Right now.

Hi Ali,
Enjoy these last few days as a mommy and daddy of one child. It gets SO much busier, sometimes you feel stretched in so many directions. Put your priorities in order. First..you. Get as much rest as you can. Stay in bed for as long as you need in the morning. (Babies sleep very well from 6am-12n) Second: Baby/Simon Third: Everything else. Have books nearby to read to Simon while you are feeding baby. Have healthy snacks that Simon can help himself to in little Ziploc bags...and ones that he can get for you too :) Having 2 expands everything..so much more love envelopes everyone it is amazing. Of course it expands laundry too.;)
Congrats. I went back and forth between having a VBAC and a repeat C/S with my 2nd. Ended up with a VBAC which I was so very happy with, but I know that either choice, as long as I made it, would have been the right one. My first C/S was a beautiful birth, too. It's all about having the power to make choices. Hugs.

I agree with the others in that you don't need much advice. Just listen to your baby and your own mommy voice and everything will be fine. My sons are 8 years apart and even though they had different personalities as newborns, the age appropriate behaviors were just the same. It was like revisiting a long lost friend for the first time in 7 years. You remember the connection you had with that friend and you pick up right where you left off. Blessings to you and your family on your new adventure together.

Just visiting a friend with a new baby today and she reminded me of swaddling the baby when they are fussy and ready to sleep. It did wonders for me when my babies were in their first few months. Don't be afraid to keep swaddling (if your baby girl likes it) even past six weeks - sometimes it can do wonders to get them to fall asleep.
And diaper changes are remarkably easier the second time around. I remember after our second child was born wondering how on earth my husband and I used up so many wipes with our first child during the first week of his life. What used to take us up to ten wipes per changing was only taking us one! It all comes back!
Best wishes to you! Peace & blessings!

I have seven years between my kids too and I have to say, there is so much you forget from the first time around. It took me a couple of days to remember that you burped after breastfeeding too and not just bottle-feeding! But it does come back. . . All the best.

Just a note to say that I read your blog every day. Your blog posts, your books and your products have brought me such happiness. You've made a positive and deep impact on me and my family. I pray that these blessings will return to you and your family ten-fold.
Best wishes as you begin this next chapter. My only advice is to assign a family member to keep visits short. And to write, write, write. Take pictures, yes. But write the beautiful and hard parts, the mundane parts. Write.

Sending you best wishes and hoping you'll have an easy delivery. Hugs and prayers.

I am so happy for you, you will be a mom again :). everything will be alright and Simon will love her so much of that I am certain.
corinnexxx

Bring snacks that you enjoy. Always eat something with those pain pills. The next day, walk around as much as you can to prevent gas pains on that tender incision. Think about reducing the number of hospital visitors so you have more uninterrupted family bonding time. Then have an open house a week later for everyone to come meet little miss A and proud big brother, Simon. Bring baby sox booties and gowns to play dressup in. It is fun to see them in color other then the hospital stuff. Enjoy being in the moment.... those wee hours are some of the most precious with just "the edward girls". Have a wonderful birth!

Best wishes and lots of Blessings to you and your family!
The best advise I ever got and still try to use was from an 80 year old friend of my parents who said, "Treat yourself the way airlines want you to treat yourself on an airplane..make sure you put that air mask on yourself first so you can help others with theirs. You can't take care of anyone else if you're not taking care of yourself first."
When I was expecting my second son, I couldn't let go of my first born son..I held him all the time thinking about how our relationship was going to change and it did..it became stronger and more defined.
Can't wait to see pictures of the little one...Glad your Mom is there..XOXOXOXO!!

Savor it all, which it seems you are good at doing, or at least attempt to be intentional in doing. I am not a "new born" person, and dreaded it with each child (I think it's mainly because I don't run well on lack of sleep and can't slow down to "sleep when they are sleeping"), but now that they are a bit older I want it back! One of my favorite cd's is a Lullaby Album by Plumb. It's awesome for those moments of craziness when you just need a breath of calm. Enjoy - looking forward to hearing all about it!

My only thoughts/advice are to do what you find that works and don't give yourself a hard time if it's not what "they" (the doctors/experts) say we should do. Oh, and download the pictures off your memory cards. I didn't (I had an extremely hard recovery after our drug-free birth and were home that day -- I assumed hubby would) and we don't have any pictures from his birth/birthday.

Oh Ali, my third child came 10yrs after the first 2 and be assured it all came right back to me. I was a little more nervous because I was older and worried more. At 19 and 22 for the first 2 I was young and fearless. How silly of me! I second an earlier comment, lots of food around and hope friends bring you dinners too. Keeping the household going the first month was the biggest challenge.Lots of good wishes to you all and especially to our boy Simon, he's going to be an awesome big brother.

Dearest Ali,
you are one of the MOST REAL people I've ever met (physically - CKU last August - and virtually). It's amazing.
I have 2 comments: I wanted to suggest World without End when you were trying to finish Pillars of the Earth. It's (both of them) one of my favorite books ever. Hugo's Miserablés is my all time favorite. I've read it first in Finnish when I was 16, then in English and it was the first book I bought when I settled down in Italy (almost 30 yrs ago).
The second one is about you and the new baby: EVERYTHING you feel is RIGHT. Cry when you feel like it, smile, eat, go to bed, BE ALONE if you feel like it. That does NOT make you a worse mother;) I learn a BUNCH of new things when I had my third one right after my 40th birthday - at the distance of 13 yrs of the one before. A boy after two girls: I was panicking and kept saying: "I don't know what to do with boys! I have only had girls. How are they different?" Duhhh! Well, you'll know in a little while what I mean:)
Try not to be too selfish *wink*. She's as much Cris's as yours. We mothers tend to think that the fathers aren't just as good or gentle or WISE when it comes to our children. They are. Trust me:)
The first time I gave my son a bath, I did not let my hubby touch the boy - he would surely drown him. I was convinced. The baby CRIED the whole time I was bathing him. The next time I let my hubby try but CLOSED THE DOOR. I didn't want to witness the drowning. After a long silence (I was sure something BAD had happened) I opened the door and they were just splashing and playing and I swear the baby was smiling!!!! It can't be, babies don't smile when they are less than a month old!
After that my hubby bathed the baby every time!
Just take it easy: you do NOT HAVE to do the baby's album right away. You do NOT HAVE to take photos all the time. You do NOT HAVE to blog every day!!
Just enjoy the baby and your family - and cuddle and kiss and hug Simon even more than you normally do, (he'll know, she won't)I know you will, and BE HAPPY.... or sad if you feel like it. *wink*
Do NOT FEEL you have to share everything with the whole world! It's your and your family's time.
Take it from me, I'm old enough to know ;)
hugs, hugs, hugs
Helena from Italy

It all comes back, everything, it will feel llke you just did this all yesterday! My only "advice" is to take the time to REALLY feel the tender moments.When I had my first I was so busy trying to do everthing right. When I had my second, I enjoyed those tender moments, rocking in the rocking chair and saying to myself "lock this feeling in, feel everything, smell the wonderful smells, feel the love and tenderness." Oh.... now I want another one!

Ali - I'm so excited for you and wish you all the best as you bring this little girl into the world. Be sure you rest and relax....take help and give yourself time to recover. I remember trying to do too much too soon and then not feeling very well. Take care and enjoy every moment of this :)

I had my 3rd baby last year and realized how much i wanted to savor those sweet short lived moments of my son's infancy. That said, I also tried to remember that a baby needs food and love, but can be put down or carried along- you can keep your older kids' lives fairly normal and predictable!

Ali-
You will be as succesful with this new adventure as you are with all other aspects of life. Just let it happen naturally, savor all those precious moments, and please give that newborn baby girl a great big "sniff" for me. I just adore that new baby scent!
-mich

The best advice I give all my girlfriends is, if you are planning on nursing, to use vitamin E capsules on your chest after each time you nurse. Just prick the capsule with a pin and squeeze it's contents over where the baby sucks. You won't crack or bleed, and the soreness will disappear after a day or two. It's even beneficial for the baby, in preventing/helping with juandice. So you don't have to wipe it off.

A wee one brings so many emotions into your life-excitement, love and a little bit of nervousness. How will I make time for my other children and for this being that needs me so much? You do. Your love for your husband/other children is magnified in ways that are hard to understand and explain. There is a profound deepening of spirit when you are pulled and stretched (physically and emotionally) beyond what you thought you could.
For much of my life, I did not want children. My first pregnancy was a complete surprise, and it took me awhile to wrap my brain around the fact that my life was about to change. Fast forward to 2009- we have four active, fun-filled boys. I am a better human being because of them.
Warmest wishes to you! Cherish each precious moment with your new babe!

huge hugs ali as you prepare for this journey...and I will say the second c-section is so much easier than the first. My recovery was quick and virtually pain free.
no tips from me - I had two under two. It will all come back to you and it will be glorious!

Hi Ali,
My advice is to make sure you get plenty of fluids and healthy food. I also recommend walking as soon as the doctors will let you. I think that was the key to my recovery. Will be thinking of you.

When I was waiting for my son to arrive and terrified that I would not know what to do, the best advice came from my Mom:
"Just listen to your heart", she told me.
She followed that up with a gift of a framed cross stitch that said,
"Cleaning and scrubbing can wait til tomorrow, for babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow. So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep."
Such a sweet sentiment! Ali, all of you are in my heart. Blessings to you and your family.

My second c-section was much better than the first in every respect.
As for "it all coming back to you" only the important bits do, the paranoid and twitchy ones don't feature, so second time around is so much easier.

Ali--best wishes and prayers to you and your family during this wonderful time. Enjoy every moment (even the ones you're pretty sure will never end). It's great that your mom is able to be there with you to help out during these first few weeks.

Pink tulips! My favorite flowers!
You are going to be a fabulous, fabulous second time mom! What a lucky baby you're going to have.
WORLD WITHOUT END will take you more than a few days to finish. . . but it's so worth it. Don't drop it.
Much luck!