Things you plan to do different this time around.

[blessedonce]

Anyone who is having their second, third, fourth..you get the idea...plan on doing something different this time around?

My list:
~Eating healthier during this pregnancy
~Walking some more (I have a 2 and a half year old so excersize isn't an issue this time LOL!!!)
~Breastfeeding...I'm going to try a LOT harder this time, and I plan on getting a Boppy this time around as well. Ds couldn't handle breastmilk and most formulas, he ended up having Nutramigen for formula.
~Excersaucer...ds had a walker, but I took the wheels off it so all he did was chill out in it and play with the toys. I am going to invest in a saucer and jumper I think this time.
~No Diaper Genie. I HATED ours...cost more to use it than it saved me for time.

Things I am doing the same:
~Making homemade babyfood. I loved doing it and I plan on doing it again.
~Attachment parenting, it worked wonders.
~Binkie...pacifiers are awesome and proven to help reduce SIDS.
~Back To Sleep...def.
~In our room in a cradle until he/she is sleeping through the night so he/she doesn't disrupt ds.

Anyone else?

~Liz

[Hollin]

Hmm good question

*this baby is going to have to learn to nap alone out of necessity
*I will offer a pacifier this time probably. I feel bad I refused to give one to Alden. He had a strong need to suck but I had oversupply and the combination was not a winner with his reflux.
*I want to learn to nurse in a sling or wrap. I was never able to get the hang of it with Alden.
*I want to worry less if what I'm doing is "AP enough" and just do what works for me and the baby
*This baby willl have way fancier diapers. I just used flats and plastic pants with ds and since then I've learned about all the new types of cloth diapers.

[ilovebabies]

#5 and I want to walk more during this pregnancy and eat healthier. Everthing else will be about the same.

[baturay]

I craved junk food last time and ate too much crap! I'm going to eat healthier this time around.

Everything else will be just about the same

[bc1995]

#4 for me. Let's see...

Do different....
* This may be my first homebirth!
* Eat better
* Walk more
* Take more/better supplements

Do the same....
* child led weaning
* 100% cloth diapers (prefold/covers) from the start
* homemade babyfood but not until 7+ months
* wear him/her when possible including for nursing while out
* co-sleep
* no pacifier (#2 and #3 never had one)
* no vaccinations
* don't cut cord until stops pulsing
* med free birth
* no circ

[hillaryjudd]

Different:
-better diet
- more exercise, lots of yoga
- midwives instead of ob's
- attempt drug free birth (had an epidural with my twins - as a compromise with my ob since they considered me at high risk for needing a c-sec)
- no cutting cord until it stops pulsing
- delay/space out vaxing (did this to an extent with my sons)

Same :

- no circ if boy
- exclusively breastfed
- no solids till 6 months at minimum
- cloth diapers at least 80% of the time
- slings instead of strollers
- breastfeeding for a minimum of 2 yrs
- co-sleeping (this shouldn't be hard since the baby will be in our room for at least 6 months and for however long after that until we move into a bigger place!)

There is more I'm sure but other than the birth being medicate I am pretty proud of how I did things with my twins and plan on doing the same with a new baby - it should be easier with just 1 I figure

[baileyandmikey]

everything will be the same here, except if we have another boy, we will NOT CIRC> my dh is not, but he demanded our ds be. he cried for the entire day and i am sure the pain was awful, we WILL NOT mutilate another child of ours ever.

[blessedonce]

About the cord pulsing...I didn't get to really see my son until after everyone else had held him ....what happens if it isn't done pulsing? Don't ask about me not being able to hold him...I was sort of forgotten by our families in the hub bub...I was still being sewn up down there when everyone came parading into the room (men too)...so they all got to see what I have to offer....I remember practically yelling "WHO DOES HE LOOK LIKE????" because I STILL hadn't seen him.

~Liz

[liberal_chick]

Different:

-I have a new wealth of knowledge on breastfeeding and feel like I have what I need to make it work.
-Cloth diapers from the beginning.
-I'm trying my best to eat better.
-Continue to use the bike as our mode of transport until I can't do it anymore. Then I need to start doing some sort of exercise program.
-Not even worry about co-sleeping. We'll just do it from the beginning.
-I don't think we're going to buy a bucket carseat this time. I'm still researching this.
-Use a midwife for a HB if possible (I'm having trouble finding one to take me.)

The same...

-No circ for a boy.
-Lots of babywearing.

Can't think of anything else there!

[hedgewitch]

Good question!

Different:

*Breast-feeding rather than expressing for 15 months.
*Not worrying about where they sleep.
*Not believing that if my son cries for a few minutes he will literally die.
*Get out of the house if things aren't going well or schedules aren't working.
*Go full term!
*VBAC
*Nurse for at least 2 years
*No solids for the first year
*No purees (though I loved making them) just table foods when their teeth are ready
*slower vax schedule
*More confidence and less internal pressure.

Same,

*Booby milk rocks
*Baby wearing
*Cloth diapers
*Suspicion of the status quo!
*Minimum 'stuff' - though maybe a couple of additions such as a play yard so I can use the change table downstairs.

That's all I can think of for now!

[DanelleB]

I'll be simplifying even more than with DS. Unless someone gives us a bucket, we'll just get a convertable car seat (and even if we get one, the bucket will stay in the car). I plan on wearing the babe from the beginning. I'm not even going to bother setting up the crib (DS never slept in it) and am just going to put a pack & play next to the bed. I'm going to nurse even longer--hopefully at least 2 years. I'm also going to research a delayed and selective vax schedule. And I'm going to cloth diaper most of the time. As far as labor, if I get stuck with a hossy birth, I will be refusing the epi, IV, monitoring, etc and now know to change positions.

[Devaskyla]

Different:
- more exercise once I feel more secure in the pregnancy
-put the baby in bed for naps instead of lying next to me in the living room it got really tiresome not being able to get up & do anything
- make dh put the kids to bed at least one night a week, starting when the baby is a newborn, I am totally worn out being the one who has to do it every single night for years on end. I love my kids but once in awhile, like when I'm sick, it'd be nice to say 'h, you take them to bed, I'm going to veg out tonight'
- better at nursing in a carrier, I only did it a few times with ds2. kind of awkward for me since my breasts are huge, but I'm sure with practice I can manage it better
- I'd like to try to ec again. I didn't try for very long with ds2 because of ppd and having to use disposables (we don't have facilities for doing cloth atm, hopefully moving before baby is born, though)
- no nipple shield this time. If this baby is tongue tied, get it cut a lot sooner so I don't need the shield.
- be prepared to have a baby earlier than I expect (ds2 was 3 weeks early & we had virtually nothing prepared, not even diapers)


Same:
- extended nursing
- no pacifier
- co-sleeping
- no circing
- no vaxing
- babywearing
- UBAC
- no solids until well after 6 months
- no buying baby 'stuff', I've got everything I need

There's probably more in each category, but that's all I can think of right now.

About the cord pulsing...I didn't get to really see my son until after everyone else had held him ....what happens if it isn't done pulsing?

The baby doesn't get all their blood back. And they're forced to breathe immediately because their oxygen supply is cut off, rather than a gradual transition when the cord is left alone. I'm certain that early cord cutting is the reason ds1 was iron deficient at 2 months. Unless you physically stop them, early cutting is standard in hospitals, despite all the research showing that it's better to wait a few minutes, at least.

[She2dancer]

Different:
- will research how to avoid another 4th degree tear (my biggest fear about the birth)
- will try and do ecological breastfeeding where the baby is free to latch/unlatch whenever they like (in the sling of course)
- thinking about attempting EC - my half hearted attempt with DS didn't work

Same:
- Home waterbirth (hopefully)
- exclusive breastfeeding, no solids until at least 8-9months, and after that self led feeding, no purees
- co-sleeping
- babywearing as much as I can
- no paci, no vax, no circ
- keep dancing and exercising for as long as I can!

[vanessab23]

i ate pretty well last time, but in the last few weeks of pregnancy I really went crazy making homemade choc chip cookies like every week-- not a good idea!

i will carefully choose my midwife, and change providers if it doesn't feel right.

my mom won't be invited (her first was an easy 6 hours hospital delivery, and the second a sweet & short homebirth, so my prolonged back labor turned her into a huge worry wart-- don't want that around), and thankfully we live so far away now that it shouldn't be a problem.

I will get weekly or at least bi-monthly massages & go for regular chiropractor appts.

I will surround myself with people who can identify postpartum depression, and let all my friends (I only have a few as we just moved here 3 mos ago) know how they can help me if it hits again.

i think that's it for now

[freestyler]

This time:

Not eat so much---I don't want another 50 lb weight gain, UGH.

Take lots and lots of time for rest during the day when I need it, and sleep much more at night.

Just take it really easy. Even with four kids to watch already.

[MamaCaveBear]

• This time I will take no shortcuts.
• I will make sure that I get some pictures of my belly (I don't have a single one from my daughter ).
• I will try out a baby hammock.
• I will start my journal for the baby much earlier.
• I will (try to) eat better.
• I will try to encourage the baby to take a bottle of EBM earlier and more frequently. (DD wouldn't take even a sippy cup until 11 months)
• I will get a real sling (like an ergo or Mei Tai or something) and try to use it from the beginning.
• I will wear maternity clothes instead of buying big baggy clothes.
• No one gets an exact due date this time (actually we told everyone it was April 15th hehe, no more annoying phone calls)
• Most importantly, I will listen to and trust my intuition and I WILL NOT LET ANYONE MAKE ME DO ANYTHING I DON'T FEEL IS RIGHT!!!!!! I don't CARE how pissed off or pushy they get. Tough!!!

[Malva]

Different:

- homebirth
- use the wrap from the start
- EC (my dh thinks it's the coolest thing ever)
- get chiropractic care from the start of pregnancy
- more stretches (sciatica comes back in pregnancy even thought it has otherwise healed)

[*~Danielle~*]

This will be our third child.

Differently:
~hopefully a vaginal birth
~exercise regularly throughout pregnancy
~Not give myself an excuse to eat more
~take prenatals regularly
~take more belly pics
~try to cherish every second with my newborn, the time goes so fast...I want to keep that in the forefront of my mind...enjoy this newborn phase, enjoy holding this tiny baby, remember, cherish, drink it all in...
~I pray that my postpartem depression is not as bad...learn as mush as I can about combatting it holistically...I know the exercise will help and then any herbs I can take, I will.
~delay vaxing for atleast a whole year instead of just 6 months

[Janessa]

this is my 3rd
different
--hoping I will actually be able to slow down and enjoy the newborness more. With my first PP was horrible I don't remember her first year, with my second I had to work alot (childcare) so I had a minimum of 4 kids under 3 (then age 4) for the first 2 years it was insane.
--debating giving EC a shot
--pregancy is not an excuse to eat whatever I want this time, this is my heaviest prepregnancy weight and it worries me.
--hoping my mom will actually make the birth this time. Watch this baby come late instead of early like my first two so we time it all wrong again.

the same
-cloth diapers
-breastfeeding
-sling
-no circ
-home water birth
-no vax
all that good stuff.

[nuwavemomma]

This is #2 for us.

DIFFERENT:

*I'd like to have a HB.
*Probably won't vax at all, for sure the first year.
*Will seek out chiro or cranial sacral for baby in first week.
*Will CD from the start, (late start with DS) maybe EC
*Will co-sleep longer (only did it for about 4 months with DS)
*will exercise more during pregnancy
*will eat meat, raw dairy during pregnancy
*won't use a doppler, maybe no u/s
*I'd also like to go straight to table foods when it's time, rather than puree. Sure will do food intro different, no freaking cereal!
*more belly pics

SAME:
*unmedicated birth with mw
*no circ
*BF >2 years.