7 months pregnant - in a panic now!

Tea-and-Cake_3

I have 2 young children and am soon to have my third but I am panicking about not having everything ready in time because my OH has slipped a disc and we need to get so much done...

- get the 2 children into a room together (endure the nightmare of them keeping each other awake all night), buy the beds, assemble them
- sort out the baby's room including paint it
- get all the baby stuff from the loft (baby bouncer, swing, steriliser etc) and clean it.
- wash all the babies stuff, sort out the older two's clothes and toys so we are not overwhelmed by stuff.

There's more but thery're the big things. I am in a mad hormonal nesting haze and feel like nothing will be done on time :eek::eek:

Any advice please???

ikkle87

Ok firstly, calm down, big deep breath.

Just think your in a much better position than some as you already have lots of the baby stuff already, no mad shopping needed or traipsing around the shops.

Can you keep the baby in with you for the first few months? If so then this bides you a little bit of time to decorate the babies room.

Could you maybe let your 2 children share a room for the odd night as a treat. If you can set up a ready bed or something similar and let them watch a dvd before bed and coax them into it gently to avoid too much hassle.

Do you have any family who can help? You could maybe give a bag each to a couple of relatives and say please could you wash these for us as OH is ill and there is so much still to do. I'm sure they won't mind.

nearlyrich

Baby steps (no pun intended) the new baby just needs a small warm place to sleep the children you already have can they stay as they are for a bit?

Do a few bits of extra washing each time you do a load don't do it all at once, it doesn't need ironing even if you think it does.

Have you got a friend who can help with the stuff in the loft? Once it's down you can do a bit at a time...

Don't panic and don't worry it will all be OK.

Nicki

Most furniture shops will give you the option of paying a bit extra to have the beds assembled when they are delivered (and any old beds taken away). That might be worth doing.

Baby's room could wait until after it is born especially if it will be in with you for the first 6 months. If not, is there a doting grandfather who would be happy to help out?

Any friend would surely be happy to get stuff from the loft for you. Cleaning it shouldn't be beyond your own capabilities at 7 months pregnant, or even your husband's even with a slipped disc.

You could bag up all the baby clothes and take them to laundrette for a service wash if you really don't feel up to doing them yourself. Where I live that would cost about £10 for a black sack full and they would be washed, tumble dried and folded for you.

If you have friends with children a bit younger than your older two, you could just bag up their outgrown toys and clothes and ask your friends to come and take them off your hands to use for their children. You might even get them back for your baby when their children have outgrown them

fluffnutter

Do a bit each day so that it doesn't feel overwhelming. You'll soon get through it all, you've got weeks to go!

Plus, stop worrying about the older kids and getting the baby's room ready. Just have the baby in with you for the first six months as advised.

If the older kids can't share or keep each other awake, can the baby share with one of them instead?

Ellejmorgan

Nicki wrote: »

Most furniture shops will give you the option of paying a bit extra to have the beds assembled when they are delivered (and any old beds taken away). That might be worth doing.

Baby's room could wait until after it is born especially if it will be in with you for the first 6 months. If not, is there a doting grandfather who would be happy to help out?

Any friend would surely be happy to get stuff from the loft for you. Cleaning it shouldn't be beyond your own capabilities at 7 months pregnant, or even your husband's even with a slipped disc.

You could bag up all the baby clothes and take them to laundrette for a service wash if you really don't feel up to doing them yourself. Where I live that would cost about £10 for a black sack full and they would be washed, tumble dried and folded for you.

If you have friends with children a bit younger than your older two, you could just bag up their outgrown toys and clothes and ask your friends to come and take them off your hands to use for their children. You might even get them back for your baby when their children have outgrown them

This is from someone who obviously doesn't know how bad a slipped disk can be..
OP he won't be able to lift, or do anything like that or it will cause excrutiating pain, is the disk in his neck or lower back as this makes a difference..

I'm someone who knows how painful this is and i'm on my 3rd operation, i'm serious when I say it hurts..I have 3 disks gone..
I've also got a 5 month old and had to do all this on my own, my partner left me at 10 weeks pregnant and I have 2 other kids..

I think it's time to relax think of how important hubby is, make him go to the docs as he may be able to have morphine, and work out priorities..
My baby is still sleeping next to me and doesn't even go in her nursery, all you need is stuff to go into hospital with..

I know you are pregnant and it's scary but hubby could be facing surgery with this, put yourself in his place, cos I wouldn't wish this condition on anyone, I now have arthritis as a result, and I have to have my neck cut open and fused...that's as well as the sciatica, and the feeling like i've been hanging by my arm all day..

Please work out what's important from whats not

dizziblonde

Make a list, think about what's going to be better achieved before you get to being huge, uncomfortable and utterly knackered - work through that first... and tick things off as you go - once you do that you realise just how rapidly you can get through the list of things you've got to do and it starts to look manageable - rather than just sitting there in a "oh god so much to do" utter panic achieving nothing.

Baby clothes and stuff I did as stuff appeared in the house - rather than leaving it all like lots of people do till they pootle off on maternity leave about 36 weeks... good flipping job I did cos she arrived at 33 weeks! But that was my tactic to avoid worrying the pregnancy was going to end in bad news like my others - be hyper organised and ahead of myself as that was the thing I could actually control.

End of the day - long as you've got the sleeping, means of feeding, clothes and hospital bag stuff sorted - the rest CAN wait.

But yep, I'm a list nut - if nowt else it feels very satisfying ticking 5-6 things off one.

dibuzz

Try not to panic, we'd all like everything to be perfect when baby arrives but it doesn't really matter. Baby won't care if the room is painted or not.
Are there no friends or family members who could help you? I'd say getting the other 2 kids sorted is more important than doing the baby's room for now.

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

As others have said the baby will probably be in with you to start with (my son is 9 months & still is in our room) so try not to panic as it's not good for your blood pressure or the baby. :A

Apart from regular feeding & changing babies are not very demanding for the first couple of months and spend most of the time asleep.

Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy & try to rest as much as possible before the baby comes.

Tea-and-Cake_3

Thank you for all the fantastic suggestions and support. I spent yesterday getting as much done as possible and making lists of what else needs to be done. I washed and tumbled dried all the baby's stuff, I ordered the next school year's uniform for my oldest (enough for 5 clean changes a week), I bagged up outgrown clothes, coats and shoes for the charity shop to make space and sorted out all the toys, finding homes for all the odd puzzle pieces and little lost things! My back felt broken by the end of the day but I felt much more in control, I had a bath then sat in bed making lists of to-do's, what to pack for holiday (Ha ha - not holiday - hospital!! I wish holiday) and what still needs to be bought.

I still feel a bit panicky about getting things done and having everything really well organised by the time the baby comes because I feel like I'm at my limit with two :eek:

mandragora_2

Tea-and-Cake wrote: »

I still feel a bit panicky about getting things done and having everything really well organised by the time the baby comes because I feel like I'm at my limit with two :eek:

Is that the real thing that's troubling you, underneath all this?