anyone ever deal with early contractions or false labor? wife was having contractions for like a good hour+ earlier tonight i was really starting to freak out(pretended to be calm for her htough haha) she didnt sleep well last night and was exhausted and trying to finish editing some photos(shes a wedding photographer) so once she finished and laid down they stopped and she fell asleep. which i was hoping would happen, but man. i need a beer or something lol
My wife has been getting them too. They're called Braxton Hicks contractions and they are apparently really uncomfortable. Unless they are at regular intervals and have a repeated duration then it's not really anything to worry about. And, shocker, can be caused by stress.
yeah shes had braxton hicks before, but tonight they were happening kind of regularly for a while so i was starting to get real nervous(as was she) but false alarm
Hey there fellow parents. I have a special needs kiddo that’s 10 years old and a two and a half year old son who is “normal”. Parenting is NUTS. We are due for a new kiddo in March, little girl, and I am always nervous about kids due to my first child. Anyway, great thread.
Hate those false alarms. As guys we are completely on the outside. How bad does it hurt? Is it time to go? GAH
Hi guys. Father of 2 kids, a hyper 3 year old boy and a 1month old girl. Life is crazy and hectic with heavy work hours and taking care of the kids at night and during the day before I leave for work. Just recently I was able to teach my son how to put on his pants by himself, such an achievement lol.
Heya all! Father to 2 boys, 1 on the way. My partner kept getting very Ill with the second one, and was in hospital for almost 2 years on-off, she was in a coma multiple times and near death quite often. I went to visit her one day and was told she was in a coma so wouldn’t be able to hear me. I spoke to her and she woke up out of the coma. It’s like a film or something. I obviously had to leave my job to look after the boys and my partner, who has thankfully recovered a bit. I’m her carer now so I can’t work which sucks. My boys, this forum, games, etc will be my hobbies to get my mind of work lol. Nice to meet you all. :)
Really glad this thread made it over! Father of two here, a 2 yo boy and 3 month old daughter. Last night was tough. As of yesterday Son has officially been diagnosed with "reactive airway disease". Had to take him to er for breathing difficulties that didn't go away after a nebulizer. On the way he throws up all over car. So at er he gets a triple nebulizer and then they want to watch him for 2 hours. problem is after first hour he is feeling a lot better and wants to run around the er...naked. Wasn't keen on us saying that wouldn't work and proceeded to tantrum for second hour (we are like three hours past his bedtime at this point). I felt so bad for everyone around us but what can you do. Made especially bad by the fact albuteorl makes your heart race. I will say, if you have to go to er for something and don't want to wait around in waiting room, breathing difficulties on a 2 year old jumps right to the front of the line. They take that pretty seriously! We definitely got some dirty looks from the people whose kids had rashes. On the flip side, once they were seen, dr just gave some hydrocortisone and they were done 20 minutes after being see, not three hours later.
About all we can do is drive them around haha. It’s the worst when the doctor tells your wife that she is in labor but it’s not bad enough and come back when the contractions get stronger. For my son they did that twice and finally we had to put our foot down.
It's funny. We hear horror stories like this, being sent home multiple times. And also how they won't let you eat or drink once they admit you. So our strategy was we were going to wait as long as possible. So my wife's water breaks and I think ok, guess it's time we start getting ready to go. But I am in no hurry. Write a few work emails, tidy up around the house. Meanwhile my wife is getting impatient but I keep reminding her we don't want to get there too early. So we get there...and she's 9cm already. Ooops! Her plan was always to not have an epi, which is good because we got there WAY too late for that to be an option.
My partner's water broke 16 hours before contractions really got close together; I just worked from home the day after. Midwife arrived 24 hours after the water broke. All told, 36 hours from water breaking to birth.
Hey! I kind of did, but here I am. ^_^ And great to see you made it too! The name/ava change is going to mess me up, though. I'll try to transition it in my head, but I'm pretty hardwired to posters' tags/avatars (I'm old and resistant to change). Any plans to transition him out? Gonna get really tough later on (usually, anyway) from what I've heard if they get settled into bed-sharing. But, when it comes to sleep, sometimes whatever works is what's best for everyone's sanity and health~ A bath in with your newborn (initial few weeks) sounds like a charming first, an idyllic memory, one of those stock photo moments of bonding... It's not. Don't do it. Don't even think it. Didn't have it with my first, but had something similar last night. I think in the end it was just the pelvis splitting (which is excruciating) and a hot bath/water bottle and bed rest helped calm them down. Best thing is probably just bed rest and making sure you have your bags ready to go (<--just for your own peace of mind even if they stop).
My wife woke up at like 2 AM with contractions. We got up at 7 went to hospital for couple hours they sent us home at like 3 then we or probably just me took a little nap and afternoon they got to be too muxh for her so we went back. Luckily her doctor was able to be there. She didnt like the male doctor assigned Her water broke around 5 or 6 I believe and our baby girl was born at 8:12. My wife is a super hero. She did it with no epideral and barely any pain medication. All natural. She did so good. Best and scariest experience of my life.
Won't lie, it's kinda rough. 3rd trimester has been awful in terms of fatigue, but luckily Mia's a darn good kid (generally). She's 20 months now and has books she can read on her own/does her own thing decently, listens to instructions, sleeps, communicates fantastically well...but still. Major props to other parents with 1+s. I don't even want to dwell on what the first couple of weeks after the birth is gonna be like...
He used to sleep in his bassinet half the night but he outgrew it. At his 4 month check up he was 17lbs and 26”. We don’t have a crib but we were going to setup his playpen as his bed soon. But it is was easier to just give him his pacifier if he’s between us.
I bet. Pete is a hellion at this point so basically sprinting non stop at all times and destroying everything for a laugh. A 2nd kid right now would be a total nightmare. I’ve always heard girls are easier at this age but I’m guessing YMMV depending on the kid.
Not to mention the stuff you're told you'll 100% need but then never or rarely use. We bought so much less stuff for our second born, and will probably buy even less if/when we have a third. We were planning on dressing Gabe, the 6 year old as Mario as per usual. We're not going trick or treating this year though. The weather is cold and rainy so it's not really worth it, plus Super Mario Odyssey just came out so he's more interested in that. We had a hell of a time with early labor. With Gabe she had contractions for the whole last month. With Nick she went into essentially labor in late second trimester and they stopped it and kept her in the hospital for several days and wouldn't let her leave. If we have another she'll probably go into preterm labor again so they'll be medicating her to prevent it. It's so exciting that you're so close. Nick's also 20 months and speech is delayed just like his brothers was. These past few weeks he's been a lot more expressive and at least saying yeah and no with accompanying head nods and shakes. He's definitely started entering the terrible two stage and getting into as much trouble as he can and breaking our stuff haha. Has Mia started any of that?
I'll be joining this thread soon. Expecting our first, a girl, in January Trying to enjoy my last few weeks of full nights of sleep
My heart really goes out to you parents that have children with diseases and illnesses. My child is the greatest love of my life. We had a huge scare when she was born; she tested high for cystic fibrosis (CF). We had to wait weeks to go through multiple tests. In the end, she didn’t have it. I REALLY look forward to getting to know you guys and gals. Keep up the good fight of being the parent every child should have. As a teacher, I see many kids without parents; some even call me “Dad.” Don’t take for granted your blessing of parenthood.
My situation with chronic illiness wasn't as scary but I have quite a few genetic quirks I was worried would pass onto my kid and my wife has a family history of heart issues that skip generations I was worried about. Thinking that something you have no control over, your genetics, could be negatively impacting the life of this little person that now is the center of your life is terrifying. Congrats get ready for the journey!
The second pregnancy was way harder on my wife than the first one. I have no idea how women do it. I certainly would not be able to handle pregnancy.
we're 2 months out still, so the contractions were super stressful. the house is totally not ready and neither are we haha. my wife is a wedding photographer so she needs that kid to stay in there. she's got a wedding today and next weekend. then she's done til next spring she just found out her dr is leaving like a month before she's due which really stressed her out a lot, and she has pretty bad anxiety in general. I think that stress triggered the contractions. so far so good today though. she's busy working which I think is helping her focus on not being anxious I'm using this thread is my diary now haha. also good luck to everyone due soon!
Unless you have some weird sleep condition, you won't roll onto him if you know where he is when you're falling asleep. If he's placed into the bed after your asleep though... well, they make noise as you roll onto them and they're surprisingly boney— you'll wake up. Ask me how I know. A few more weeks to start sleep training ours; she sleeps fine, but in our bed. gtfo, kid
You're probably right, but it's not worth the argument. Her reasoning is that I'm such a heavy sleeper (often sleep through his cries while she wakes up immediately) I would do it and not notice it. Best of luck with sleep training.
Hello new forums! We've just had our third last tuesday, good bye to the rest of my free time :D Thought I'll just talk about gaming for the next 3-4 years, while at it, why not talk about parenting with people who also like talking about gaming ;)
Your story is almost copy and paste of my situation save that my son is 6 weeks old. I’m up right now with him while mom rests up. It’s touch and I’ve had some moments where I felt I was losing it. It sucks because I go to bed at 5am and sleep throughout the day and miss time with the rest of the family and miss out on much needed errands. So tough. Hello , fellow Austinite. Wish you and the family the best. I hope he finds the circle of friends he deserves. What district are you all in? Curious about the school
17lbs at...4 months?! Mia didn't even hit 20lbs until she was ~17 MONTHS. Wow. At that rate he'll outgrow the playpen before he's half a year old. :) But, anyway, if it works for you guys, go for it~ I hate to say it, but that does seem to be the broad case among everyone I know who has a boy vs. those who have girls. We had a couple of playdates with my husband's friends while we were in Australia and the difference between the two was incredible. The boys were whirlwinds of destruction while Mia would just try and offer them things and/or play quietly. Now that Pete's walking (ruuuuuuunning) I imagine you guys have to have everything on lockdown and are probably mainlining coffee. I don't think I'd be able to manage that at all right now. Do you guys think you will eventually go for a second? Sadly, I'm more trepidatious than excited for #2. We'd always planned on having at least two, and given my age it makes sense to get it taken care of sooner rather than later, but man...I don't feel ready at all. For terrible two stuff, I've heard tanties are linked to frustration over communication a lot of the time, so that could be why you guys are getting it so rough right now. My friend had similar with her son (he didn't really start even saying basics until he was past the 2 yr mark) and he would have meltdowns pretty often. But once he started in earnest everything smoothed out. Did you guys find that was the case with Nick's brother? Mia gets frustrated when she can't do complicated actions after a few goes at it and stuff gets thrown, but she's only really melted down once. She wanted "up, up, up!" and I was too tired to do it bc of baby #2 so my husband had to carry her and she puddled into a screaming mess on the floor. Gave us a good laugh, and when he carried her (still going at full volume) an older woman who passed us called out, "You go! Work it, Dad!" :D To add: While we've been mostly spared on the tanty front, my kid's the kid dropping F-bombs in public and mispronouncing "clock" at the top of her lungs, over and over and over again... Congrats(!), and don't stress, it's not a given. Some people get kids that sleep through the night from the get-go, others have it fall into place later, and some of us sleep train. There are (usually) options. Until then, there's always the liquor cabinet and dark corner to rock in as an option. :)
I'm sure you'll do fine with 2. You're probably already not sleeping with the pregnancy so you're used to that, and you already know what you're doing with it fresh in your mind. I found having two children was like 1.2x harder than one instead of 2x like I imagined. The hardest thing was being pinned constantly since the baby loved to cuddle and hated carriers despite trying three different kinds. Luckily having another kid was really helpful at times like this since I could ask him to hand me things and he got a real kick out of being a good helper. Nick's huge. He's in the 99.7th percentile for both height and weight for his age according to his 18 month checkup. He's been a big baby from the start. As for the terrible two stuff I think I wasn't clear in expressing what he does. He doesn't break stuff out of anger or frustration. It's more out of fun or curiosity, like how he enjoys smashing a block tower. About a week ago he took the Nintendo Switch out of the dock, raised his arms and just tossed it onto the hard ceramic plate his snack was on. No tantrum just destruction. Now pictures since I haven't posted any in a year or on this forum: This is our dog, Lady. She's 4 years old and we got her a few months ago. She's great with the kids and cuddles and protects them while they sleep. In this picture you can see Nick sharing his favorite toys with her.
Hi ParentEra. I forgot how much fun the clocks going back was with 2 kids (two girls - 4 1/2 and 20 months) and a cat. Bad sugary food will be eaten today.
H.Protagonist we are really on the fence about #2. I’m guessing no but 5 years ago I would have told you I’d never have a kid in a million years and here we are. Cute kids (and pup) zbarron
Olivia (4 1/2) and Ellie (20 months). I can confirm that they are not trained paramedics, nor are they able to shoot webs from their hands. Apart from that, they're great.
He'd just pour it all over the toys and make a giant mess. Better to use one of those drip feeders for hamsters.
The little dude was growing pretty fast. I'm half expecting to shop at Big & Tall stores for his school clothes when he goes to Kindergarten.
If anyone feels like contributing, I'm working on a resource guide for the OP that new/soon to be parents might find helpful. I'd welcome any suggestions.
Sleep when your kid sleeps for the first few months probably should be on there. Especially in the phase where they are eating all the time.
Also that listening to their breathing is terrifying (it's irregular and they just stop breathing for what feels like too long).
I can't recommend getting an wifi-enabled camera enough, for the first year or so. Being able to log in and see our daughter from any web browser, including on our phones, offered us some peace of mind regarding SIDS. We could check on her when it got really quiet and the "What if she's not breathing?!" thoughts inevitably crept into our minds. When she was a bit older and sometimes didn't want to nap we didn't want her to learn that crying = parents always come running, so we could see if she was fine and leave her be to fall asleep and only help her out if something was actually wrong. It also provided an adorable memory of her crib years because I took screenshots every so often. Running through them in sequence is like a flip book of wildly different sleeping positions and locations in the crib along with her getting bigger. I guess "you should buy a camera" isn't exactly a resource, but if you make a general tips section it could maybe go there?
