Sold/Bought A Home & Moved While PG or w/newborn?

mrsbookworm

DH and I are trying to plan when we will TTC baby #2.  We'd like to start in the fall of this year, but we think we need to move into a bigger house as well.  Right now, we're in a townhouse with our 2 year old.  Technically, we could continue to stay in the townhouse as our family grows because there are three bedrooms (although 2 of the bedrooms are extremely tiny), but it would be very, very tight and guests would have to sleep on the air mattress (we get a lot of visitors, particularly my in-laws throughout the year). 

While I had a smooth pregnancy with #1, every pregnancy is different (plus, I'll have a 3 year old running around if I'm fortunate enough to get pregnant by early 2011) and I'm wondering if it would be best to just put off homebuying until after the baby comes (which I'm sure would offer a whole different set of challenges, moving with a newborn).

 Just wondering what your experiences have been with trying to sell a home, buy a home and move into another home all while pregnant and/or with a newborn.

mrsbookworm

Also, it would be helpful for you to know that I am approaching 35 and don't want to put off having a child for too long so, if I absolutely have to choose, I'll put off homebuying and worry about that later.

femmegem

We bought our house while I was 6 months pregnant and then gutted large portions of it during my pregnancy. We were still doing pretty major renovations (and living with my parents in the meantime) when DS was born. We moved in when DS was about 6 months old.

Buying and moving into a house with a newborn (or even pregnant) wasn't that big of a challenge, IMO. The renovations were really hard to do while pregnant and with an infant, though.

Having a house for sale with a young child is probably the bigger challenge because you have to be ready for showings at any time.

DandR

we moved into our current house when I was 7 months pregnant.  It was no biggie.  We hired movers for all the big stuff.  DH and  his friends moved all the boxes.  And I was the traffic patrol...you need someone to do that anyways.  My SIL and mom helped unpack boxes.  Again, I mostly directed traffic of box unpacking 'Put those dishes in that cupboard...put that clothes in the closet over there." etc, etc.

I wouldn't put off having a baby for moving.  Or whats stopping you from moving now and then baby next year? 

Yodajo

We sold our house when I was 5 months pregnant with #2.  We had lots of time to find a house and before closing, so I thought it was going to go smoothly. 

We ended up finding and loving a house that was just going into foreclosure and it took forever for the bank to list it so we could submit our offer.  We ended up having to live with my ILs for a month because we still were waiting for the house when the closing on our house that we sold came around.  We ended up getting the house and I went into labor the day we finally got the keys.  Our first day in our new house was the day we brought DS2 home from the hospital.  It was crazy.

So my point in all that is that if things had gone smoothly with the house we bought, it would have been fine.  Things happen though and I would think all the scenarios out before you decide.  It worked out for us, but it was A LOT of stress. 

jessicaclare

We broke ground on our house when DD #1 was 2 weeks old. We moved when she 5.5 months old. The moving was fine. It was the building that really sucked. We general contracted it ourselves, though, and DH did a lot of the work himself. He was rarely home. It was a tough adjustment. I'm glad we did it when we did, though.

lilpiglet

IMO I wouldn't put off anything, if you want to buy a house now, then do it, if you want to try for a baby now, then do it... You never know, things could take longer then you think, or they may happen at the click of a finger.  Everythign will fall into place.  I don't think anyone should put off doing anything they want to do when they want to do it, everything works out how it should.

that being said, DH and I moved with a 6 month old, built a house with a 6 month old, moved into the house with a toddler, and had another baby. 

Everything will work out :-)

mrsbookworm

DH is pursuing a new business endeavor now that has zapped our savings a little, so we are trying to restore the funds.  This is why we don't want to TTC or sell/move now.  Plus, in terms of selling, we would like the housing market to recover a bit too so we can get more out of our home sale.

penguingrrl

I moved at the end of both of my pregnancies.  The first move was into NYC to a 1-br so DH could start graduate school, then we upgraded to a 2-br when #2 was on her way.  Moving while pregnant (30+ weeks both times) was less than ideal, but do-able.  I would take that over moving with a newborn any day.  My girls were both constant nursers in the beginning so moving during that phase would have been impossible.

SurfBride4

DH took a new job across the country right after #2 was born. I stayed behind to pack & get the house on the market....all by myself for a whole month with a newborn & a 2.5yo, so no I wouldn't put it off. 

femmegem

Honestly, just do whatever works for you. You'll get through it one way or the other.

knmommy

Kaitlyn was about 3 months when we moved to our current house.  Nathan was 4.  It actually worked out ok.  When we would have to get out of the house for people to look at it, I just took Nathan to the playground at the mall (Kaitlyn just stayed in the infant carrier.)  We were lucky though, our townhome sold in 17 days, the market was really good back then.

akaoct2005

We bought a house and did MAJOR renovations...took way longer than expected.  I got pregnant during the renovations and we were told the house would be ready in December (I was due in March).  Well, of course the house wasn't ready...and we ended up moving 2 weeks after the baby was born (I also had a 2 year old).  We had to hire someone to pack for us because I could do nothing.  I did have some minor complications at the very end of my pregnancy that could have been stress related, but I'll never know for sure.  

We've been in our new house now and have just finished unpacking (mostly) and still haven't gotten around to buying furniture.  I wouldn't change anything...if you find a house, buy it...if you want to get pregnant, do it...don't postpone for the "right" time, it may not happen.

 

Also...are you staying in the same area and moving into a bigger place? If so, it is in your favor financially to sell and buy low.  If you wait to sell when you can get more money for your place, you will end up paying more for a bigger place, too.  Just my 2 cents:) 

mrsbookworm

Thanks so much, ladies!  You are making me feel so much better about our plans to TTC and sell/buy a house.  I was initially feeling quite overwhelmed and anxious just thinking about the whole process.

Bellisimo

Yes, we planned (had custom plans drafted), built, furnished and moved into our home all while I was pregnant (and on bedrest) with DS.  It was VERY stressful but I could NOT wait to get out of the little house we were living in at the time.  I was ready for us to get on with our life and start our family in the house we had always wanted.  It's totally doable, but not easy!  GL!