When's the best time to have a baby?

[meggymoo]

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mine wasnt planned rigidly (we tried for 9 months) but we had our dd in april, imo this is a great time as you concieve around july time so you're not heavily pregnant over the summer, then when you give birth its not too hot yet either also in school they will be in the middle of the age range so not too old that they miss a year( for example if they're born just after cut off date in sept) and not too young so it feels too soon.

the only downside was having to have a sober christmas and new year.

I'm exactly yhe same as edodgy. Ds born in April so when he was very little it was nice warm weather at night for the night feeds, and I wasn't heavily pregnant in the summer months. I've also still got to lose weight but am thinking will just go for it, have 2nd baby and then hope my will power will arrive eventually!!

we quite liked having our ds just after xmas because you are not heavily pregnant in summer and then the following summer they are old enough for you to enjoy the summer and chances are still be off on mat leave from work.

I don't know really, but I found the end of february very good. You are cosyly and heavily pregnant during the Christmans holidays (though with good excuse to over indulge yourself so not good for the figure). But then you have all the spring and summer months ahead so apart from some allergies and problems he was born with, he was never ill.

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I think in the spring is a good time because I know the dark days, cold nights would have sent me into a depression with all the night feeds if i'd had ds in the middle of winter. Also at the beginning I spent hours pounding the streets to get babe to sleep and couldn't have done that through snow etc!!

yeah i agree with Compo and all those walks with my new baby in the spring/summer time really helped shed those extra pounds as well.

i had mine end of dec and beginning of jan (not particularly planned) the advantage was - not heavily pregnant in summer, the disavantages were back to work by the time the weather improved, having to constantly wrap and unwrap a baby from layers of clothes going for inside to outside, and for the future an expensive time of year with both birthdays and xmas within 3 weeks of each other.

Personally i wouldn't be to worried about the weight thing i'd just got myself to how i wanted then fell pregnant and am now doing it all over again

Jess was a July baby, and that was just nice. Although the winter months were a bit of a mare mainly because she didnt sleep through - and rarely does now!

This one is due october and I REFUSE to be pg through the summer again.... 2 years running is not much fun! I want to wear my summer clothes again not frumpy maternity stuff that makes me too hot i can hardly breathe!!!

I have had 2 in may and that was a nice time to give birth, not to hot or not to cold. Had my first baby in sept - had a horrible summer!

I'd say Jan to April.
Not sure why!!!
DD1 was a March baby and was a good age by the time it got hot in the summer, and the following summer was running around. Also was potty trained in the summer. And will be 4 and a half for school.

DD2 is an Aug baby, very hot when she was tiny, has had a few chest infections in the winter and was still very young. She will be just 4 when she starts school.

I did wait until I was back to pre preg weight, but not for that reason, just the way it happened.

just go for it seems to be general concensus

hi
i had ds in oct and it was nice when giving birth but a nightmare as it was a very hot summer[2003] so was very uncomfortable being heavily pregnany..however once he was born it was nice to go to various xmas type things with him even though he didnt know as such. This baby is due in dec which is lovely but at the same time i am worried about going overdue and being worried all xmas about when the baby will make an apperance..so i suppose anytime is the best just when u feel ready to go for it. As for losing weight wiht 2 kids to run after it should help ...or thats what im hoping

For dd1 I wanted a summer baby.......selfishly because I wanted to have my mat leave over the summer!!! Luckily for me I got pg 1st cycle & she was born in July. Don't remember having any problems with the heat. And a summer baby saves on almost a year's worth of childcare costs when compared to an autumn baby! The downside is I feel she's too young for school this Sept - intelligence-wise she'll be fine as she's quite advanced, but her confidence isn't great when with lots of other children.

We are now trying to conceive no. 2 & aimed for a Sept baby (wanted to be able to spend that extra year with this one before school!), but am suffering from secondary infertility, so I now realise how lucky I was to get pg straightaway with dd....... after 9 months of trying, I don't care what time of year the 2nd one is born ...... I just want another baby, please!

Iona x

April, definitely
Not hugely pregnant in very hot or cold weather and baby is born just as the good weather is starting.
I have 4 - 2 with April birthdays, 1 in August and 1 in February and I would definitely recommend April.
Not that I planned any of it, I hasten to add

If you are, ahem, less than svelte, being pg in summer has advantages. You can wear whatever you want and no one can say anything at all. If only it were always the case.

Both mine are summer babies (July and late August) and what I have really really hated is being fat during the summer after the birth.

Another downside is that you are in 1st trimester Xmas so can't drink (much) but can't say why, and may be feeling lousy.

The school thing is a worry, to the extent that we will probably send them to a kindergarten. But I am REALLY against anything that looks even slightly like academic pressure, so I would not send a just-4 year old to school. (I don't even like the idea of nursery schools-round here they seem very academic). Dh thinks differently but accepts that I am in charge.

Mine are both April babies and I agree that spring is the best time, for all the reasons already stated. Plus, when they start walking it will be spring/summer again so you can enjoy lots of time outside with them toddling round.

Personally would advise against Oct/Nov/Dec because of the nights drawing in. Just as you're getting out of your pyjamas and psyching yourself up to run out to the park/shops, it's getting dark.
You're safe after the winter solstice when days start getting longer again.
DD was Nov, and I struggled till the spring.
DS was born in late Jan (we did time it, and got lucky) and that has been fine.

Agree about autumn babies - ds was born in late October (not planned for then, we'd been ttc for 9 months) and it was a real struggle to get out of the house with him to do anything before it started to get dark. Everything seemed a lot easier once the spring came - not sure if that was because he was older or because the days were longer.

OTOH he'll be nearly 5 when he starts school.

And I wasn't pg at xmas, so got some boozing in!

3pm

We planned for a summer baby because (oddly) we wanted birthday parties in the garden and to even out expense throughout the year. You know Christmas etc.
Additionally i wanted to time my mat leave to take me through summer and extend into Christmas. I went back to work the week after new year which was the first Christmas AND new year that i have not worked for 12 years!!!
It was fab.
I also needed to take my folic acid for 3 months prior to conception so needed to time things as it were around that and didnt start trying for a baby until the three months were up.
I was very exsact and precise for once in my life!!!!

You can plan all you want but its not a cut and dried affair; either getting pregnant or when the baby is actually born.

Mine was a summer baby which I loved beacuse you could go for late walks with him and if you wanted to got a cafe or restaurant you just wheeled him in and left them sleeping; you didn't have to get them out of snow suit/hat/blanket/cosytoes. Also could feed outside easily. My friend who had a nov baby was trying to do it once under her puffa jacket in the biting wind! They find school harder to start with but then you get rid of them earlier!