Spinoff "Worry" Post....what are you excited about? « Back to Group Discussions

[CookAMH]

I thought we could also share what we're excited about with this labor coming up. Anything different you're doing or trying this time?

I'm actually excited to find out the gender for our third child this time. First two were surprises, and in about a month we'll have the anatomy scan and find out.

I'm excited to have one VBAC behind me and slash my uterine rupture risk in half. I'm excited to use the same home birth midwife and doula team.

I *think* I'm excited to have my mom come to the birth! I invited her this time and hope it'll be good and rewarding for her (and me).

I'm excited to see my two children totally love on their new baby.

I'm excited that the boy name we chose has managed to honor ALL FOUR of DH's and my grandfathers, in one name combo. I'm excited about that, and so thankful it came together without a lot of effort - it just worked and we like the name.

And last but not least, I can't wait to hold this little baby.

[vc2013]

i like that you started this spinoff thread, CookAMH. this is my first baby, so i don't even DARE read that other thread!

since i don't know what hells await, 

i can only say so far i am GLAD i took my time to find the (hopefully) right OB for me. i went from one OB to the next, then tried to go with midwives, and now i've ended up at a super-rare OB who actually works with midwives. so this influences the birth i have in mind too, i think i will feel more safe in a hospital and with access to pain meds if i want them than giving birth at home, far away from the next hospital.. AND the pain meds. 

i always fantasized about having a water birth, but at the moment i'm not really thinking about it much.

[nettlesoup]

Good idea! I'm really looking forward to getting another chance to try breastfeeding and hopefully succeeding this time! I wanted to do it more than anything with my first, but it just went horribly wrong. So that would be great.

I also look forward to seeing my daughter with a sibling, and seeing how she reacts to a baby.
 

[haurelia]

I'm looking forward to labor, having enjoyed it immensely the first time around.  Never has my body dumped that amount of feel good chemicals into my bloodstream...I've never felt better/higher/more powerful/peaceful/in love with the world than after giving birth. I really, really enjoyed it.  If you can surrender to the intensity and have good support, you can find levels within yourself that you wouldn't believe!  I think keeping it as natural as possible (when possible) promotes access to our instincts and the biological imperative of mothering and bonding.  Can't wait to meet this being, and be skin to skin nursing in that first alert period after birth! Bliss...

Also looking forward to seeing DH and DS react to the new baby, and fall in love.  

I am not planning to do anything differently with labor or birth. Planning another home birth with midwife and doula, using water if that feels right at the time. But I hope that this baby comes a little later than 37 weeks...since we had some issues related to that with DS and jaundice, breastfeeding, etc.  I am hopeful that it works for DS to be present if he wants to be; I think that it would be quite something to have him meet the new baby right away and for it to be a family affair.

I think that I'll plan for more PP support this time around in terms of asking for help with household stuff like cleaning, laundry and meals for a few weeks...we wanted so much privacy and quiet last time that I think it hindered us in terms of the housework and stuff being done by well-meaning friends and family.  I'm also planning to try belly-binding after birth this time...and hoping that it will help me feel more pulled-together sooner.  I will also be more aware and proactive with my milk supply, especially if I have another preterm baby. I feel good about the plans we've made so far.  Now, only about, oh, 190 days left.  

[vc2013]

Originally Posted by haurelia 

I'm looking forward to labor, having enjoyed it immensely the first time around.  Never has my body dumped that amount of feel good chemicals into my bloodstream...I've never felt better/higher/more powerful/peaceful/in love with the world than after giving birth. I really, really enjoyed it.  If you can surrender to the intensity and have good support, you can find levels within yourself that you wouldn't believe!  I think keeping it as natural as possible (when possible) promotes access to our instincts and the biological imperative of mothering and bonding.  Can't wait to meet this being, and be skin to skin nursing in that first alert period after birth! Bliss...

i just loved reading this.

:) :) 

[mrsandmrs]

I am really really excited about bringing home two healthy babies. Like, really excited. I can't wait to see my wife's face when she meets them. Both grandmas are extremely excited, and that will be fun to see too. I want to snuggle the hell out of those babies. 

[Serafina33]

Belly binding?  I'm intrigued.

I'm over 30 now, and was such a young whipper snapper with young ab muscles the first times, so I think I better  think about these things this go-round.

I'm looking forward to a possible homebirth.  Need to get DP on board of course.  I want to hire a doula I interviewed, need DP to get on board with paying her, he's such a miser.  Well, we did just take out a massive loan to buy our dream home, so I understand.  But our new dream home has a huge jacuzzi sized tub with jets and I would love to have a water birth in it!!!  And deal with labor in it!   We don't live near a big hospital, only a little one, so I'm not so sure about that part of having a homebirth here.  Where I had my homebirth last time, I was 5 minutes from a major hospital. That helped me to relax in case of problems.

vc2013, I think reading certain natural-birth friendly books will help you to loosen up about anticipating a need for pain meds.  Natural Birth the Bradley Way did it for me, and this time around I ordered Birthing Within and Ina May Gaskin's book, so I hope that those will help me to get back into that headspace of not thinking about pain meds as even a potential need, really.  My first was too fast and intense to have time for them anyways (I got to the hospital and moments later was in transition), although it was so intense that I would have taken anything if possible, but my second was a reasonable 5 hours from start to finish, and since it wasn't at lightning speed (i.e. each contraction wasn't doing the work of 40 contractions like the first time), I found it difficult and painful but entirely doable and never even wished for pain meds.  I wished for it to hurry up and be over, but sheesh, doesn't every woman feel the urge for that finish line during labor?  It was nothing where I thought, "Oh MAN I wish I was at a hospital and could have some stranger with a huge needle come in and poke me in the spine with it so I can just lay here and not feel my legs and roll the dice with that whole gamble."   No way.  Everything felt right and I soldiered through it without it ever being more than I felt I could handle.

I hope that was encouraging?

[thefreckledmama]

I'm excited to give birth and have a supportive partner along side me. My ex always viewed the birth and following hospital stay as a vacation for him. I'm also excited to see DP with his own baby. His daughter is 23 so its almost like he's having a baby for the first time as far as what to do with a newborn is concerned. He's also so great with my kids, I'm excited for him to have a child in his life that is his-who he doesn't have to give priority to any other parent (except me-lol). I'm also excited for his mom, as this is only her second biological grandchild-but she loves and regards my kids as her grand kids as well; especially since her own granddaughter has always lived a few states away, so this is the first she's a local grandma for.

I think it's neat we're going to have the whole "yours, mine, ours" to bind us all together even closer.

[Serafina33]

Originally Posted by thefreckledmama 

I'm excited to give birth and have a supportive partner along side me. My ex always viewed the birth and following hospital stay as a vacation for him. I'm also excited to see DP with his own baby. His daughter is 23 so its almost like he's having a baby for the first time as far as what to do with a newborn is concerned. He's also so great with my kids, I'm excited for him to have a child in his life that is his-who he doesn't have to give priority to any other parent (except me-lol). I'm also excited for his mom, as this is only her second biological grandchild-but she loves and regards my kids as her grand kids as well; especially since her own granddaughter has always lived a few states away, so this is the first she's a local grandma for.

I think it's neat we're going to have the whole "yours, mine, ours" to bind us all together even closer.

   I could have said all that, practically verbatim.  Difference is this IS the first child ever for my DP and first grandhchild for his parents and first neice or nephew for his siblings.  So everyone is really excited, although they've been really open and welcoming regarding my kids.  And so excited to birth with a loving partner who I feel so at ease with and trust so much, and can enjoy the pregnancy and first days and weeks after birth with someone who I know really will think of us first and put his own needs second.  

[aidenn]

This is such an uplifting thread to read!  It's really helping to set my mind at ease.

My big thing I am looking forward to is laboring in the garden tub in our new rental house.  The other two were born when we were living in a smaller house, but this one has a nice big bathroom with a nice big garden tub.  No birth pool to rent or fishy pool to buy....just labor and soak.

My mom and I have reconciled after not speaking for 5 years and now she lives with us, and the more I think about it, the more I think having her at the labor would be healing for us.  She and I were so close growing up and I think her presence in addition to Tom's would calm me in a very primal and maternal way.  I felt the same way when my grandma was originally dead set against me having a homebirth and then when I did so successfully and she heard how well everything went, she bragged to her friends how her great-grandchild was born at home and how beautiful it was.

I am looking forward to watching my girls become big sisters.  When my younger DD was born I was filled with doubt about how older DD would handle it, but now that I see how natural kids take to having siblings, I am greatly looking forward to watching that bond without any stormcloud of worry!

[Serafina33]

I am hoping and praying that the new sibling will be welcome by my current kids, and if there will be more than this one babe, close together in age, that the pair, or the three of them, get along well.  My first kids did not exactly take well to sharing my attention and still to this day my oldest claims he wishes his brother were never born and it's a constant struggle.  :/  Sorry to let a negative taint this happy thread!  

[katalopolis]

I am excited to find out what the combined awesomeness of me and my fiance produces.

I am excited to see him with a baby, he's going to be the best father ever. He's already known as the "baby whisperer" in the family because small children adore him. And he's one of those people who's a natural at everything he tries almost so I have more worries about my own abilities as a parent than I do his.

[Serafina33]

Originally Posted by katalopolis 

I am excited to find out what the combined awesomeness of me and my fiance produces.

That, too!  My fiance and I are a brand new gene team and I can't wait to see the results.

[mrsandmrs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by katalopolis 

I am excited to see him with a baby, he's going to be the best father ever. He's already known as the "baby whisperer" in the family because small children adore him. And he's one of those people who's a natural at everything he tries almost so I have more worries about my own abilities as a parent than I do his.

I could have written this about my wife, too. I have never met a baby she could not soothe. she is a fantastic, amazing mom to our older kid. i am far more concerned about the babies under my care, even more complicated b/c i feel totally cotton-brained and befuddled right now. but this is a happy thread! so i will say i am excited to learn all the new parent mistakes i can possibly make! 

[thefreckledmama]

Originally Posted by Serafina33 

I am hoping and praying that the new sibling will be welcome by my current kids, and if there will be more than this one babe, close together in age, that the pair, or the three of them, get along well.  My first kids did not exactly take well to sharing my attention and still to this day my oldest claims he wishes his brother were never born and it's a constant struggle.  :/  Sorry to let a negative taint this happy thread!  

My kids are all really excited for the new baby, especially my 5y/o who is a baby fanatic. I've worried that down the road there could be some resentment stemming from the baby needing my time and attention and the older girls trying to "blame" the baby if they feel like they aren't getting my attention all the time.  My two older girls are 11 and almost 9, and they bicker and fight constantly. My oldest says all the time how her sister "ruined her life" and she wishes she was an only child, or that it was just her and the "babies"-her 5 y/o sister and 2 y/o brother. Ah, gotta love sibling rivalry.

[rrs]

What a great thread to start, CookAMH! Congrats on the garden tub, aidenn!  I labored in ours with my second and it was WONDERFUL - I never made it in with the third, so I'm hoping that I will. 

I guess I am most excited for my kids - they are so excited!  I'm so excited to meet this little person, too!
 

[Serafina33]

Originally Posted by thefreckledmama  My two older girls are 11 and almost 9, and they bicker and fight constantly. My oldest says all the time how her sister "ruined her life" and she wishes she was an only child.

Mine are boys and two years younger but OMG everything else  YES.  You have no idea how sick I am of my 9, almost 10 year old spouting that negativity.  Thank you so much for saying this, I feel like I'm not the only one dealing with this!!!!  

[thefreckledmama]

Originally Posted by Serafina33 

Mine are boys and two years younger but OMG everything else  YES.  You have no idea how sick I am of my 9, almost 10 year old spouting that negativity.  Thank you so much for saying this, I feel like I'm not the only one dealing with this!!!!  

Ditto that back at ya!!

I'm constantly trying to develop a good relationship between them, but it's like pulling teeth sometimes..lol.  Of course, if ANYONE ELSE is even a little bit unkind, they're right there defending one another.  Kids are so funny.

[SuzieSmiles]

I love the idea of this thread and have really enjoyed reading all of your posts, especially from you experienced mamas! This is my first, so I don't really know what to expect but am planning a home water birth. It will just be DH, our midwife, her assistant and all of our critters - fun! I've read most of Ina May Gaskins book and plan to finish/refresh when it gets closer to time:) Also, plan to read some other positive and enlightening books closer to September like some of you have mentioned, Birthing from Within, etc... Anything to help with the nerves, right? Might look into hypnobirthing as well...

As some of you have mentioned, I too am looking forward to seeing what DH & I produce;D He's so amazing, babies/kids love him, he's so sweet, calm, patient, understanding, creative and intelligent (I clearly adore him, I'm his biggest fan), he's the most wonderful human being I know and I can't wait to see him as a dad! I hope that I do everything right and that I'm as strong in labor/birth as I've envisioned myself being...

Another thing I'm really excited about is the fact that this will be my parents first grandchild! And, DH's as well. I'm sure they all think it's way overdue and will be overjoyed with this addition to our family:)

Thanks CookAMH for starting this!

[kmarie8284]

Love this thread! I am excited about getting to labor and birth at the birth center where my first two little ones were born, and I'm hoping either DH or I will get to catch the baby this time. I'm actually really looking forward to that first few hours when the baby is first nursing and looking around. So awesome! DD is so excited about this baby, so getting to introduce her and DS to him or her is something I'm super excited about, as well.