When did you tell your older child that you were pregnant?

[jubilee]

I just wanted to congratulate you pregnant mommys! My son was 10 when I got pregnant, so I told him the day I got the positive pregnancy test. And the very next day I told my work... I'm not big on keeping secrets :)

[atlbaby]

I was quite sick with DD#2 and I didn't really start to show until I was nearly finished with the 2nd trimester, so it was easy to not say anything to Arielle until about 3 months before the baby was born. She was only 21 months at the time I began to discuss the baby, though, and I am sure she had no clue what I was talking about. We'd read books (I'm a Big Sister, and Our New Baby) and she'd kiss my tummy under my shirt and say "baby". But she really didn't get a thing, I'm sure. Eli (and Alia! :) ) are already two, and I bet they'll both comprehend a lot more about what babies do, where they sleep, how to be gentle, even if they won't understand the concept of how things are going to change around the house. I know Arielle really got into dolls and mothering about 2-3 months after she turned two. And she's beginning to understand the concept of time, at 31 months. Not "next week/month" but "tomorrow" and "yesterday". Both Eli and Alia will be 31 months when their little brothers/sisters are born, so I suspect these next few months will make a huge difference!

Congratulations to both of you!! :)

-Rachel
Mom to Arielle, 10/30/01
and Daliya, 10/27/03

[loewymartin]

Hallie,

I tried to email you back, but it bounced :-( I'm miscarrying again...I go for a D&C today to see if we can get a tissue sample to help us figure out what is going on.

I wish you a happy, healthy pregnancy! I hope to join you in that pregnancy state in a few months :-)

Michelle

[Hallie_D]

Oh Michelle, I am so, so sorry. I was hoping and hoping that everything was ok--I got a little worried when you hadn't posted in a while.

I'll be sending you good vibes today--hopefully they will find something constructive and you will be pregnant again very soon.

[AugBaby]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. We also had two miscarriages, although not consecutive, and are hoping to conceive again soon.

Take care of yourself,
Chrys

[lmintzer]

Hallie,
Our age gaps are very similar. DS#2 was born when DS#1 was 2 years and 7 months (April 2001 and Nov. 2003). I believe we started talking about "the baby in mama's tummy" some time during the summer when I was past the 1st trimester. We just started making it part of normal conversation, and we got DS a few "big brother" books (our favorite was "I'm a Big Brother Now". Once I was showing, we "showed" him the baby, and we also had him come with us to some OB appts. He could imitate the baby's heartbeat sound which was really cute.

We did a lot of praising his big-brother-to-be skills and did some talking about some of the things that would be both exciting and hard.

I think he was old enough to understand that a baby was coming. However, like with the big people, he didn't really know what it was going to be like until Joshua was here.