I'm 37+4 and sometimes feel like its not real and another baby will arrive soon - anyone feel the same?

[mum2bagain]

I have 3 sons already - 14, 9 and 7. This pregnancy wasn't a mistake, but wasn't planned either, if that makes sense. It was a shock at first. We are thrilled to bits now and the boys are soooo excited about the soon to be new arrival. It will be like starting all over again for us and sometimes I lay on the bed resting and just can't believe that soon I will have another baby. It seems surreal at times. I wonder to myself how much it is going to affect our lives, obviously it will dramatically change, but 4 children is a lot. My dh is working a lot of hours now, as we're self employed and own a dry cleaners. I finished work a couple of weeks ago and I worry that he's finding it hard running the business without me. He says he's fine, so maybe I should chill out and let him do his thing.

I'm excited and can't wait to see my baby now, I'm just hoping it will be how I'm expecting it to be, hard work but a wonderful time. I'm sure all my feelings are perfectly normal. Do any of you have similar feelings?

I can't comment in relation to this being my fourth, as she will only be my first, but I regularly catch myself forgetting that it's actually me that is pregnant and that it will be us that are bringing home a baby! It all just seems so odd and I don't have a clue what I'm going to do with her once she's actually here (if she ever bloody comes out!).

As for this being your fourth, I can't imagine it'll be that much of a step up. Sure, you're still going to be bloody knackered, but you know what it's all about now, you've got experience of what goes on with a newborn so you're going to be less anxious, and your sons will probably want to get involved to some extent so you might find that you have more help than you expect!

I bet you'll find it all a doddle, I'm sure you'll be more relaxed with the baby than ever before and that means you'll really be able to enjoy it, and you'll be able to give your other sons more attention than when you had previous newborns because you'll know the most efficient way to deal with the baby rather than faffing around doing totally unnecissary things, which I know I will be doing!

I felt like that right up to my son's birth. I went for my scans expecting them not to find anything and was surprised that there was a baby in there..

Heard the heartbeat a lot as towards the end I was getting a MW visit most days.

Even when they put him on my tummy, it didn't feel like he should be mine...

I am 37 weeks today with my 3rd little boy and I can totally relate to everything you have said. This pregnancy has been very surreal and, although I am prepared to a degree in the practical sense, I think it will be quite a shocker when he arrives. We can't decide on a name and I think that is due to this odd feeling.
I am sure it will be a wonderful experience, just slightly more challenging. I have two friends with four and they have both loved it and didn't find it a jump at all. x

Didnt hit me til he was born. Was fuelled by the wonder of gas and air but when the midwife told me she could feel the babies head I had to take a few minutes to recover after spluttering "theres a baby in there?!?!?"

This time around Im not much better - seem to be thinking about the birth but not the fact that there will actually be a baby at the end...

I still wonder why I'm doing all this preparing, doing the nursery, making sure my other boys have everything they need. I can't bend down, run up and down the stairs like I used to and I get out of breath, then I realise there's a baby inside me. It's hard to explain. I think it will only be true to me when I have given birth and I see him for myself. I feel quite bad saying all this, like as if he's not here, I just can't get to grips with it yet, even though I do love him already.