It does end, and the baby is a pretty great reward…coming from a woman who never wanted kids. At all.
[QUOTE=Heineken;8317808]
It does end, and the baby is a pretty great reward…coming from a woman who never wanted kids. At all.[/QUOTE]
That’s great encouragement… thank you. DH and I were always on the fence until we lost the first and that’s when we realized that we did want a kid. Then we were told it would never happen again for us. Fast forward 7 years and here we are…
I’m still terrified, but I know we can do this.
Very encouraging to hear that Heineken! I’ve never been that person with a burning desire for children either. I’ve never day dreamt about what my kids would be like when I was growing up. I never picked out names in advance. I never picked my DH based on whether he’d make a good father (though I actually think he’s going to be fabulous). But hearing its all worth it even from someone with the same mindset going in? So encouraging!
DH has wanted kids since before we actually got married. I was pregnant in February 2014 and had a miscarriage, then subsequently found out I had a uterine birth defect. After a bunch of testing, they realized I had a uterine septum and would need surgery to fix it to even be able to have kids. I had my first surgery June 2014, where they found the septum was much larger than they predicted, so I had a second surgery in October 2014. They told me I should be able to get pregnant and have a successful pregnancy and so far so good. I’m lucky that I had a defect that was fixable and that my job provides good insurance that allowed me to have the two surgeries and all of the testing, etc.
I’ve never had a huge burning desire for children either. Babies really have never been my thing either. I’m still kind of freaking out about actually having a baby, but I know it’ll all work out.
I too had some medical issues and thought this wouldn’t ever happen…kinda resigned myself to most likely never having kids and then bam! Here we are 
I freaked out too…and stayed that way honestly until about a month or so ago.
But it’s good I started focusing on the cool things about having kids instead of focusing on the things I was “missing out on” and starting listening to/reading about moms that kept doing the things they love and found ways to make it fun with their kids. I still have moments like right now when all my friends are getting ready to leave for Nationals 
BUT I get to have a baby soon! Well, hopefully soon…maybe…please come out soon!
Also, this group was a HUGE help! Realizing that I wasn’t the only one just bursting with excitement over diapers and maternity clothes was pretty awesome.
Wow, I am only at 16 weeks and I feel like my due date is coming too fast, and that I am not ready… Maybe when I am further along I will want this baby out, but right now I like that my little guy is contained… Did anyone else feel this way, maybe at first?
I am jealous of all of you still riding and/or sitting on your horse at 38 weeks (Go Nick!). I am grounded due to my horses injury, and this is coming out wrong, but I am thankful my horse is injured (you know what I mean, not really thankful he is hurt) because if he wasn’t injured, this baby boy probably wouldn’t be on the way right now. We had big plans for the 2015 show season and when he was diagnosed with his injury I said, I guess now or never to have a baby… Although I am super excited for my soon to be bundle of joy, I don’t know if I would have pulled the trigger if my guy wasn’t injured. I would have said one more year of showing and next year I’ll have a baby (that’s what I said last year and the year before too :D) Now rehabbing an injured horse while pregnant is not fun and exhausting…
Target is having a sale 15% off baby registry items (baby15) and then you can get a text code for an additional 10% off. They had a fluke last night where you could use a code Wedding20 for an additional 20% off. I got my car seat and stroller for 45% and both are brands that are not supposed to be discounted. Never have I been so happy :D.
[QUOTE=Heineken;8317808]
It does end, and the baby is a pretty great reward…coming from a woman who never wanted kids. At all.[/QUOTE]
I echo drmn that this is very helpful, and it is highly likely that I won’t think this is the biggest mistake I ever made. lol
Hi Everyone!
Long time lurker of this thread, first time poster. Sorry in advance if this gets long, but I currently have no other riding and pregnant people to vent to. 
I am at just about 20 weeks now, due early February with a colt. Still riding, have been jumping, but not showing just because I was so sick I literally didn’t know from day to day how my energy level (or barf level) would be and, since my mare is young, I wanted to make sure she had good show experiences. She’s one that learns super quickly about her “options” and I didn’t want her to learn that going around the course was optional because I didn’t have the energy to add leg. I did do a warm-up round at a close-by show 2 weeks ago just for fun and found myself a little nervous - I think I was nervous about whether I was nervous actually.
I had terrible morning aka all-the-time sickness through 15-16 weeks, now it is less regular, though I was grounded all day Sunday when it was extremely hot and humid. I put on my breeches to go trail ride mare around the show grounds, ate breakfast, sat for a bit, got up and promptly puked up everything. So I’m hoping that was heat-related and isolated as I am ready to be done with this constant nausea/sometimes puking lifestyle.
Even during my first trimester, at its worst, I still did my best to ride through the nausea though as I of course felt better when riding usually (though trainer always asks what the barf factor is when I show up and says the arena could always use more watering 
) I agree with the “Hungry or nauseas? Hungry.” statement though. Such a strange feeling to be scarfing down lunch while simultaneously feeling like you’ve just OD’d on vitamins and could barf any moment.
The bummeryest part was that just as I started to have some good days was when mare was being schooled up by trainer and ready to do some bigger at home jumping really for the first time since I got her as a long 3 yo (other than grids and a few here and there some light 1.10m stuff). We did some 1.20m stuff and it was so so so fun. She actually felt much better over that than the 1m stuff we usually work on (working a lot on rideability) and even though we didn’t do a lot obviously, it was so fun. I should note, she fairly often jumps that high over the smaller jumps anyway, I just found it much easier to stay with her when I knew the jump was bigger. And she is a very confident girl. With trainer, she went right around her first 1.20 course and even backed herself off the oxers. Anyway, I digress, not trying to derail the babyness (human babyness) of the thread… So I think letting trainer handle the jumping for a few months will only give me a better horse when I can get back to it next year, which is exciting. It has been a long road from baby horse back to a (for me) normal jumping height.
I decided almost 2 weeks ago that I would probably stop jumping as I sent the young lady to 2 weeks of showing on the grass with trainer as a little year-end bootcamp and my theory was that I would be almost 5.5 mo. (and probably way fatter) by the time she got back, had some time to recover from the show, and got back into work. Of course, I sent that text to trainer and literally the next morning, after a super fun jump school, attempted a retraction.
I have a retired 22 yo TB who just gets trail ridden around in a bareback pad and the 6 yo mare who is just starting to get the real hang of things and who I am (or was) just getting to jump up a bit - which was sooo fun. Anyway, the plan now is that I will continue to ride as long as I feel comfortable. More dressage for the young one will be good for her “flatwork between fences”. Plus, I started having the round ligament pain and found that even just walking the oldster around bareback allowed my muscles to stretch down and made me feel much better. Also engaging my core muscles while riding makes me feel better and I have to assume will help with pushing later right?
It’s really nice to hear everyone’s post-foaling off-work plan. The whole “unpaid” part is really not that cool. I have horse expenses to fund and apparently really expensive college to save for now. Just doesn’t seem like the time to be taking extensive unpaid time off but I guess we will see how it goes. I do have a fairly flexible (to an extent) workplace and grandparents nearby, so I am confident it will work out.
Thank you all for posting the suggestions for what to buy too! The sheer volume of stuff is incredible. I am scared to go into a Buy Buy Baby or Babies R Us store - I feel like it will be the beyond part of Bed, bath and Beyond and I will just float off into a neverland of baby stuff. I did just add the puppy sleeper to my amazon registry though! I was thinking basinet, but our room is so small, I love how compact it is! And not too pricey since I hope baby will move into his own room full-time within a few months (best laid plans…)
[QUOTE=Show Gypsy;8294131]
In other news, I’m attempting to start shopping for things like strollers, cribs, and car seats without getting too overwhelmed. There are so many options! I think I need a personal shopper! [/QUOTE]
My dressage trainer (parent to twin boys) actually recommended a book called Baby Bargains, which is kind of a consumer reports book that gives ratings to the various brands of literally everything. It’s around $9 and I think worth it as I had no idea where to start other than asking really odd questions of people who I met who have babies (what kind of bottle do you use? Oh, MAM? ok, added to registry.) Also, dressage trainer suggested that I observe what other people are using, which, for me, has applied to strollers mostly (ok, obvious suggestion, but somehow not obvious with my newly reduced placenta brain). I noticed someone maneuvering the City Mini stroller and did some research and that’s my front runner right now, but I fear I may need to venture into a giant baby stuff store to test it out before committing…
Good luck everyone! Keep the stories and suggestions coming!
If all the baby gear freaks you out as much as it did me, check this out
https://benditlikebecker.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/the-minimalists-field-guide-to-baby-crap/
Watching my SIL buy out Toys R Us and Target, I knew there was no way I could even fit that much crap in my house, let alone afford it! And, to be honest, they haven’t used half of it…including the really expensive bouncing chair thing that he’s now outgrown.
The thing they have used the most, hands down, has been the pack N play. And the fisher price vibrating sleeper (he’s been a gassy baby, the vibrations apparently REALLY help with that).
Just had to add, while baby R has received a insane amount of stuffed animals, my favorite one is this guy, Tranquil Turtle Seriously…Best. Toy. Ever.
I’m going to have worn out the batteries before she even gets here…it puts me to sleep (and back to sleep, and back to sleep again) every night!
I made my first trip to buy buy baby today and was really, really pleased. Found some furniture I liked, looked at car seats and decided I love the city mini stroller. The staff was very helpful.
Also found some clothes I loved at destination maternity. Love Jessica Simpson clothing and the staff was wonderful.
So, I can’t remember if this has already been discussed or not but I have a question for those already further along- I went for a trail ride this morning, probably for about 1.5 hours or so, w/t/c and a few small fences, and while I felt terrific for the whole ride, when I got off my pubic bone area was soo sore- and still is a few hours later. I’ve never experienced this before, though I have recently been doing shorter rides (30-45 min) at home as I have to truck out to get to trails.
I’m 17 weeks- is this going to be the ‘new normal’? I was hoping to keep riding for at least another month or 2, even if I was just going out for walks, but this pain has me reconsidering that. Please tell me this is just a phase and not the end of my riding days before baby! Anyone else have experience with this? I have a saddle seat saver thing I can put on my saddle for extra cushion if that will help.
My “hot pocket” aches all the time, ice packs are your friend! A seat saver might help, I found my dressage saddle was the most comfortable to ride in but even then I was sore after. Honestly though everyone is different, so it could just be a phase for you.
[QUOTE=She’s Pure Gold;8323470]
when I got off my pubic bone area was soo sore- and still is a few hours later. I’ve never experienced this before, though I have recently been doing shorter rides (30-45 min) at home as I have to truck out to get to trails.
I’m 17 weeks- is this going to be the ‘new normal’? [/QUOTE]
I can’t tell you what will be normal for you, because we are all different. But I can tell you that about 5-6 months along, my pelvic bones started aching right along side the crotch. They didn’t hurt to the touch or to massage, but more like a bone pain. Movement such as lifting my legs to put on pants started to hurt. I can only describe it as the sore feeling you get after you ride too long or too many horses in one day.
For me, it’s only gotten worse. I find that heat helps me the best, like a good hot soak in the bath.
Post-Partum Update:
So birth didn’t go quite as expected. After laboring for 24 hours, I’d had enough and we ended up in the O for a C-section. I have zero regrets and at that point, I would’ve delivered that baby out of my ear if it had been possible. Baby girl was a healthy 8lb 2oz.
Fast-forward 9 weeks and I’m so thrilled with mommyhood. Getting bored and ready to go back to work, but so grateful for my time home with the peanut.
I got back in the saddle at 7 weeks PP and was pleasantly surprised at how much I retained while I was out. I rode a more challenging horse last week and all was well. My timing is a little off over fences and my legs still feel like jello, but I’m riding and that’s all that counts!
Wishing the best to all the new mommas and the soon-to-be mommas!!!
Congratulations to all new parents and parents-to-be
I have just read through all 29 pages of this thread and I am so glad I found it! I am currently 18 weeks with our first and playing two of the games mentioned so far - gas or baby and what on earth do I need to buy?
Like most of you, I am also going for the minimalist approach and don’t want tonnes of unnecessary stuff, although my OH does have a slight (ha!) obsession with gadgets! I have found a list that looked reasonable and sent it to my friend asking her to cross off anything she thought a waste of money. We are planning on getting only the essentials to start with then getting other stuff as we need it, like a high chair etc.
I haven’t shown in a few years and stopped riding fairly early in my pregnancy, though that was more because of cold weather and lack of daylight before/after work in winter. Still love spending time with the ponies though and we are lucky enough to have them at home
I am happy to join this thread!
I am very early into this whole new adventure. I’m 6 weeks and scheduled for my first ultrasound next week - I feel like I am going to be on pins and needles all week.
The first thing every non horse person has said to me is, “You’re going to stop riding now, right?” Sigh.
Still riding my mare. Mare is not jumping really anymore (she’s going strong but she is 25!); however, I had just started lessoning on/jumping another horse at the barn.
That horse is a great soul but was already uncomfortable to me (again, he’s a wonderful, kind horse, but I have an old back injury and his canter was a little jarring to me even before). I am leaning toward no longer jumping during my pregnancy, as we tried for too long, and while I trust the horse, I am not so trusting of myself!
I also run and though I haven’t been logging many miles, I’m trying to keep it up and be active. I have a long way to go but am super excited.
The horses will still be there when you want to go back my dressage coach actually recommended that I just put my horse out on pasture when I felt “done” this time around (second pregnancy, babies will be 22 months apart. ) I was worried about leasing him out to try and keep him going, we’d made a lot of progress. My coach said that he was unlikely to “lose” anything, and she’s probably right. The months off riding are really not that significant in the overall timeline!
