna not listen to stupid HVs who tell me im doing it wrong when im clearly not and then causing me to actually do it wrong by doing it her way then having to relactate and ending up having to supplement then fully FF that woman has such a lot to answer for

i will definitely be CDing from birth, i think im going to use wraps and homemade from old teeshirt prefolds for the first few weeks so i dont ruin any expensive nappies

i am considering a home birth in the bath but am not sure how feasible that is i dont really have the space for a big water tub thing, but the only other option would be going to the hospital where i may or may not be allowed to use theirs so i'm not entirely sure how that one will pan out

i will definitely be rear facing for as long as possible, i am looking into a car seat that goes up to 55lbs so not sure what age that is but it's pretty big!

i will definitely be BLW aswell and i will definitely not be doing that before at least 6 months, leyla was 'traditionally' weaned at 5 1/2months then we switched her to BLW about a month later, sooo much easier, except im still stumped with how to give runny things cos she just throws them straight off the spoon still still the pros far outweigh the cons!

prob more but thats all i can think of off the top of my head

x

 

[mommyof3co]

55lb seats would even fit my 7yr old lol...not sure about height though? He's 49lbs But I have skinny things! We had to turn Hayden FF at 2.5 but when we get a van he will be going back RF..the highest weight seats available here are 45lbs and he's only 27lbs clothed so a long way to go.

I'm glad I'm not the only "nut"

I'm hoping if I can do the water birth at home I can do it in my tub....I would think I could?? It's really big, I'm not sure why there would be any issues with using it but I guess I'll have to find out