christmas baby - feeling a little disappointed

[janeinbarcelona]

I am pregnant with number 2, due on Christmas Day and am feeling disappointed with the due date:

1. I like Christmas Day and don't particularly want to give birth on that day.
2. I feel the baby will get lost in the Christmas rush.
3. We live in Spain which means that he/she will start school in September 2009 (before his/her third birthday!)

We would not have normally planned a baby for this time of year but we have been trying for 19 months so it had got to the point where we weren't thinking about when the baby would arrive - just thinking about if we would have another baby full stop! I am very happy I am pregnant and at the end of the day it really doesn't matter when the baby is born but would love to hear from others who have experiences with a christmas baby.

My dad's birthday is on xmas day
He loves it

Always gets the day off work, everyone always remembers so he gets loads more pressises

FWIW we always had his birthday in teh morning and xmas in the afternoon so he could have his special time, maybe you could do that too

I read somewhere that only 5% of babies are born on their actual due date. So statistically you are quite unlikely to have a true Christmas baby.

the odds of the baby actually arriving on Xmas day are between 2- 5 % IIRC

so more chance of arriving before or after

what a wonderful xmas gift for you all !

There's only a 5% chance you will give birth on christmas day.

dhs friend has a bday v near xmas. she has an official bday in june (like the queen). not really ideal for first couple of years but when db gets a bit older its an idea. its also pretty unlikely you will give birth on xmas day! congrats

IME babies rarely turn up when they're supposed to so i reckon statistically you're less likely to have an xmas day baby if it IS your due date ! that said, both me and dh have bdays near xmas and dd2, mil and my niece and we all ensure we celebrate their days the same as anyone elses - it won't get lost if you don'y let it. don't worry it'll be fine

And what a marvellous excuse not to have the whole extended family to your house every Christmas ... "Sorry, we've just too much to do, what with making dc's birthday special as well".

And Congratulations!

I'm due on 28th Jan; ds was 6 weeks early so I reckon I'm just as likely to have a baby on Christmas Day as you

my birthday is four days before Christmas - loved it because I never had to go to school, but it wasn't stranded in the middle of the summer hols so everyone forgot it.

Also two lots of presents but only one lot of thank you letters

I was born 5 days after.My brother four days before. My Grandma on the day itself.

She had her party on Christmas Eve. But did expect a cake on her actual birthday as well...

I am pregnant for the first time and it's due on Christmas Day. I have longed to have a baby for years and now sort of doing it alone, and at first thought oh no! Not on Christmas Day, but now I'm just really happy to be pregnant. I know what you're saying about the Christmas thing and I considered this myself 'how would the child feel having to share it's birthday with everyone else on Christmas day?' but it's a lovely time of year, everyone is celebrating, families get together. I thought that when my baby gets older I would give it a summer birthday party perhaps on the same date every year, just like the Queen, so it had a seperate day to celebrate his/her life AND being summer hopefully he or she could have a nice time outside with some friends.
And just think, by next week, which is my Week 10 (counting every day too really) we are a 1/4 of the way through!

I have two children with their birthdays around Christmas. It's not great but unfortunately impossible to plan these things. For you there is always the chance the baby will come in January though.

I was born on boxing day
Was due on xmas day and decided as my mum put it to dissapoint the hospital staff as they had made big fuss over my due date and I refused to arrive till next day.
Maybe your Lo will be as stubborn as me

Thanks for all your positive replies. I guess we'll just have to wait and see when he/she arrives..............

Jane, I do know what you mean. My DS1 was due 18th Dec and I had a show on Christmas morning!! But my labour started midnight on Boxer day. We do have to make an effort to make it a special day for him, it is easy to get lost in all the Christmas stuff! I think the hardest part is keeping track of the presents and not forgetting which ones were meant for birthday and which for Christmas. TBH I think he likes having his birthday then because you normally have lots of family around which he enjoys. He'll be 11 this year!!

I had twins on 17th dec. My 1st Xmas w3nt by in a bit of a blur. But I do not care when they were born just that they are bloody wonderful, and in ds2s case lucky to be alive!

It also got me out of cooking Xmas dinner that year... come to think of it I haven't done it for a few years now! Dh does it.

My DD (3) was born 20th Dec. So far we have managed ok, although I do have to be extra organised for Christmas.

We make a point of not celebrating Christmas (ie no decorations up) until after her birthday.

We invite family around the weekend before her birthday (my and DH parents have passed away so only got brothers families..)

Then on her birthday she has a party at lunch time with her friends then later on my friend come round to see her...

Fun, hectic, but most of all just glad that she is here at all...

my sister was due christmas day, my niece was born 2nd jan

My dd's birthday is 21st December. I was a bit disappointed too, to be honest, but there are good things about it. Her birthday is actually the winter solstice, which as she has got older she really likes. She also has a Half Birthday on Midsummer Day - not a full blown birthday, just a few friends for tea and a little present from us which se really looks forward too.(problem here is that ds has to have a half birthday too, even though his birthday is in late February! She always has a party of some sort actually on the day - and it starts the Christmas holidays off well for her and her friends.
It'll be fine!

i was due on xmas day with ds2 - and he was born 29/11.

dont painc - only 5% of babies come on their due date.

cx

I was due on Christmas day but arrived a week late. I would have loved a mid-summer birthday party as suggested already! Just make sure he/she gets two lots of presents from everyone....

I have 2 DD's 1 born on 17 Dec, the other the 19 Dec. Have to say that I'm glad no 3 is due Sep not Xmas time again. My DD2 was due on 22 Dec and I was desperate for her not to be born on Xmas Day so I got on the castor oil a few days early and she was born on the 19th!

Having a baby around Xm,as is a great time though. It's lovley, everyone is in party, festive, happy mood and it's just really nice.

If she is born and Xmas Day you could always celebrate eery half birthday with her as well as celebrating the actual day. So when she's 3.5 have a little garden party for her and you and your husband could give her presents on that day and leave everyone else to get her presents on the actual day.

DS! was due on 21st December and arrived on 2nd of January - a whole different year!

you could have a birthday party in the summer for your little one as well as their birthday at christmas.

don't think a high percent of babys arrive on their due date. having a birthday around christmas would be lovely.

my sisters bday is xmas eve and i have always been really jealous of her! everyone is always around and the whole family go out for lunch together and nobody EVER forgets her birthday! whereas everyone forgets mine cos its the 1st day of the month and family friends etc are always at work so no one to celebrate with!

my friends son was born on Xmas day. Every June 25th they celebrate his 'half birthday' with party and cake etc. His real birthday gets acknowledged but its the June one thats important to him. Its quirky and fun.