Pregnant with #3

[clh72481]

@1cor1013 Hey friend! I just had my third baby in May!

Here are some things I did in no particular order.

I upgraded our garbage can. Lol We kept filling the medium size option from the garbage collector, so I asked them for the big one.

I purged a lot of stuff around the house. We end up with lots of kitchen stuff somehow? But also toys, too much clothing, etc. It was just about every weekend I went through a bin or closet or garage to get rid of stuff. I'm happy I did. It helped make a lot of space.

We bought a small chest freezer on sale. It's not huge, but like you, the one in our kitchen is tiny. This thing is honestly so great to have! I loaded up on healthy freezer meals and staples.

We didn't have a spare room for a nursery so I created an area to put baby items that was out of the way. This allowed me to buy ahead some diapers, wash baby clothes, and keep everything organized.

I already had a minivan so we didn't have to upgrade. I honestly love having a van. I have a big stroller, bin of snacks, soccer balls, and my gym bag in there right now.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, you can try to list things out by trimester. So I said in my first tri, I really just wanted to rest and take care of myself. In the second tri, I knew I usually feel good so I had a bunch of household projects to do. Third tri I just tried to stay active and had a list of smaller things to do like things I could do via phone or internet, picking up small supplies, etc.

It was really fun to introduce my toddler to baby dolls, buy books about becoming a big brother/family of 5, and stuff like that.

Oh, I also spent some time secondhand shopping for big clothes to wear third tri and after delivery. I'm really glad I did! Unlike you, I never thought we'd want another child so I got rid of everything lol. Then the pandemic happened and we had to survive without childcare, and once we got things in order then we realized that we actually wanted a bigger family. And here we are!

Having a baby around again is pretty crazy, but I love feeling so confident and experienced. It's funny because my third is so different from the first two, but I don't find myself googling everything or questioning it. I'm like eh, he's a baby! Babies go through a lot of phases and it's all normal and fine. Plus it goes by so fast.

 

[1cor1013]

@clh72481 Oh I love your comment so much thanks for writing all that out! I think the freezer is a must have and I honestly can't wait to get a van haha.

LOVE your idea of planning by trimester. Mine are similar, I'm very tired for 1st but enjoy 2nd. 3rd I get awful insomnia so try to work around my 7-10am naps after being awake half the night lol.

This is our last one so I do want to enjoy it. As soon as I've healed post-partum hubby is getting snipped!!

 

[clh72481]

@1cor1013 My husband got his vasectomy when I was about 8 months. It was funny because every time he complained about being sore, he'd immediately be like "BUT OBVIOUSLY this is nothing compared to what you've gone through and I'm fine and thank you and I love you" lol.

I know some people worry about having a vasectomy before the baby arrives, like it's bad luck, but I'm SO glad we did it this way. It wasn't hard for me to let him lie around for 3 days afterward the snip, but that would be very tough these days!

 

[forgiven_ent]

@1cor1013 Congrats! Yeah living on less and saving whatever you can is a good plan. Do you still have your baby stuff from the other kids? I found adding one more kid after 2 didn’t affect our budget too badly (I stayed at home so no daycare costs). I thought going from 2 to 3 was the easiest for me?! I don’t know how common that is though.

When you hit your third trimester start doing some freezer meals (I think lasagna and enchiladas freeze very well).

 

[1cor1013]

@forgiven_ent Thanks for your tips! I think I’ll look for a second hand extra freezer for meals, ours is really small. Yes, I’ve saved pretty much everything from my first 2, although our baby capsule I think has expired from my first baby in 2018 so might need a new one of those.

I’m in NZ so we get paid maternity leave for 6 months, I usually take a year off though and I’d like to keep my kids in daycare but maybe take their hours down a bit. Better for everyone’s routine and mental health I found. When bub is 4 months old my eldest will start school so that will take daycare costs down again. I currently work 25 hrs a week and would like to continue doing that once baby is a year old, though maybe it’ll work out better to be a SAHP.

 

[kimberlystambaugh]

@1cor1013 I got my chest freezer for like half off on Black Friday. If you don't find a good deal on a used one before then, this might be a good option.

 

[1cor1013]

@kimberlystambaugh Great idea! Will definitely keep that in mind, thanks!

 

[kennyjoseph__]

@1cor1013 Save as much money as you can, find out if you NEED a car upgrade or could safely fit all three in the backseat (yes it’s tight but manageable until the baby gets older), maybe get 2-3 different tubs of formula to have just in case, especially if there still is a formula shortage, get the essentials ready (build the crib, wash the clothes in storage), book a meeting with your OB, start taking prenatals, get in a decent amount of walking or light exercise, start working with the youngest child on sharing/being nice to babies, bump photos starting now if you’re into that sort of thing, and last thing I can think of, booking a newborn photographer/first year photos. It seems soon for that but photographers around us book up 9-12months in advance for baby photography.

 

[1cor1013]

@kennyjoseph__ I’d love to be able to keep our car (it’s a nippy manual Corolla hatchback that I love driving) but there really isn’t any room between the 2 car seats currently so we will have to upgrade. I’m open to 3 across or van style ie Kia carnival.

Definitely start on the prenatals today and doctors apt is booked for Friday, great tip for the exercise. I was on a 6 week weight loss programme trying to get rid of my baby weight but I plan to continue, it’s a low impact Pilates one so should be ok. I’m feeling really good on it, did not expect to get pregnant during!

 

[kennyjoseph__]

@1cor1013 One thing to keep in mind, it’s easier to buy new slimmer car seats than a new car! There are forums where you can enter your kids ages/weights/heights and the car you have and they can offer suggestions if it is possible in the car you have! We did that for mine and I was surprised that we could make it work with three different car seats instead of the two we had currently.

 

[modernlife]

@kennyjoseph__ What website is that???

 

[lmfservices]

@kennyjoseph__ Can you share where to find this? We are in the same situation trying to make the ole crv last another year.

 

[1cor1013]

@kennyjoseph__ Ooh! Well thanks very much for that tip - I’ll go search for those