Anyone with children just over a year apart?

[ChaCha]

My DS is was 7 months old on Monday and I am around 8 weeks PG. I imagine that in the long run, particularly when the children are older they will hopefully be good company for each other although I realise it will be very hard work.

Just wanted some advice or experiences on having two so close in age. Also might be having a c-sec again, we will have to see how I progress this time.

My kids are 19 months apart. They are fantastic together. They play well (most of the time). It was hard work at the beginning but I haven't any regrets about having them so close. They are 3.5 and 5 years and it's great. Holidays and weekends when friends are away are no problem since they have each other.

I have two c-sections and actually recovered better the second time round.

My DD's are 14 months apart.DD1 is 3 and DD2 is nearly 2.I also have DS1 9 and DS2 6!
The girls are really getting on well now.Was hard at first but so worth it now when I see them cuddling up together and playing well(most of the time!)
Never had c-sec so cant comment on that bit.
Congratulations and good luck.

I have 2 DSs 17 months apart and it really wasn't that bad! More organisation and more 'stuff' when you go out and a lot of nappies used but it has been a great experience and they are now almost 3 and 18 months and apart from quarreling over toys they adore each other! You will be fine!

DDs are 15months apart. I had a c sec second time, and found the recoveery difficult, particularly as dd1 was still in a cot, and not walking at all. The first year was hard, but mostly fun, and now they are 6&7they are great together.
Accept all help that is offered, and don't expect too much from yourself in the early stages. Good luck

mine are around 14-15 months apart and are fab together - I'm always getting comments about what lovely siblings they are(when they're not killing each other)

my top tip is to try and get the baby and your ds to nap together in the afternoon - that break in the middle of the day was absolutely vital for me and I don't think I would have managed half as well if I hadn't had that

Thanks for the experiences and advice. The afternoon napping does sound vital, it's vital at the moment so that I can have a rest with DS, can imagine that with two will be my pick me up mid-day

my two are 15 months apart DD1 is 15 months DD2 is 2 weeks old and i am loving having the two. I dont find it hard work at all but that may be because DD1 can do a lot for herself and always sleeps seven till seven, and DD2 has only ever woken once in the night for a quick feed since she was born, tiredness is suh a killer so try to make sure you get as much sleep as you can!

my boys are 14 mths apart (now aged 9 & 10)
older son was not walking when second son came along but we coped
if i had any more children i would have them close together again
i brestfed for 2 yrs and never drank alcohol for 4yrs but making up for it now its great
love my boys but hubby and i are able to go out for meals etc now with boys as a family (no bottles, nappies, bags)

Havw two boys 20 months apart, similar age to gettingthere.

they have a wonderful time togther and amuse themselves , great fun on holiday and they have a great snese for looking out for each other.

Re the sleeping in the afternoon, I was more strict with DS2 and put him down for a sleep afterlunch and then either DS1 would have some quiet time with me ( i.e curl up in front of CBEEBIES ! ) or have a sleep himself , just gave me time to recharge batteries for an hour or so .

When they were both young the nappies lark was a bit naft but didn't last for long, and I think it made DS1 a bit more independant.

No c section- so cannot comment on that.

Did find morning sickness a bit more with DS2 as I was running arooud after a one yera old as well. Rest , if possible, as much as you can whilst you are pregnant when DS1 is having a nap.

Good luck

Cha cha you are in the same boat as me. There will be 13ish months between my two. Have ds 9 months and am 23 weeks pregnant. How many months will be between your two?

Also had an emergency c-section last time and am hoping (I think!) to go have vbac this time.

Do you already have a ds or dd?

I have ds and know am having another ds as was told in scan.

ds1 will be 1 on the 17th and ds2 is due on 6th sep so i will have approx 14m gap.
i am looking forward to it!
what else can u do?
everything WILL be fine!

There's less than 13 months between my dd and my ds I was really worried about how I would cope to. I was lucky I had natural births with the both of them. I found the hardest part was the pregnancy especially when you get big and the 1st one is crawling then she just started to walk at the end of my pregnancy and getting into everything just chasing after her was very hardwork. The only thing is I gained lots of weight with my dd but with my ds I didn't and I put that down to chasing after my dd!

Newborn sleep most of the time so make sure you spend that time with your ds and I always dealt with my dd 1st if they both started crying at the same time simply because I only have one pair of hands and the 2nd doesn't know any better than having to wait.

The only advise I would give you is always take any help that is offered to you.

Don't worry about it though it really isn't as hard as you think its going to be. Enjoy your pregancy and hope everything goes well.

My last two were 11 months apart, and DD1 was 3, so I had 3yrs, 11months and newborn. It was v hard the key is routine. It's much easier now they are 6/7,4,3 they are their own little gang and great friends although sometimes enemies.

There is 11 months between my DS and DD. DS is now just turned 14 months and DD is nearly 12 weeks.

It is very hard work but I have definitly noticed it being a bit easier this past week. DD is sleeping for about 6 hours through the night so I don't have the same exhaustion that I did at the start. I do feel a bit stretched sometimes, like when I am breastfeeding DD and DS is crying for a cuddle, but you just learn to deal with these things. It is so rewarding to see DS kiss his sister and now she is getting a bit older she is interacting more with him, and smiling at him which he likes.

I had a C-section with DD (elective becasue of medical reasons) so it was quite tough at the start, but luckily DH had 4 weeks off work and my mum was around to help. The hardest thing was not being able to pick up DS for a cuddle, though I did start to pick him up about 5 weeks after my section.

Take all the help that's offered to you and good luck.

LOL - I thought I was a minority having only 12.5 months between DD and DS - now it seems not.

Now they are 7 and 6 I can look back and honestly say I wouldn't change it for the world, but the first couple of years were very hard. I was exhausted, emotional and found it draining, particularly at night and early morning.

It is worth speaking to your healthcare visitor because mine put me in touch with the local Nanny training collage and I got myself enrolled as a Work Experience placement. I had a Yr1 girl twice a week and a Yr2 girl twice a week (9-4) from the day DS was 3 weeks old. OK, I had to teach them to sterilise, change a nappy and practical things, but all the girls (I had 5 in total) were interested and loved looking after both of them, particularly dressing DD (their own walking talking dolly - lol) and walking around holding DS.
I found them a great help as it allowed me to give each child some special Mummy time without their sibling, have a sleep in the day, take a shower etc. When I needed to go out, I just took the placement girls out with me shopping, food and retail therapy, out to lunch with friends and to the park. It was also nice having some company during the day whilst still in your dressing gown or tracksuit :-)

Thanks for all the replies

Nanny training college - placements sound like a fab idea, will see h/v soon when she comes to do DS's 8 month check. Definitely going to mention that.

11 months apart, wow!! I thought 14 was close

Mower - Very similar circumstances. There should be 14 months between mine, have a DS aged 7 months, am about 8weeksish PG. Had emergency c-sec would also like to try for VBAC but we'll see. Have a feeling this is another son but who knows. Would be good to chat with you.

dd1 and dd2 are 11 months apart
they have grown up and left home now
but remember it was easier with the both of them being around the same age
fought like cat and dog though

Hey,

I have 2 dd's 14 months apart. DD1 has just turned 4 and DD2 will be 3 next month.

I never actually found it difficult, DD1 was walking and changing two sets of nappies wasn't too bad. A big plus is that all the new baby stuff is still fresh in your mind so you just get on with it.

I am due my 3rd child in 2 weeks time and I dont feel that prepared. It feels like such a long time that I had a baby in the house. I would recommend a shorter gap any day.

BTW- My girls love each other to bits, they are so loving and it's great to watch them playing together. The bond they share is really strong (not sure if it would have been different with a longer gap).

I would definatly do it again. Just dont worry about the little stuff, such as how tidy your house is etc... Get yourself and the LO's into a routine and you will be fine.

Congrats on your pregnancy!