Do you think your pets knew/know you were pregnant???

[mama2be]

I thought I asked this last night but it must not have "taken" (posted)...

I'm just curious....(not in how they'll act after or what to do that has been covered)...but was wondering if your pets did anything that made you think they knew you were "cooking something", or if adopting that you were bringing home a "new bundle"...

I swear mine do. they love the nursery...they just love it and when I am in there they just all gather around and sniff sniff sniff, or while I fold clothes and blankets they lay there with interest. They seem intriqued by every new thing. It is weird becaseu when we built this house we went hog wild on decorations and new stuff and they didn't do anything...but the nursery they can't get enough of it.

Sandy ("my mommy dog", I will always refer to her as that becaseu she was a homelss man's dog reared on the streets and had two litters of 12 each till I came along and saved her)...she is in LOVE with these little leather booties that have rabbit faces on them. Three times now she has grabbed those and cuddles with them. She hasn't destroyed them (and know she could) but she just loves them and almost suckles them.

Anyway just curious!!!!

[flagger]

Fireball, who has actually had puppies, seems to know something is going on with her momma. She seems to be more cuddly. She has taken a great interest in the nursery. Holly seems aloof about the whole thing. We have had a baby doll in the house that we have been carrying around in blankets and they pretty much leave it alone.

Our next step is to tape some sounds from the nursery at the hospital and play them. They do both listen when a babies cries on TLC's A Baby Story. I keep saying we don't need a Baby Monitor, we have three built in ones whose batteries will never die. :)

[Momof3Labs]

Neve,

My yellow Lab, Sugar, definitely knew that I was pregnant. In fact, she knew pretty early on. Guess what? She also had many puppies - at least 3 dozen - in her earlier life as a breeder. We rescued her at age 11, and promptly spayed her. Especially when I felt lousy at the beginning, she hung around and really seemed to sympathize with me. She also supervised my many, many trips to the bathroom - LOL.

Unfortunately, she died of breast cancer in early August so she didn't get to finish the pregnancy with me. We only had her for 17 months, but I like to think that they were the best 17 months of her life.

Our other two dogs and one cat didn't seem to realize what was up.

Lori & Colin 9/28/02

[mama2be]

"mommy dog" also responds to baby cries on TV...I worry that that is why she ended up on the streets. I have always known she ahd a home bore hooking up witht he homeless man. She was abandoned at a home that he was helping to paint. animal control couldn't get her out from under the porch and the homeless man got her. Poor thing she alwyas has a big crease right between her little eyes wondering if this is turely her forever home. Now here puppy that I got he has not a care in the world...gooofy, goofy, goofy....but she carries all of the burdenright there onher face.

She is such a fantatic pup and in NC where you can't pay soemone a $1,000 to take an abandoned dog I could have found a home for her 100x over everyones loves her!!!!

I think she might be my "nurse maid"...either that or she'll be like, "your on your own...I've raised my 24"...:):):)

[dogmom]

I have two labs, they knew something was different, but I'm not sure if they knew what. My oldest dog, who is my baby and has been with me longer than anyone else including DH, definately started acting differently the last two weeks. He started sleeping on the bed with me all night, which he hasn't done for years. When I went into labor it was fast and painful and he got a little frantic before I left. They gave us my sons first hat they put on him after delivery to take home for the dogs to smell. In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best article to bring home. Besides smelling like my baby it also smelled like my labor. (That's the most polite way I can put it.) When my husband brought it home for my older dog to smell he got really worked up. The poor thing probably thought I was going off to the Vets and never coming back. He was neurotic until I got home from the hospital and saw me. Next time I would get an article from after the baby is cleaned up that just smells like baby.

J.M.

[bnme]

I agree! I felt my yellow lab Kobe knew something was up! She was more clingy and definetly curious about the nursery and all the new baby items in the house.

She loves to play with stuffed animals so as soon as we started bringing ones for the baby into the house we would tell her they were "Baby J's". She learned before he was even here that there was a difference between her things and Baby J's.

While I was in the hospital she had a terrible bout of diarrhea and we joked that she was sick over me being gone!

[Rachels]

My cats totally knew! They were like heat-seeking missiles, glued to my belly for months.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[dd_ani]

I have two dogs and they definitely knew something was up with mom. Our big lab-mix, who has always been "my" dog was quite helpful -- he was always there to help me up off the floor or to pull me up the steps (they are pretty steep, especially when you are carrying an extra 30 lbs!). And he liked to snuggle right up against me in bed. He did start to get kind of annoyed, though, during the last couple of months because the baby kept kicking him in the back during our naps! :)

Michelle

[nathansmom]

My kitten knows. He's been playing with the baby since November. Its funny how the kitten will cuddle on my stomach in the right spot, then he'll start purring and Nathan will start moving trying to get as close to him as possible. Anytime Nathan hasn't moved in awhile I get the kitten to make him move. I have 2 other cats and 2 dogs but the kitten is the only one who acts like he knows what is going on.

[mcmorfit]

My DH and I are puppy sitters for guide dogs, so we've had a variety of different labs. Interestingly enough, all the male dogs follwed DH around the whole time, but the last puppy we got, Lisa B., clung to me all day. When she came into the nursery, the moses basket was on the floor, she sniffed it, sat down and leaned her head on it and stayed there for awhile, then follwed me downstairs.

Ellen
EDD: 2/23/03

[nigele]

Lori,

Your post brought tears to my eyes - I am so sorry you lost your Sugar. I bet she is Colin's guardian angel!

[Momof3Labs]

Thank you, Lisa. I also like to think that she is keeping an eye on Colin, along with my first baby, a chocolate Lab that we lost to cancer exactly 11 months before Colin was born.

Yeah, we had a rough year...

[spu]

My chocolate lab, Clara, knew I was pregnant before I did!

It was the night before I was going to the dr. and I was sure I wasn't pregnant, but Clara wouldn't get off me. At 70 pounds, she curled up right on top of my belly. She never does that. She usually rests her head on my leg. But this was her whole 70 pound body. It's almost as if she could hear inside or smell the babies or something.

Then, when I spent weeks 18 - 34 on bedrest, Clara became my best friend. Now that the babies are here, I think she can relate somehow, esp. when I'm nursing them.

I love all these animal stories! They're so amazing!

susan

twin girls 7.20.02
charlotte & else

[mama2be]

I am sure she loved watching over you those 17 months and that they were the greatest of her life...what a sweet story. She's watching you all from above I am certain!!!! :)

[mama2be]

I love critters, and am so thrilled that we have so many great stories here amoungst us. I do al ot of rescue and when neighbors see me coming I swear they avoid me becaseu they are afraid I will try to get them to take a cat or a dog that needs a home...

HMMMM....maybe amoungst you all there are some potential homes out there :):):)....

[dueinmay]

Lori,
I just had to write and say what a wonderful, wonderful thing you did for Sugar. I used to volunteer at a humane animal shelter, and the most difficult to place were always the older dogs (and cats). Our shelter had an "angel" program that tried to encourage people to adopt these animals by offsetting the fees and providing discounted medical care, yet so many people - even real animal-lovers - hesitate to adopt an older dog, feeling it is too difficult, too sad to lose their new family member after a short time together. But as you rightly said, what better thing can you do for an animal who has had a hard life than take it home and assure it that the rest of its life it will be happy and loved? Thanks for making my day with your story and for doing such a loving, compassionate thing for Sugar.

Best wishes,
Rebecca
#1 due 5-13-03

[sntm]

My cat is exactly the same. She will purr for hours splayed out on my belly, and until recently she was a rather standoffish cat.
I mentioned before though that she also took a strong liking to the crib that is in the apartment I'm staying in while working in Salem, Virginia. I hope that wasn't her way of laying claim to things before he gets here.

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03

[Momof3Labs]

Thank you, Rebecca. Many people think that we are crazy (and maybe we are) but Sugar was so sweet and so special - she really stole our hearts and we were honored to spend those 17 months with her. We also have a 12 year old Golden that we adopted about 14 months ago. And when she goes, we'll adopt another double-digit senior. These golden oldies just don't deserve to spend their last months/years in a shelter. But you know what I mean!

[sweetbasil]

Our dog Mellie has seemed to know before we did- BOTH TIMES. Like Susan's dog, Mellie curls up on my belly as much as possible, and is VERY protective of me when I'm pregnant. Fortunately for me though, she's only 15 lbs :) And now that she considers Kellen a playmate (most of the time), she gets very upset when he so much as squeals for being tickled!

[mama2be]

I have a part golden something at my local shlter who is older and fat as a tick she looks like she has a perm. She is top on my list to find a home for...I love her so...I call her "mommy dog" becasue she just looks like she'd be a mommy dog...Oh she is precious and so low maintanance..

They have recently put her in with a little dog (I've yet to meet) and she licks on him/her and loves on the little dog...which adds to my dilima in finding her a home...

She's been there several months (about 9 atleast)...so if you know of anyone with a big "S" tattood on their forhead like you and me let me know.

I have 3 pups in a neighborhood that is about to enforce 2 dog restriction (with grandfather clause)or I'd take her...OH did I mention the DH with dog allergies :)....

[mama2be]

MY DH has made Tristan a web site, of course Tristan is not here so any pics of him are only ultra sounds...I can't wait to post pictures of him. But we had a huge scare last week with my beloved Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Spinnaker, and thought she had cancer so I wanted to show them off on our site as well. They are a huge part of our life.

Spinnaker-My chessie that I planned for a good 7 years!!!! As you can tell she was at our wedding!!!

Sandy-Stopped my car on the streets of Durham NC needing help. She had had a litter of 12 and "belonged" to a homeless man, she knew a sucker when she saw one...:)With his fullest agreement we got her, and he was thrilled.

Buoy-He is huge now!!!! But he is one of Sandy's puppies...Sandy hung out with some wild boys...so who knows what Buoy is "made of". Sandy reminds me often that the day she stopped my car she was looking for me to save HER and not necessarily to bring home a puppy for her to take care of the rest of her life...She wanted retirement!!!!

Schooner-A feral cat from the streets of DC who was attacked by a fox, he was in a body cast when I first laid eyes on him. A good samaritan paid over $1,000 to save him and turned him over to a rescue group. Within two minutes I told the rescue place..."I am not a cat person..."...."I'll take the one in the cast"...:):):)

Cinder-We got her for Schooner, and I think he likes her a lot but won't really admit to it...

Ducks-They actually set up house on the golf course we live on, so we think we see them every now and then...

HERE'S THE SITE:

http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan/mypets.html

[juliasdad]

Neve,

Your site is out of bandwidth for the month!

By the way,

1) what's your actually EDD (past yet?), and
2) have you picked out a new user name? :-)

-dan

[mama2be]

Dan,

Yikes that sounds bad...does that mean it can't be activated??? I have to let Steve know I know nothing about bandwidth and all of that. But thanks for telling me...

My actual EDD is this Friday the 21st, but my midwife had me kind of geared up for two weeks ago. But poor Tristan I have already started messing with the little guys head, I begged him not to come last week for about 3 days while we got Spinnaker tested for cancer...and this week we've had two days of ice storms and with plans for the birthing center (and not a hospital equiped for everything) I begged him to stay in till the ice melted.

BUT TODAY!!! I'm beggin him to come out and greet the world, we are so ready. My dear hubby actually tried timing about of heart burn I had two nights ago he is just wanting to pull out that watch and start "timing something"...

I've given alittle thought to a new user name (I'll need one). If he is born in the water like we are hoping for I think I might be "waterbabyTristan" or something like that...

[mama2be]

We had to change our hosting company due to lack of bandwidth. But I edited my post to show the new site hosting place...!!!!

The new one is
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan/mypets.html

[newbelly2002]

Wow. It's beautiful, Neve. The nursery, the animals, all of it.

Because we're not settled our nursery is a bit minimalist. I've done what I can, but, wow, seeing yours makes me want so much more!

Congrats on such an amazing job (and on keeping it all so pristine and clean! We have hairballs the size of tumbleweed from our shepard/rottie mix, Chaucer, our cat,Emmy).

Paula

[mama2be]

You are so sweet...I can assure you it's not pristine and clean though...that wall to wall carpeting in the room (wish we didn't do that) gathers the hair along the walls...with 5 fur children we have fur everywhere. And Steve is actually allergic to dogs believe it or not...I am a bad wife..."take your pills!!!"...you hear that in the house all of the time!!!!

I had Spinnker before Steve came along. When his friends from his home town commented on his "puffy eyes" I suggested we take him to an allergy doctor...big mistake...this doctor cornered me and said, "this is the worst dog exclusive allergy I have ever seen...can't you find a good home??????"....

I said sure I can find him a good home, "he cooks, he cleans, he has a good job...he's cute...I can find that man a home...."