Found out pregnant with no.4, 4 under 6!

[BigTipTop]

Hello mnetters,

I've just found out im pregnant with no.4 im currently breastfeeding dc, 14 months and I've had no period. I have a 3 year old and a 5 year old. We live in a 4 bed and have a 7 seater so theres room for this one...This sounds silly but I'm really scared...I'm worried i can't split myself between them all and give them all the love they need. Im worried about what family & friends might say and what work will think....if all goes well this will be my 4th maternity leave in the 14 years I've worked for them. Ontop husband has just been made redundant earlier this week too which we weren't expecting...

Does anyone have any tips or wise words of advice? I have noone I can message in RL. Thank you

Congratulations! I had DC4 a month before DC1 was 6. It was busy but we have all survived. Youngest is now 9.

A good bedtime routine for them all saved us. For years it was upstairs for a bath at 6.45pm. DH often wasn’t home for bedtime so a set routine each night definitely helped. They all knew what to expect. DC4 was often breast fed whilst I sat on top of a closed toilet lid with the other 3 all in the bath together next me. I miss the evenings now the teenagers are going to bed at almost the same time as us.

We didn’t have a dining room and made it a playroom. Having baby gates on it was great to enable me to sit in there feeding a baby whilst the others played and I could interact with them.

Batch cook things like mild chilli, spaghetti etc. Have it one night, rest in fridge, miss a night then have the leftovers the next night. Meant it didn’t feel like you were always eating the same thing days in a row. I tried to make dinner whilst the lunchtime naps were happening. It was easier then than whilst doing homework’s with tired hungry little people about.

Between clothes, sports kit and towels do 2 loads of washing a day. Fold as much as possible afterwards. It just builds up ridiculously quickly otherwise.

If you can manage 3, 4 isn’t very different, apart from the washing really is never ending.

Hope your DH can find another job soon.

Ime going from 3-4 was easier than 2-3!!
Dd was 7 with 3 younger brothers..
Master bedtimes ASAP and it will be great!!. Congratulations!
So great years later I had ds in Jan o4 and 3 more by Nov 08!!

I had 3 under 5 it’s easier than it sounds as they’re all little at the same time and into the same activities, when they get to teen years it gets more to cope with as they all hit teen years together lol

• 4 under 5!!

Another one who had 4 under 6 and survived you need to get into a routine. Poor DS got carted everywhere in his car seat following his sisters and he learned to sleep on a very noisy house.

4 children 6 and under here. You will be fine and congratulations!

Little things that help snacks/drink bottles assigned to last the day; so you are not getting everyone snacks every second.

Staggered morning wake times if possible!

Congratulations @bigtiptop! 4 under 5 here, my youngest has his last day of school tomorrow! How did that happen so quicky?
For us routine was everything. DH was back home to bathe and read to them every night. We also had different coloured plates and cups for each of them (thank you IKEA) so that it became second nature to put preferred food/drink in the right colour for the right child.

Good luck. You'll be fine.

I have 3 under 7 and another on the way !!!😬 I agree with all the others being really organised and preparing stuff the night before will help things run a little smoother, good luck 🤞

Congratulations and I’m sure you will be fine and will cope.

It’s a bit late to be worrying about this stuff now. You could have used contraception and not ended up in this position. Surely women know that breastfeeding doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant.