My dog is a very attached, vocal border collie / lab / cattle dog mix. He’s the smartest dog I’ve ever met but also demands constant attention and gets really anxious when his routine is messed up so I have no idea how he’ll do with baby. I think they’ll end up being best friends and will “get it” pretty quickly but I’m most nervous about him wanting to sing along whenever baby cries (he always has to participate when people sing, clap, get loud, etc). Thanks everyone for the tips!
@tryingktogku we also have an 18 month old dog who is still very much a puppy. Also is very attached to me and DH and timid of new people (but not aggressive). We are already and plan to continue, like others said, introducing him to baby’s things one by one and I think once baby’s room and bassinet are together we can start working with him as far as what the boundaries are. I’m going to use the same positive training methods we used for general behavior. We’re also going to send a receiving blanket home before we come home. I am less concerned with the dog being close to the baby or on baby’s things, but it’s really all your own personal preference. From my POV he sleeps in our bed and is in the couch and all over our house so there’s just no way the baby will totally avoid cross-contamination.
I also read a few articles about pets In the home during pregnancy, early childhood, helping prevent kids from future allergies because dogs bring in their exposure to the outside world. Not that I want a muddy/dirty dog rubbing all over the baby, just saying day to day regular and safe interaction (occasional licking, touching babies things, etc) is fine with me.
I say be prepared for your dog to react in a way not expected! We have 2 dogs: one was a year old and the other was 8 when we brought home DD. We prepared them by having some blankies in the hospital with her scent on them brought home to them before we got home (we were in the hospital for 5 nights so there was lots of time.) The old dog who is (was) the gentlest, calmest, obeying dog I know had his whole world turned upside down. He became possessive of the baby, always needing to be near her, lick her, started to nip at her if you picked her up/took her away from him. He's never tried to hurt her, but if she's around he's right there under her or your feet tripping you/her, knocking you/her over to beat you out the door if heading there. It's quite annoying and sucks that his final years on earth have been spent being yelled at, pushed away, etc. As soon as she goes to nap/bed or isn't home, he's back to being the same ol dependable lazy dog. We joke that he's going to live to be 100 so he can be there to watch her graduate high school/college, walk her down the isle, and be there for her children. He's on anxiety pills to try to calm him down some, but it doesn't really help. The puppy couldn't really care less about her for the most part! He still does his own thing, if she shows him attention he'll take it, if not, he'll go play with a bone. If she lays on him, he'll stay and cuddle. If she smacks him (which she rarely does as we've taught her from day 1 to be gentle with animals) he'll take it and still hang around her.
TTC History:
Me: 36 H: 40 Married 2015. Together since 2010. TTC: Sept 2016-Oct 2017 BFP Oct 2017. DD born July 2018. TTC: March 2020. BFP March 2020 Due date was Nov 2020 DS born Sept 2020. DS passed away Nov 2020 due to prematurity and birth trauma. TTC: March 2021 IUI #1 Nov 2021, BFN IUI #2 Dec 2021 BFP. MC Jan 2022 IUI #3 Aug 2022 BFN IUI #4 Sept 2022 BFN AMH test came back at .081. Was going to move on to IVF with DE, but have decided not to. Will be leaving it up to the universe now.
@shelmcclel Yes! There’s an episode of Babies on Netflix that talks about that. Kids who grow up with dogs usually have more healthy gut biomes, fewer allergies, healthier immune systems, etc.
@autumn87654321. I can't say I have any recommendations, since I have never used them. I have been researching a bunch in case we decide to go that route. The one thing I have found is that people usually wait until their baby is out of newborn stage (a month old or older), so they don't have to buy the special newborn sized diapers. Also newborns go through a lot of diapers apparently. Just something to think about when planning your diaper journey.
I am also interested in hearing what people say. My husband isn't quite on board for cloth diapers yet, but we will see what happens between now and January. I found compostable diapers which could be a compromise on our end.
@dobiemom11 luckily my sister in law said she’d send me the newborn inserts cause their kid has just outgrown them we also might get diaper service for the first couple months. - or when I go back to work so DHs mom/nanny won’t have to do any washing.
We use cloth diapers! We bought the majority of our diapers used, especially at the beginning we tried a lot of brands to see what we liked best. We have a combination of Blueberry, Nicki's, BumGenius, Imagine, and Bottom Bumpers.
We primarily use all-in-one diapers because they were the least intimidating for our caregivers who are used to disposable diapers. We do have a few fitteds and pockets for nighttime though because we eventually needed more absorbency at night.
We never used a diaper service and I don't feel like we needed one. Once we settled into a diaper routine it wasn't a big deal, and it didn't feel like a ton of extra laundry since we were doing so much anyway with all the baby clothes and burp rags. We did have fewer newborn size diapers than one size, so we had to wash more regularly until we could change sizes (I think we switched around four months).
So I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the nighttime routine part of a newborn. I would like the baby to sleep on our room, but then do we also need/want to have a changing table and glider in our room? Will it be reasonable or super annoying to have those things in the nursery next door?
I am just thinking it would be nicer to take the baby in the other room to do those activities to prevent DH and the dog from getting up all the time. But I also don't want to end up being the one who handles everything with no sleep and grumpy. Our room would fit both the glider and the changing table, but it would be crowded!! I could also nurse in bed and then just use the changing table. Any thoughts on how it worked for you. The furniture will begin arriving soon, so just thinking of where I want it before the heavy boxes arrive.
@dobiemom11 do you know what the baby will be sleeping in for your room? Last time we used a pack n play that had a changing table and a bassinet-type attachment. This isn't the model we have, but it's similar. That way DS slept in the bassinet part and I could change him on the other side (there is enough room for diapers and wipes). My plan is to do the same this time. I found that I never really needed the glider in our bedroom - but every baby is different! This time if she needs the glider to sooth back to sleep, I'll just walk down to the nursery.
@karmba. My plan was to have a regular PNP with the bassinet in our bedroom. I can put the changing table on my long dresser and then move it to his dresser in the nursery when he starts to sleep in there. I am also hoping to get a PNP like the one you mentioned for downstairs. The changing table attachment will be a lifesaver there and the PNP will help keep the baby away from the curious puppy for napping.
I think I just need to remember that flexibility is key. I can always change my mind if what I plan isn't working out too well. Thanks for your input and that reminder.
@dobiemom11 Yes we did similar to @karmba. Had the PNP with bassinet and changing table attachment. Also, even if you don't have this attachment, just bring in a puppy pad to put on the bed and put baby on top to change. I use those on top of any changing pad/table just because newborn poop/pee can end up everywhere and it's easier to just throw the potty pad away and grab a new one, as opposed to doing more laundry. Nursing in bed was the way to go, especially during the early/newborn days. Just have lots of pillows to prop you and the baby up.
This time we're using an actual bassinet, that doesn't have a changing table, so we'll probably just go the route of puppy pad on the bed again!
TTC History:
Me: 36 H: 40 Married 2015. Together since 2010. TTC: Sept 2016-Oct 2017 BFP Oct 2017. DD born July 2018. TTC: March 2020. BFP March 2020 Due date was Nov 2020 DS born Sept 2020. DS passed away Nov 2020 due to prematurity and birth trauma. TTC: March 2021 IUI #1 Nov 2021, BFN IUI #2 Dec 2021 BFP. MC Jan 2022 IUI #3 Aug 2022 BFN IUI #4 Sept 2022 BFN AMH test came back at .081. Was going to move on to IVF with DE, but have decided not to. Will be leaving it up to the universe now.
@dobiemom11@bearmomma1 I’ve got a few skip hop reusable compact change pads I’ll have stored in my night table with a “mini change station” that’ll have some diapers and wipes as I am using a Halo bassinet and will just change babe on the bed and if there is a mess it’s easy to wipe the change pad down with a cloth!
I’m not btdt, but we’re doing the PNP in our room. The one I want has a changer attached, but we also got a basic travel one for free from Target when we registered. So even if we don’t like the changer in the PNP, we can just use the travel one on the bed.
Also, we actually all slept out in the family room for the first week or 2 as I had an emergency c-section and our bed is super tall and I was not able to get into it. Baby slept in the pack n play with us out there too and her nursery was right close by so I think we just changed her in there. Like @dobiemom11 said, you can (and probably will) change how you had things planned. You'll figure out what works best as you go!
TTC History:
Me: 36 H: 40 Married 2015. Together since 2010. TTC: Sept 2016-Oct 2017 BFP Oct 2017. DD born July 2018. TTC: March 2020. BFP March 2020 Due date was Nov 2020 DS born Sept 2020. DS passed away Nov 2020 due to prematurity and birth trauma. TTC: March 2021 IUI #1 Nov 2021, BFN IUI #2 Dec 2021 BFP. MC Jan 2022 IUI #3 Aug 2022 BFN IUI #4 Sept 2022 BFN AMH test came back at .081. Was going to move on to IVF with DE, but have decided not to. Will be leaving it up to the universe now.
@dobiemom11 I’m planning to keep the big furniture in baby room, and bassinet in our room for at least the first 4-6 weeks, probably longer though. DH will be on Pat Leave for the first month, so going to attempt to transition to her room when he goes back to work, but might not be possible without a lot of misery on my part. Will set up a temporary changing area in our room while she’s sleeping in there. Not sure what I’m going to use yet, but possibly just a travel changing pad on the dock-a-tot and some kind of bin for storage of diapers/wipes, etc.
We did our best with DS to keep our bedroom for us. He was only in our room for two weeks before going to his crib in his own room. We've been thinking about it for this go round and while we'll start with the baby in our room we might quickly switch to having the baby in the snoo in the living room (right next to our room). It'll all depend on how noisy of a sleeper he is. As for nighttime care we didn't do any of it in our room so we could take turns and not wake each other. Rocking chair and all was and still is in the living room. We had early sleep training success with our Son (once a night by 8 weeks, through the night by 12 weeks) so FX it goes that way for this one as well!
@dobiemom11 We had all of those things in our bedroom last time- rocker, bassinet (eventually replaced the bassinet with the crib), and the changing table. The rocker and bassinet/crib were in our room until our baby moved to the nursery around 15 months. The changing table is still in our room today-- we don't use it hardly ever since potty training but just left it there.
The only thing I'm considering doing differently this time is possibly skipping the bassinet and just going straight to the crib in our room. We will attach it to our bed again (sidecar) either immediately or possibly a few weeks postpartum when I can get in and out of bed a bit easier.
We just had the bassinet in our room, but if baby has just a pee diaper I would change it in our bed with a towel down (in case I got peed on). If it was a poopy diaper I always took him to his room so I could try not to wake DH. I breastfed and he usually only woke to eat and have a pee diaper so for the most part I handle bedtime until he was older. I also stayed home and could nap so it was only fair that I did it.
Hey y'all my glucose test is next month and I'm nervous. I was reading steel cut oats are good cus they help stabilize your blood sugar but a lot of people are like stay away from oatmeal? Nobody says what time they ate before only if they had fasted and I will not be fasting.
I'm nervous 😭 I know I'm at an elevated risk because with my mother's third pregnancy she had GD.
@maisas I had to do an early screen at 16 weeks, and I ate a bagel an hour before and failed the 1-hour. I wish I hadn’t eaten that bagel. Then I passed the 3-hour a few days later so no-GD. I’m just cutting out sweets for like 3-4 days before I retake the 3-hour at 28 weeks just in case. I’d just eat low carb/low sugar the day of
@maisas are you not allowed to do a fasted test? I’ve done it twice so far (once when I was pregnant with DS and once for this pregnancy) and I fasted both times. When I go back again I’ll be fasted. My SIL failed the 1 hour when she ate beforehand, but passed the 3 hour.
@maisas. My doctor told me that they would schedule it first thing and I could either be fasting or have a no carb breakfast like eggs beforehand. Still trying to decide if going in on an empty stomach will lead to me getting sick and I should go the eggs route. So if you aren't fasting, I would stay stick with protein foods.
As for GD, definitely avoid carb heavy the day before. I was diagnosed with GD for failing the first fasting draw, and basically the best way for me to control it was to eat late at night. That diagnosis was in Europe and I’ve learned in the US to be diagnosed you have to fail two time points (I only failed the fasting point in a 3 hour test). So even if you fail the hour test you could still pass the 3 hour later... in the end it is a hassle and you don’t want to carb load before it- but if you have GD, you can’t really avoid it.
Okay I guess I won't be stubborn and eat oatmeal haha. I just have the same fear of not eating before then feeling so sick I want to throw up @dobiemom11. I'll just eat some eggs and just eat after too
@maisas you could always bring a bar in your purse for right after the bloodwork on the drive home. That’s what I did the first time since I had no idea what to expect!
@dobiemom11 I agree with @bearmomma that nursing in bed is the way to go, but disagree about the lots of pillows. For either the glider or the nursing in bed, you are risking falling asleep in an unsafe position. One pillow for you, no blankets-just pjs, and a firm mattress is the way to cosleep safely. If you want to stay awake nursing, glider plus tablet to watch a show is a good option, but probably not in your room if you want to preserve DH sleep as even with headphones, the screen light might bother him.
@autumn87654321 I’m a little late to respond but we used cloth diapers with our first two and my favorite were the bum genius free times. They were the easiest and slimmest! I never used a diaper service. You just have to make sure you’re maintaining them correctly and not putting chemicals on them that will ruin them like certain diaper creams or laundry detergent. We loved it for our first two. Child 3 it happened for like a week and #4 im not even thinking about 🤦🏻♀️
As far as baby clothes goes. What should I have ahead of time?/ sizes?/QTY? / some one told me just buy a ton of fleece zippy pj's? Is that most convenient?
@mtblove fleece zip up sleepers were super important when I had a winter baby last time! Personally, I found the zips way more convenient than snaps and he really just stayed in sleepers unless we were leaving the house. This time around I anticipate leaving the house even less with COVID. I'd also say a lot of onesies! I had quite a few 0-3 months clothes and my son was pretty small and ended up being in NB for a month or so, so I needed to send DH out to buy more of them. But it's hard to say whether or not you'll need NB - a lot of babies skip that size. Quantity is sort of tricky, you'll need more clothes if you have a baby that spits up a lot. But bibs and burp clothes can help mitigate some wardrobe changes. I'd count on at least two outfits a day and then however often you think you'll do laundry.
Sleep and plays FTW! Zippers were also my favorite. I have chonky babies so mostly didn't bother with NB size. I also do laundry FREQUENTLY (especially baby clothes since so much is spit up/pee and I don't want that sitting in the hamper) so we never needed a ton of clothes. I have about 14 "outfits" BUT for DS needed so many drool soaking bibs! He drooled like a monster starting at about 2 months so we had about 20 of those and would go through several daily. And not normal bibs either, the mega drool absorbing kind.
@mtblove I didn’t love fleece pjs, regularly onesies did the trick for us. Definitely recommended zips over buttons. But fleece got too hot with a swaddle wrapped around. If you are using them for during the day they may be fine but DS was a sweaty little guy!
@mtblove, I agree with @connie0205 I was not a super fan of fleece. I felt like it was too easy for DD to overheat. If you go out having a fleece onesie overall is great- but for indoor wear/sleeping unless you don’t have a heater/ climate controll I’d stick to regular standard onesies. We users and will plan on either a short/ long sleeve onesie for night with a sleeping sack. Basically it’s a sleeping bag without arms you zip them into for extra warmth.
Also, zippers ALL the way- I will automatically toss any full button-up items I get- it’s not worth my sanity/ time. Especially if it’s like a back open with buttons. Those were obviously not designed by someone with a child!
I also am not a big fan of fleece. I like to have one or two of each size for the coldest nights, but mostly prefer cotton.
However, I am going to diverge from the popular opinion here... I preferred the snaps on pajamas for the little baby stage because then I could just unsnap the bottom during nightime changes, versus having to unzip the entire thing and making baby colder. As baby got older, I preferred zippers.
@gingkomama the BEST are the zipper onesies that you can zip open starting at the feet! I didn’t have so many of these, but it made it possible to avoid getting baby cold.
Anyone have suggestions in belly bands that provide support? Needing some extra support on my longer work days or I feel like I have to hold up baby :P...but I'd like it to be functional for after baby as well with support after c section.
@hadassah2020 I just got some BoaBei support bloomers (which ppl say are amazing for post baby too) and they have been life savers for my 12 hour shifts! They sell belly bands too!
@mtblove what is the weather going to be like where you are when baby is born? The general rule for new babies is the same as you plus one layer, not counting a thin swaddle blanket. When at home I like to dress newborns in baby gowns or baby sacks- it's like a bag with arms, with a onesie underneath they come in cotton and fleece. Since we live where it snows and generally everyone wears a sweatshirt or uses a blanket when watching tv, I'll use a long sleeve onesie, socks, and a fleece baby sack plus a swaddle and probably a knit hat.
Re: Ask a BTDT Mom
The puppy couldn't really care less about her for the most part! He still does his own thing, if she shows him attention he'll take it, if not, he'll go play with a bone. If she lays on him, he'll stay and cuddle. If she smacks him (which she rarely does as we've taught her from day 1 to be gentle with animals) he'll take it and still hang around her.
TTC: Sept 2016-Oct 2017
BFP Oct 2017. DD born July 2018.
TTC: March 2020. BFP March 2020
Due date was Nov 2020
DS born Sept 2020. DS passed away Nov 2020 due to prematurity and birth trauma.
TTC: March 2021
IUI #1 Nov 2021, BFN
IUI #2 Dec 2021 BFP. MC Jan 2022
IUI #3 Aug 2022 BFN
IUI #4 Sept 2022 BFN
AMH test came back at .081. Was going to move on to IVF with DE, but have decided not to. Will be leaving it up to the universe now.
I am also interested in hearing what people say. My husband isn't quite on board for cloth diapers yet, but we will see what happens between now and January. I found compostable diapers which could be a compromise on our end.
we also might get diaper service for the first couple months. - or when I go back to work so DHs mom/nanny won’t have to do any washing.
We use cloth diapers! We bought the majority of our diapers used, especially at the beginning we tried a lot of brands to see what we liked best. We have a combination of Blueberry, Nicki's, BumGenius, Imagine, and Bottom Bumpers.
We primarily use all-in-one diapers because they were the least intimidating for our caregivers who are used to disposable diapers. We do have a few fitteds and pockets for nighttime though because we eventually needed more absorbency at night.
We never used a diaper service and I don't feel like we needed one. Once we settled into a diaper routine it wasn't a big deal, and it didn't feel like a ton of extra laundry since we were doing so much anyway with all the baby clothes and burp rags. We did have fewer newborn size diapers than one size, so we had to wash more regularly until we could change sizes (I think we switched around four months).
I am just thinking it would be nicer to take the baby in the other room to do those activities to prevent DH and the dog from getting up all the time. But I also don't want to end up being the one who handles everything with no sleep and grumpy. Our room would fit both the glider and the changing table, but it would be crowded!! I could also nurse in bed and then just use the changing table. Any thoughts on how it worked for you. The furniture will begin arriving soon, so just thinking of where I want it before the heavy boxes arrive.
https://smile.amazon.com/Graco-Playard-Cuddle-Removable-Glacier/dp/B00QHK8T82/ref=sr_1_24?dchild=1&keywords=pack+n+play&qid=1597672635&sr=8-24
I think I just need to remember that flexibility is key. I can always change my mind if what I plan isn't working out too well. Thanks for your input and that reminder.
This time we're using an actual bassinet, that doesn't have a changing table, so we'll probably just go the route of puppy pad on the bed again!
TTC: Sept 2016-Oct 2017
BFP Oct 2017. DD born July 2018.
TTC: March 2020. BFP March 2020
Due date was Nov 2020
DS born Sept 2020. DS passed away Nov 2020 due to prematurity and birth trauma.
TTC: March 2021
IUI #1 Nov 2021, BFN
IUI #2 Dec 2021 BFP. MC Jan 2022
IUI #3 Aug 2022 BFN
IUI #4 Sept 2022 BFN
AMH test came back at .081. Was going to move on to IVF with DE, but have decided not to. Will be leaving it up to the universe now.
Diminished ovarian reserve
BFP: 4/14/2020 EDD: 12/20/2020
TTC: Sept 2016-Oct 2017
BFP Oct 2017. DD born July 2018.
TTC: March 2020. BFP March 2020
Due date was Nov 2020
DS born Sept 2020. DS passed away Nov 2020 due to prematurity and birth trauma.
TTC: March 2021
IUI #1 Nov 2021, BFN
IUI #2 Dec 2021 BFP. MC Jan 2022
IUI #3 Aug 2022 BFN
IUI #4 Sept 2022 BFN
AMH test came back at .081. Was going to move on to IVF with DE, but have decided not to. Will be leaving it up to the universe now.
The only thing I'm considering doing differently this time is possibly skipping the bassinet and just going straight to the crib in our room. We will attach it to our bed again (sidecar) either immediately or possibly a few weeks postpartum when I can get in and out of bed a bit easier.
I'm nervous 😭 I know I'm at an elevated risk because with my mother's third pregnancy she had GD.
@willashbaby
@conni0205
@shelmcclel
Okay I guess I won't be stubborn and eat oatmeal haha. I just have the same fear of not eating before then feeling so sick I want to throw up @dobiemom11. I'll just eat some eggs and just eat after too
However, I am going to diverge from the popular opinion here... I preferred the snaps on pajamas for the little baby stage because then I could just unsnap the bottom during nightime changes, versus having to unzip the entire thing and making baby colder. As baby got older, I preferred zippers.
older siblings: ds 16 dd 14 ds 13 dd 11 dd 7