Quick poll - when did you tell PFB about no. 2?

[doggiesayswoof]

I have 2 questions.

1. When did you tell dc1 that they were going to have a sibling?

2. What was the age gap?

I am off to do some work, but I will check back later.

TIA

1. when the bump started showing and he asked what it was

2. age gap is 2 and a half years

We told them both at about 16 weeks, when we'd had a scan. They were 7 and 9 and very relieved that I wasn't going to die, apparently, as I had been so sick!

we got lots of books - one called 'A special something' was a good one

actually thinking about it we had to take ds to the 12 week scan as we had no childcare!

We told DD, who had just turned 4 at the time, when I was about 15/16 wks .

I'd had a M/C about a year before, DD wasn't aware of it though, so deliberately left it until around 4 months to tell her.

After the 12 week scan.

The age gap is 5.5 yrs. Dd was so excited as she yearned to have a brother or sister 'like everyone else'. Mind you that wore off when she got a little brother instead of a little sister!

1. as soon as we found at, when I was 6wks pregnant

2. Six year gap, different husbands.

told ds at 3 months pg. he didnt come to the first scan but came to the 2nd, where we found out he was having a sister!
age gap is 12 years

when i was pg with ds2 we took ds1 to the scans, this time around we had to take them both as we didn't want to tell anyone about the pregnancy until we knew eerything was ok.

thre are 23 months between my first 2 and will be just under 3 years between ds2 and dc3

Can't remember with DS. Age gap is 22 months and I don't think he took it in until DD was born. I talked about babies quite a bit from when I was about 6 months pregnant I think.

She went to the scans. I didn't tell her too much at first - 9 months is forever in toddlerville.

She 'got it' at the second scan.

2,5 years

1. Around 10wks (I was so sick and he was worried and wanted to know why, I hadn't planned to tell him until around 7mo, or until he started asking about me increasing size).

2. 3y4m

At about 13 weeks (had had a miscarriage a few montsh earlier hence waited a bit)

8 year age gap

1. We mentioned it vaguely a couple of weeks before the 12-13 week scan (because that was when we started telling other people, and we wanted him to know about it before someone else mentioned it to him; also to discourage him from bouncing on me quite so much). We had had another scan before that, though, and I didn't mention anything to him before that scan.

2. Age gap will be just over 3.2 years

1. we told dd1 that we were trying to make a baby in mummy's tummy very early on, because I have a history of m/c, and had bleeding, and couldn't lift her. We didn't put it in 'you ARE going to have a sibling' terms, just 'we're hoping to make a baby'.

2. Age gap is almost exactly 3 years.

Thanks all, this is interesting. Currently trying to decide when to tell dd (3). I am 8 weeks pg just now and my instinct is to wait until I am obviously showing - otherwise it feels like a very long time for her to wait. Maybe after Christmas.

OTOH she understands about scan pictures - has seen her own and other family members' - and part of me would love to tell her after the 12wk scan...

We told ds (9 year age gap) before we told anyone else, mainly because we felt that as he is our immediate family, he should know first. Think I was only about 4 weeks gone but, felt compelled to tell him. I wanted him included in our news.

I was planning to leave it and not tell DS until around 6 months but we had the following little conversation shortly after 16 weeks:

Gizmo: (ramming bump into corner of kitchen table) 'blasted bump'

DS: 'mummy, why is your tummy getting large'

Gizmo: (wracking brains for plausible-but-not-actually-a-lie-falsehood)'why do you think, sweetheart?'

DS (coyly): 'you've got a baby in there.'

Gizmo:

He was just four at this point and had obviously been paying attention to the arrival of various siblings in his friends' houses.

IIRC, around when I started showing properly (which was fairly early, so about 13/14 weeks).

2.4 yrs between them.

We told DD1 at 13 weeks, when I had to go into hospital for a couple of nights after a scary bleed. Once we knew DD2 was OK, we told DD1 (in very vague terms) why I was there.

I'm glad we didn't wait until I was showing. She coped fine with the long wait, and it was nice that we carried her along with us, going to scans, talking how big the baby was now etc.

Gizmo - that sounds just like my dd1 - when I was around 12 weeks pregnant with her little sister, and I thought she was clueless she suddenly said to me "Mummy, you've got a baby in your big fat tummy".

She was just over 2. And I swear I hadn't told her anything. I had been horribly, horribly sick though. And she's a sharp cookie.

Next time I think I'd actually tell the kids pretty early - assuming I'm throwing up everywhere again, I don't see the point of them fretting that mummy is really ill. And personally I tell friends at this point too, so the kids would be included in that.

lol Gizmo you sound like me the last time (constantly banging bump on absolutely everything)

Dd is a sharp cookie too, so she may notice quite early, and I suspect it would be fun having chats about how big the baby is now etc. I am not having terrible morning sickness but she's heard me telling dh I feel sick a few times. I wouldn't want her to be worried about me.