September 2013 babies!!

Three for me wasn't as big a jump as from one to two. DD2 was at kindy when DD3 was born and now the big girls are both at school which makes it easier. The main difference is that I'm just a bit more organised. For example all three of them are feral after school so I try to get dinner at least semi-sorted during the day and make sure the after school snacks etc are ready for when they're home. Otherwise I find I'm trying to help DD1 with homework, placate a grumpy tired and hungry toddler, bring in washing and cook dinner all at the same time. DH is usually home to help with bath and bed and we're pretty ******lined now.

Ya I found transitioning to number three the easiest as my older two were in school and it basically seemed like I only had one kid for most of the day... Which was great for bonding but now I can't keep ds3 off of me lol constantly hugging and kissing :) I'm very worried about number 4 I think it's going to devestate ds3

I've been drinking my tea since a could days befor 30 weeks.. It won't put u in labour it's gonna strengthen your uterus s when you do go into labour your contractions are more productive therefore reducing risks of interventions like c section and suction

Thanks WAG, i took it with DS2 and he was a day late where as i didnt have it with DS1 and he was 2 weeks early. I never thought i'd say this but i dont want her to come early lol.

Ya I didn't take it with ds1 and he was over 2 weeks early I drank it with ds2 but wow that labour story is a mess lol I went into labour with him at 36 weeks before I drank the tea I dilated to 5 and hen it stopped and he ten made his appearance like a bat out of hell at 41 weeks with a 30 min labour 2 hours before my induction lol ds3 I was induced at 39 and started the tea I'm pretty sur at 36 or 37 and that's why I wanted to start it early this time thinking maybe it will help a tad in getting me to have him before induction even I it's an hour before I will be happy... I will be starting the primrose at 37 I think just cause it actually causes your cervix to change (soften) and I don't want him pre mature a bit

Girlsway, I also found the jump from 2-3 easier than 1-2. But my 2 older children arent of school age. Infact only 1 is at Kindy which is just 2 days a week!! So I basically will have the 4 kids at home all day every day (minus 1 child for 2 days) until feb next year!! Going to be a long 6 months! And even then I'll still have 3 at home all the time!
But my second was a really difficult baby. Reflux and chronic ear infections resulting in multiple sets of grommets starting from 6 mths, and tonsils and adenoids out!! Plus I had thyroid surgery when he also was 6months!! So it was a challenging start with him! He still has some challenging ways!! But my third came along and was and still is such a breeze!! He's so delightful!! So I have put in an order for another one just like him!! Lol easy going and placid!!

Hi ladies, I hope every one is doing well! Southern how are things going? I haven't been on here in about a week, not even to read what is going on with everyone. Sorry!

I have fallen into a really deep depression and I think maybe talking through it with you ladies (since this is all anonymous) I might start to feel better. I haven't told a soul about this not even family members, or my BFF's and I normally tell them EVERYTHING but this is too HORRIBLE for me to even tell them.

I had a very horrifying experience........about a week ago I was having a painful day and I told my mom that I needed to go to the store for milk and cereal but that I was going to go take a quick rest/nap first. I did just that I went upstairs to take a nap, about 30 min to 45 min later DS1 who is 6 came in my room and asked me where DS2 was (age 4), I told him that DS2 said he wanted to watch a show so he was in the tv room. I then checked the clock and decided I would sleep for another 30 min.......about 10 min later DS1 came running upstairs and told me DS2 really needed my help in the CAR!!!!! I sat straight up, I yelled "why is he in the car????" It was 95 degrees outside! I ran (dislocated hip and all) as fast as I could down the stairs and into the garage. DS2 was sweating from head to toe, totally drenched his whole body was beet red and he was weak and couldn't speak right. He couldn't complete sentences. I carried him in the house put him in front of a fan and got him ice water, gatorade, and popsicles to cool him down. I got my phone and started dialing his doc but unfortunately, I realized really quick that if I made that phone call, CPS would for sure be called, and I would lose my children. I called DH instead, since he is a doctor (although not a pediatrician) and I couldn't get a hold of him. I called 2 of my sisters who are both nurses, and 1 of them is and ER nurse but I couldn't get a hold of them either. However, I noticed in the time it took to try to get a hold of all those people, his color was going back to normal, he wasn't shaking as much and his speech was getting better. So I decided that I would give him a cool bath and if that made a huge difference, I would just monitor his progress, but if it didn't drastically help him then I would call the doc and have to face the consequences because having him taken away would be better than having him die or have serious problems from this. He couldn't walk himself to the tub his energy level was just not there. I got him undressed and into the tub and I was ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIED AT WHAT I SAW He has bad bruises/abrasions on his shoulders and legs where his seat belt was and also on his back/spine (what had happened was, he heard me tell my mom I was going to go to the store, he wanted to go with me so he went and got in the car in the garage and put his 5 point harness seatbelt on. He can put it on himself but he cannot take it off on his own yet) Anyhow I lost it when I saw all those abrasions I just started sobbing right then and there, I couldn't control it. Seeing those abrasions and bruises painted a very graphic picture in my head of what he must have been going through, the terror and fear he must have felt, the excruciating heat (it had to be 100 or more degrees in the car), he must have been screaming for me and I wasn't coming!!!! My poor baby boy, still a week later, writing this is so hard for me...... Luckily by the end of his bath time he was splashing and playing and feeling much better. He had enough energy to walk now but he said it hurt to walk on his foot. So I let him get cozy on the couch with fans and watch tv for the rest of the day (he was really exhausted) I just monitored him and made sure he didn't fall asleep. I felt if he fell asleep things might get worse. DH called me back and was frantic when I told him what had happened but he thought that everything I did was good and agreed that CPS would have been called had I called the dr. When DH got home he took all his vitals and gave him a very thorough physical check over. Luckily everything was ok and he is going to be just fine. The only thing is he may have sprained his foot from kicking the chair in front of him.......

This whole experience really has taken a toll on me, I can't shake all the thoughts of "what ifs......" What if DS1 hadn't gone out to look for him..... I wasn't planning on going to the store for another half hour....... I can't shake the terrifying thoughts of what was going through my little guys head and his feelings of terror, fear, and abandonment. This made me spiral into thoughts of, how can I even think of having a 4th baby when I can't even keep track of the ones I have???!!! I know I am a very very good mother and many of my friends think I am over protective.....How could this possibly happen, how could I be peacefully sleeping while my baby was struggling for his life!!!

So after talking to DS1 and my mom, this is what happened.......DS2 asked me if he could watch a show, I told him if he cleaned 20 toys he could watch 1 show... Then I walked upstairs, as I was going upstairs, I told my mom I needed to go to the store but needed to rest first. What I didn't hear was DS2 say "I want to go to the store with mommy" (I didn't hear it because by the time he said it, I was upstairs and he was downstairs in the tv room) My mom and DS1 heard him say that because they were both downstairs too. My mom was making herself some lunch and she did notice he wasn't downstairs, but thought he went upstairs to be with me until I was ready to leave (he often will come be by me during my naps and just watch a show in my room, so that is what my mom thought he was doing). DS1 is my little hero!!!!!! He saved his brothers life. He wanted to play with him and he too thought that DS2 was with me so that is why he came upstairs, to get him to come play. When he saw he wasn't with me he asked me where he was, and I told him that he was in the TV room. He checked in the tv room and didn't find him. And then, in DS1's words "Something just told me to go check in the car.....I don't know why" When he got in the car DS2 cried for him to HELP!! DS1 unbuckled his car seat for him and ran in to get help! What a HERO!!! I truly believe that a higher power was involved in this I believe DS was guided to the car to help his brother! I am so very grateful that he is healthy and perfectly ok but things COULD HAVE turned out so so so much differently and if DS1 hadn't been inspired to go look in the car I might not have my beautiful boy with me....... I don't know exactly how long he was stuck in the car (somewhere between 10-45 min) but I do know that I wasn't even going to be leaving for another 30 min.....

Sorry for the long long long post, I'm still so very shaken up. He is perfectly OK but the experience really rocked my world and I just cant let it go, and I have really fallen into a depression because of it. I feel TERRIBLE I feel like an AWFUL mother...... but I know deep inside, I'm not a bad mom, but I can't shake this.....

Omg thorz that is horrifying! Your kids would not have been taken away if cps was called they would have just done a short investigations... It is sad that we have to be scared to get our kids seen in emergencies... I remember when ds3 fell off the bed when he was laying beside me and he had blood coming out of his eye ball I knew before I called 911 that cps was going to be called and the cops were called on me and e dr accused me of punching ds3 in the face... But honestly the woman from cps knew it was an accident and was constantly apologizing for having to intrude on this tough time... Maybe you should put locks on your doors so he cant get out cause I think this was an extremely close call and we need to learn from our mistakes basically.... After Ezra's accident I threw my 2000 dollar bed in the garbage... I literally ripped it into pieces I was so angry with what happend ... I'm glad he is okay and is feeling better and that it didn't end in tragedy

Thorz these things horrific as they are do sometimes happen, it's not your fault and he is ok!! Not that long ago my DS drank a whole bottle of calpol, luckily DH caught him with the bottle in his hand (even though he had polished off the lot), we took him right to A&E and they made him sick and gave him a drop to metabolise the parecetamol. They couldn't tell me if he would be alright, I was terrified. It still makes me feel sick to think about and makes me want to cry but not so much as time goes by... He was, and is totally fine by the way! Since it happened I spoke to lots of people and have discovered many people have similar stories to tell! Pregnancy is hard, especially when you have multiple children to think about. You weren't reckless or careless here, I was careless and that's even worse to deal with!
Aside from the experience being truly horrifying for me it was also positive, made me remember not to take for granted that he is ok, not just after the incident but generally. My boys are exhausting, crazy hard work but they are happy and healthy and remembering to focus on that fills me with energy.
You're a mother, not a superhuman and that's ok. Forgive yourself. Like me you've learnt a few lessons and that's only a good thing.
Our boys our fine. Spend the energy you're currently putting into thinking about this and getting down into extra cuddles for your gorgeous children.

thorz please do not blame yourself. I think the most dangerous time is when there are two adults watching the kids because each person thinks the child is with the other adult. Every single one of us has had moments where the kids are not watched like a hawk , and honestly if we were watching them every second of every day I'm not sure it's good for their development anyway. I am so thankful that everything came out ok in the end and I hope that you can forgive yourself, it was an accident and accidents happen to everyone.

Aw thorz, big hugs. Sounds like you have been through a rough time. It really can happen to any of us, please try not to beat yourself up about it. Not 2 weeks ago DH was holding DS1's hand walking across a car park when he saw his grandad on the other side, pulled away from DH and ran right in front of a moving car, thankfully it didnt hit him but could have been so much worse. Even when we do watch them they still do things that put them in danger.

It sounds like you did a great job looking after him and getting him back to his happy self. Does your DH or mum know how your feeling, maybe having a chat with them might help as they could be feeling the same. Very glad your little boy is ok though x

Oh Thorz thank God he's okay and thank God for big brothers the fact your ds1 acted so sensibly shows what a fab mother you are. I agree with atomic we relax when there's another adult you both think the other is watching them don't blame yourself move on you and your mum will make sure you hand the kids over better going forward dont torment yourself kids are made of strong stuff

Thinking of and praying for you and your family, please don't beat yourself up xxx

Thorz what an experience, I am so sorry you had to go through it but I am glad your DS is okay. I believe you feel shaken, it's awful seeing our little ones in distress. I know it hurts a lot. On the bright side at 4 years he will quickly forget about it, unlike us adults. Being depressed and blaming yourself is a natural reaction but don't forget how good mum you are too. I am sure your boys want to have a happy mummy now.

I felt very similar when my one year old drank half a bottle of perfume while I stood literary next to him. Guilt was great and I also started to doubt if another child was a good idea but it will pass. Keep your head up and enjoy your three princes till your princess arrives.

Thank you ladies!!! I knew you would all make me feel like less of a failure! I need to snap out of this, but it is so hard when I know how frantic he was and how he was kicking and screaming for me and I just wasnt there!!! I need to not dwell on those things and think more on the positive side, that he is ok and that DS1 is my little hero!!!

Thorz sounds like a perfect excuse to spoil your boys big time pre bubba ;-)

I haven't let DS2 out of my sight and he is getting tired of all my loves and cuddles lol. DH and I have even taken turns sleeping in his bed with him, because we just want to be near him. LOL he is getting tired of all the attention!

I did a quick project today to get my mind off of things. I found this chair for free on the side of the road and got the cushion for $5 on clearance so this was a really cheap project, and now I have somewhere to sit while the boys ride their bikes in the front yard!!! I need to focus on the nursery now, maybe that will help me with my rough week and help me get my mind off of the terrible experience....

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Thorz nice work on the chair!! Please don't be too hard on yourself... that could have easily happened to anyone. I know it must be hard to think about how your DS couldn't get out of the car but is just fine now and I bet he won't do that again:) I had CPS show up at my door once and it shook me to the core. I cried several times about it and it took me awhile before I could even tell anyone what happened (even though it was just a misunderstanding). It doesn't make you a bad parent and I am sure most parents have a couple of stories they aren't proud of. The most important thing is that your Mom instincts kicked in and you knew exactly what to do to get him cooled off. Talking about it with someone who you can trust will probably help. It doesn't help that your hip is hurting and it is hard to do things to get your mind off of it. Try not to be too hard on yourself!!

Thorz you poor poor thing!! I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I can't imagine the horror you must have felt. But like all the ladies here have said, you must not blame yourself or think about the what ifs. He is now safe healthy and happy and this is what you must focus on. We will all have close calls in our lives with our kids, I wish we wouldn't buy we all will at some point. But 99% of the time they will be just that- close calls. Your DS1 is a hero! You have very special boys and just take this time to cherish them and try not to get depressed on the situation that could of been. Kids are so resilient. And DS2 would no doubt be back to his happy healthy self by now. So don't allow yourself to be so hard on you, it's not doing anyone any good. You are an exceptional mother. No one doubts that for a second! You just have to look at your boys to see this. Big big hugs, I think it makes it worse that you are on bed rest and its playing on your mind so much x x x x

Is anyone getting strong BHicks? Mine are getting quite painful, I guess at 34 weeks it's normal.

I've been getting painful BH since like 15 weeks just like with ds2 and 3 ... Altho I did think I was going into labour last night... They were 10 mins apart for over two hours

Thorz I'm so glad everything turned out ok and you definitely have an amazing little hero on your hands! I know how hard it is because as mothers the guilt can sometimes be unbearable. I'm so sorry this happened but it was NOTHING you did wrong. You did an amazing job of responding quickly and doing all the right things to cool him off. One of the hardest things for us mothers to do is forgive ourselves when something happens to our kids but the reality is things like this happens and all we can do is learn from it and be grateful for our healthy children. I'm glad you seem to be doing better now, go easy on yourself!

Several ladies have shared their "close calls" so I'll share mine too. We were staying at a beach house when my older boys were only 2 and 4. Both boys were playing in the shallow end of the pool and my MIL and I were sitting inside the screened porch only about 5 feet from the pool in full view of the kids. MIL and I had gotten into some kind of semi-heated discussion and were therefor a bit distracted, we both heard splashing but the boys always splashed each other. Suddenly I heard DS1 yelling "mommy help help help I can't hold him!". To my horror DS2 had somehow flipped upside down in his safety float and was stuck head down. DS1 didn't have the strength to flip him back over but he was able to grab his head and keep his face out of the water just enough so he could breath. It took me a long time to get over that guilt, all I had to do was turn my stupid head and stop talking to MIL and I would have seen it. DS1 was also my little hero that day and 6 years later he still remembers it vividly as do I.

My lesson was that even 5 feet away was too far when it comes to the pool. I felt so foolish.

I've been having some weird pains today really low down today. Shes been head down since 26 weeks so have no idea what they could be, they dont feel like BH but i have been having them since about 20 weeks. Thankfully the BH arnt too painful . . .yet!

she might just be dropping low... tmi but in the shower i was curious to see if my cervix was lowerin or anything and i can feel his head right there!!!!!

Agh I have weird achy cramping pains in my legs most of the time ;-( anyone else getting these?!

I've never had Branson hicks ;-( sounds exciting off to the hospital tomorrow wonder what they can find wrong with me tomorrow ;-)

Wag your little one is getting ready as is mine. I had BH all afternoon today. Will see what the night brings and if not any better I will have to have it checked tomorrow. The hot weather where i am is not making things easier.

Dlatag she probably started to press on your cervix but I could be wrong.

Souther how are you coping? Are your contraction under the control?

Wag your little one is getting ready as is mine. I had BH all afternoon today. Will see what the night brings and if not any better I will have to have it checked tomorrow. The hot weather where i am is not making things easier.

Dlatag she probably started to press on your cervix but I could be wrong.

Souther how are you coping? Are your contraction under the control?

ya lol i would like to think so but from my experience with my other boys i dont think it means too much...one thing i do know is he better stay put for four more weeks.. i dont want him to be premature at all!!! i cant believe its the last full week of july!!! im 37 weeks aug 13th!!!!! thats only like 22 more days!!! i do notice when i walk that i can totally feel his head drop down very fun lol not...

whats everyone think for self inductions... i have bought a pineapple lol its supposed to soften the cervix... it will be nice and yummy hopefully the end of the week... im gonna start some hill and stair walking when im 37 weeks.... ive already started my tea at 30 weeks and will be upping it to two a day when im 34 weeks which is this week mid week i believe... im gonna start primrose at 36.3 maybe i might wait til 37 just to be safe

Thanks southern! What a scary experience you had too! water is always so scary! How are things for you? I'm glad your little guy is hanging in there!

I get BH every now and again but they never really hurt. I might start drinking the raspberry leaf tea soon. I will do anything I can for her to come after 38 weeks. I'm so over this pregnancy. My hip won't stay in socket and I have an extremely painful pop in my hip with every step I take. People around me can even hear it. DH has helped a ton around the house and won't let me do anything, but it is turning him into a grumpy DH and daddy so I would rather him not try and help me with laundry and cooking and cleaning and getting the boys dressed if its gonna make him grumpy and snap at all of us. I would rather just a messy house!
We are all getting close ladies, we are on the home stretch!!!

WAG I'll try anything to get this bub out in my 38th week! I'm drinking 2 cups of raspberry leaf tea a day. And having just 1 primrose oil tablet a day orally now. When I hit 36wks I'll increase to 2 orally and 1 vaginally at night. Will also increase to 3 cups of RRL tea next wk at 34 wks. I hear you have to eat something like 100 pineapples for any sort of change to occur. But still it's a nice alternative to caster oil which I would personally never take!!

WAG I'll try anything to get this bub out in my 38th week! I'm drinking 2 cups of raspberry leaf tea a day. And having just 1 primrose oil tablet a day orally now. When I hit 36wks I'll increase to 2 orally and 1 vaginally at night. Will also increase to 3 cups of RRL tea next wk at 34 wks. I hear you have to eat something like 100 pineapples for any sort of change to occur. But still it's a nice alternative to caster oil which I would personally never take!!

I am def totally against castor oil! It's terrible for the baby and when I was working along side an ob you could always tell who took it... It was terrible... Babies covered in diareeha eww

Would it not be too early for her to be that low? I'm only 31 weeks.

Just brewed my first cup of raspberry leaf tea too :D Really dont feel ready for this little lady but cant wait to meet her.

The painful BH stopped, I must have pick up some minor food poisoning as I didn't feel well yesterday. We are on holiday and its hard to judge what food is okay when served to me. I wasnt vomitting just crampy, so I hope I didn't hurt the baby.

Btw the Dutches of Cambridge is in labour. We will see soon if they used our name, fingers crossed they didn't.

DLTAG, I agree with WAG that sounds like the baby dropping. I wouldn't worry too much especially this being your 3rd.

Girlsway I'm glad you are feeling better. Very exciting about the royal baby too! DH was hoping our baby would share a birthday with theirs but I'm not ready for it to be today.

BH are very "normal" for me from very early on in pregnancy so I pretty much ignore them unless they get painful and in a regular pattern.

Well yesterday was officially 2 weeks in this place, feels like I've been here an eternity though. It's possible they will allow me to go home at 34 weeks (next Sunday) so I'm counting down the days and hoping they don't change their minds. I still contract a lot but as I've mentioned before the medications keep them spaced out to reduce the chances of them kick starting labor again. They have gotten as close as every 3-5 minutes a few times over the last few days in which case I get a lovely shot of terbutaline :worry:. The whole time I've been here I'm always crampy and still have painful contractions I have to stop and breath through... sort of feels like I've been in early labor for 2 weeks straight. It's all worth it to buy this little one more time though.

What is everyone's birth plans? I know several of you have mentioned natural births. I don't recall anyone having a scheduled C-section, or am I wrong? Just curious!

My plan is induction on the 27th but I'm hoping to go into labour on my own before then... I would like to avoid the epidural this time cause last time it didn't take and just gave me chronic back pain... But tell me that I said this when I'm screaming for it lol... I went no drugs with ds2 and not by choice and I very clearly remeber crying and screaming for it..... I delay cord clamping ... I take everything as it comes... Labour and delivery are so unpredictable that I don't make too uh of a plan... The most important thing is a healthy baby and the delayed cord clamping is next on the list.... Also for this induction we are gonna try and just break my water instead of the drugs

Souther I am glad you are still hanging there, I can imagine how much pain you are going through. 2 wks in contractions is not fun, but you seem to have a great endurance. What we mothers don't do for our children. Fingers crossed this week goes faster for you and you are home in no time.

I wonder if she will make an early entrance then if shes that low down already.

Hope you manage to get home for a bit too southern, you must have forgotten what it looks like. Your doing a brill job tho x

I dont really have a birth plan, just as little pain relief as possible and not give birth lying on my back. My real dilema is where to give birth. I have 2 choices and need to decide by 34 weeks. The birth centre which is really nice and where i had DS1 or the hospital which isnt so nice. I really want to go to the birth centre as its really nice but is a 40min drive away (in good traffic) and i have quick labours (DS2 was 4 hours). Also if i have a 3rd degree tear they have to transfer me to a hospital anyway. So stuck on what to do, any advice VERY welcome :)

So princess Kate was taken in at 6am what do you reckon ladies induction?

Daltag tricky one I wish I could go birth centre, my ds1 took 25hrs ds2 2! But the distress of the car journey kept him at bay ;-) but having to be transferred after would be bad too ;-( have you torn before? My hospital has a birth centre and labour ward on one site so it's less of a big decision

Ds3 my co sleeper lol kicked me in the stomach this morning... I was sleeping so I don't know how hard it was... I had no pain... But it did scare the crap out of the baby in there... He was bouncing around for like an hour ... I just dont knowin I should worry... He's been moving around like normal all day so far and the kick happend in his back or butt