The three of us are heading to Australia on Friday. That`s right, I said three of us, and nope, I don`t mean Shun.
Noah, me and edamame-chan (almost 10 weeks) are heading to Australia for 2.5 weeks for a bit of a break (we are still going in November for 2 months also!)
There seems to be no way I can turn the image around even though it is saved the right way.
So yeah, we are expecting baby #2 late February or early March next year (First due date was February 27th but has since been changed to March 6th). It was a surprise/shock to ALL concerned and I only discovered I was pregnant when I was almost 8 weeks along after almost a week of feeling crappy- nauseous and tired.I guess I should of guessed huh? Two pregnancy tests later, a visit to a local clinic (and then to the clinic where I gave birth to Noah) to have it confirmed and now we are here getting ready to welcome edamame-chan into the family.
Morning sickness is a bitch and some days I throw up upwards of 4 times. Some days only once (but you know the morning sickness is bad when you wake up at 2am to be sick!). Noah is still breastfeeding 7-8 times a day and the doctors keep telling me I have to quit and I am trying but he refuses a bottle even though we try everyday- he just screams and screams until he falls asleep from exhaustion from fighting the bottle. I have tried it in a sippy cup, in different bottles, different people feeding him (in-laws took him for 5 hours last week and he didn`t want the bottle then either. Just did without milk),
It is not the flavour as I have started mixing formula into his breakfast with his fruit and he scoffs that down. I know that you can continue to breasfteed while pregnant although the doctors here keep advising me against it due to the pre-term labor issues I had when I was pregnant with Noah.
So thanks to my brother who forfeited his ticket to Japan so that Noah and I could travel back to Australia to get a bit of a break and hopefully with the extra hands (ie, mum!) I will be able to get Noah drinking from a bottle and have a bit of a rest and hopefully some extra sleep. And some extra hands to hold Noah while I run to vomit. Sorry for TMI.
There will be 14.5 months between Noah and edamame-chan and they will be just one school year apart (based on the Japanese school system). We always wanted a second child but I had planned to breastfeed Noah til he was about 1, then wean him and perhaps start trying- we were thinking a 2 year age gap or so but oh well, while the next couple of years will be tough with two babies in 3-4 years time I will probably be glad it worked out this way. Right?
Hopefully they will be good friends.
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I am just a twenty something Aussie girl living in Chiba, Japan with my Japanese husband trying to make sense of the crazy Japanese world we live in! We welcomed our first son in December 2009 (Noah) and a second son in January 2011, 2 months premature (Shion). I am working hard at raising them to be confident, bilingual, happy kids!
Congratulations! That is so exciting. You must be feeling so exhausted and sick, but it will be great to have some help from your mum and family for the next couple of weeks. And a break from the heat won’t hurt either.
I think in some ways having babies close together works really well – I had friends from mothers group who’s babies are 18 months apart, and now that they’re 18 months and 3 they play together really nicely, and use all the same toys and things (plus you don’t need to store clothes for so long etc.) I’ll have a 3 year gap between Ali and the new baby, and while in some ways it will be easier (only 1 in nappies, no twin pram) I don’t think they’ll really play together until they’re a lot older, because 3 years is such a long time at the beginning. If we have a 3rd child I’d like it to be closer in age to #2.
Take care of yourself, and I hope Noah decides he likes the bottle soon… I’m sure one day it will just click. xx
Congratulations Lulu! Fantastic but probably a bit scary news. A lot to take on board getting pregnant so soon while Noah is still a baby himself. Good luck with getting him used to a bottle back home and having more hands on board to give you a bit of down time. Shou and Mariana (with the same age gap) play very well now. They fight also, but since Marina hit about 2 they can actually play shops and stuff – Shou’s in charge so actually it is usually kouji genba (construction site).
Safe travels. I hope Noah is a good boy for you on the plane and you accost a nice air hostie or granny beside you to hold on to him while you run to the toilet. Ganbatte.
oh my goodness! when you said you wanted to take some time off and spend some time in Australia, i never would’ve guessed that’s the reason! anyway, congratulations!! a brother or sister for noah-kun!! i’m sorry that the way events are working out are a little bit stressful at the moment for you, but i guess in the end it’s a happy thing so i’m sure you’ll make it through just fine. in any case i can’t wait to meet the little nugget when he/she arrives
Oh wow!!! Congratulations.
That I wan`t expecting, I knew you weren`t feeling well but thought it was just another bug you had caught.
I hope the morning sickness settles down some but you are right at least going back to Australia for a little while will give you a bit of a break.
It definitely possible to breastfeed and be pregnant at the same time but since you had preterm labor its just something to be extra aware of, which you are.
Hopefully, weaning Noah goes well with your mom helping. I`m thinking of trying Misora on some formula for when we are out and about for longer periods of time and BF isn`t so very convenient (ie house hunting).
Woo, Noah’s going to be a big brother! Congrats to you all – must have been a shock at first but I am sure that things will look up once you’re in your 2nd trimester and the pukiness stops. What a great brother you have – hope you have a safe and relaxing trip back home
wow congrats on the surprise! have a great trip home and enjoy the holiday ::) not sure abt qld but sydney is freezing! i guess it’ll be a nice change from your sweaty summer right now.
Clever girl! Very exciting news for your little family.
For what it’s worth, I was always really jealous of friends who had a sibling close in age. They seemed to share lots of their friends, and often shared their ‘milestones’ as they grew up. Even kids who were 3 years apart seemed to lack that close bond.
I hope your morning sickness eases up, I can only imagine the toll that must take on your body and state of mind. And tell that little man of yours to give you a break! x
A big congratulations, unexpected that it may be having them close it just means extra work at the begining and then you can have more time to enjoy them!!! I hope you get the well earned rest that you need when you go home and that Noah starts drinking for you. I had the same issues too and was saved by a simple straw in a regular cup!
Have a great time : )
Wow, that sure is a surrpise! Congratulations! And YAY, cos we can be preggy buddies!!! I hope the morning sickness eases up and you get a break in Oz. It will be nice b3eing with family and having them help out with Noah. Hope he takes to the bottle too while you are there, and cant wait to catch up in person when you get back! Take care and safe flight!
How exciting! Congratulations!!
Congrats L! It’s a whirlwind to have babies so close in age but I can say that it’s so awesome too….especially when they are a bit older and have each other to play with. Also, they learn to share, enjoy the same books (only one bedtime story!), and things like santa and the tooth fairy have double the magic because they anticipate together. Hugs and best wishes!!!
Well hello there edamame-cha. Very exciting news, congrats Lulu. Enjoy your time back in Oz, getting as much r’n'r as possible with family there to help out with Noah.
Congratulations Lulu!! I can just imagine the shock you must have felt finding out you were pregnant again so soon but as everyone else has said having kids close in age is usually a good thing!! I know that Naoki and I want to make a little brother/sister for Leilah some day in the not so distance future.
Enjoy your trip back home
Congrats!!!
You crazy woman! haha, sorry, had to be said!
Although, I’ve heard there are LOTS of things that are made much much easier by being close together. A friend of mine and his brother are about that far apart and are great friends.
Hope the morning sickness gets better and you can enjoy the glow of pregnancy again!
Wow! I wasn’t expecting this news! Congratulations!! I hope you have a great time in Oz and that you’ll have lots of help both on the way over and when you get there. Looking forward to hearing updates!!
Congratulations! That’s very exciting news! I’m sure in the end, having Noah and edamame-chan so close together will work out really well, although it must be scary to think how much extra work it will be in the short term.
Have a fantastic break in Australia, good luck with the feeding!
(P.S. Same Amanda as always, just a different email address
)
congratulations!! how exciting! i hope the morning sickness wears off soon! good luck with the breastfeeding or weaning. hugs to you all!
Wow! Congratulations! That is exciting news! No wonder you were feeling so overwhelmed! That must have been a shock! I hope that you enjoy your mini-break and get treated to all those home comforts that you miss! Especially your Mum’s cooking! So exciting that you already have another one on the way! Will be lovely for them growing up with a close age difference! Cheers to you Shun, Noah and Edamame Chan! Would love to see you while you are here, if you get time, I know you will be super busy though!
Congrats Laura! Wasn`t expecting that but looking forward to reading all about it! Perhaps one of these days we`ll meet up! Have fun in Australia!
I don’t know why but I wasn’t that surprised by this news. I kind of had a feeling you were pregnant from some of your FB updates and I do remember you saying that you were planning on going with the flow for number two!
VERY exciting news. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! I am sure it will be tough at first to have two so close together but I am sure it will all work itself out in the long run!!
Congratulations:) The age gaps between babies is perfect whatever it is in the long run IMHO with pros and cons on each end of the scale.And a family is a family and what a wonderful thought that there will be another little “Noah”! Have a wonderful trip back home,enjoy all the rest,relaxation and spoiling and big kudos to your brother for his help in the matter.And hope the morning sickness is soon a thing of the past.x
HOLY CRAP.
Ok… wow…. umm must take a few moments to process this.
Well first of all congrats – I remember having the “if it happens, it happens” convo with you a few months back guess that you and Shun are super duper fertile.
I think that next year will probably be a rough one but Noah and edamame are going to be SOOOO close. I live really close so if I can do anything to help it please let me know – wow kudos for keep so cool, but thats nice that you are getting your babymaking over and done! I’m not sure when we will have Sakura’s little brother or sister. Whoa… umm well I guess we really need to catch up when you get back at the end of the month!!
A big congrats from me too!
WOW, WOW, WOW! Congratulations!!!
Congratulations!!! What exciting news
Here’s a linky to an article by the Australian Breastfeeding Association:
http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/tandem.html
Before you stop breastfeeding and considering Noah isn’t keen on the bottle, you could consider getting a second and third opinion when you’re in Oz. Remember to trust yourself, your body and how you feel.
Congrats again!
woo!
Yeah!!! My two are exactly two years apart so a little larger gap but even then they are each others best friends (and occasionally frienemies…) pregnant with a dependent bub was very tiring and two in nappies/ newborn and toddler was exhausting but from when the youngest is about 1 you get to put your feet up and have them entertain each other which is fantastic!
Having a support network would make a lot of things a lot easier- maybe check if your city hall has something? What an adventure! And what a great brother you’ve got!
Congratulations!!
You’ll do great. The exact same thing happened with my two oldest (including not realizing I was pregnant with the second one) and it turned out just fine. It was actually easier than when there was a 2-year gap between babies.
Take time to think through how to incorporate everything together and I’m sure you’ll come up with a lifestyle that will work for everyone!
Wow, congratulations! I hope the flight home isn’t too hard with the morning sickness! How exciting for you and Shun
Whoa! So not expecting that, but CONGRATULATIONS!! I’m so glad it was good news that was overwhelming you rather than something less than good. Sorry that morning sickness is hitting you so hard though. Was it like that with Noah? At least you are already 10 weeks, so hopefully the morning sickness won’t last too much longer. Wow! Wow! Wow! So exciting! Have a great, relaxing time at home. And I agree with Heather, your brother is awesome! I think I would have a heart attack and be suspicious someone had replaced my brother with an droid if he offered to do something as nice as that for me.
Congratulations!
Oh my! Congratulations Lulu and Shun!! I was not expecting that!
I almost choked on my morning oatmeal when I was reading it. Lol. You’re so strong to have to deal with another pregnancy! It seemed like only yesterday, you were showing us pics of Noah when he was born.
That’s so great, both of you must be so excited of course. Though I hope you don’t have to deal with the nauseousness for too much longer.
Ganbatte!
OH my god! was not expecting that news when I thought I see how you were doing! wow that’s wonderful though my sympathies for the morning sickness and busyness, can imagine there is so much to do. Hope all is well and healthy and bon voyage for visiting home. Congratulations!! it will be lovely for them to be so close in age, playmates. I look forward to continuing to read your updates – You do like to keep busy Laura lol! best wishes for the family xxxx What does the nickname mean?
Oh wow, congrats! Definitely unexpected news!
Having a sibling close in age is a good thing, as most everyone has already said. My little sister and i are exactly 3 years apart to the day! We did bicker and fight a lot, but we did have plenty of good times playing, etc.
Anyway, here’s hoping the morning sickness goes away soon, and that you have a good relaxing time at home
Big congratulations to you all! Hope the morning sickness goes away soon and you have a happy and healthy pregnancy. Look forward to hearing more updates. Have a wonderful time in Australia too. Not sure about Brisbane but the weather in NQ is perfect at the moment.
Congratulations! What exciting news. They will be close, but I’m sure there are plusses and minuses to that! Good luck with everything!! Feeding Noah, being on the plane, morning sickenss, etc etc!
Wow, congratulations!!! Looking forward to more updates. Hope you feel better soon, and I hope you and Noah have a fabulous trip home!
Congratulations! Sending lots of feel better soon vibes your way!
Congratulations!! This is exciting news. I know it is probably very overwhelming right now but you are so capable I am sure you will get yourself into a groove very soon.
For breastfeeding advice, speak to a qualified lactation consultant. I can totally recommend mine – Iona McNab. She used to be based here in Tokyo but now she is in Melbourne and does most of her work via email and Skype. She is amazing and totally understands the challenges faced by us Australian girls who live in Japan. She is totally mellow and relaxed and has been working in this field for over 20 years. She has a Japanese hubby and 3 kids.
http://www.blueskytokyo.com/consultation.html
I am sure she will offer fab tips on how to breastfeed while pregnant if that is what your first preference/instinct is.
I have been reading the Australian Breastfeeding Associations book this week and they say it is totally fine to breastfeed while pregnant.
http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/
I did a quick google search too and the good baby sites have lots of hints for breastfeeding while pregnant.
Here is what the LaLeche League site says:
http://www.llli.org/FAQ/bfpregnant.html
But at the end of the day, it is totally your decision to wean Noah or not.
wow, I go away for a few days and hear this news! Congratulations!! Surprising but I`m sure altogether welcome
Look forward to hearing updates, take care and hope the morning sickness eases up.
Wow, Congrats Lulu! I just got back into town so I’m just now reading this and … wow! Annika and Noah are the same age of course and I can’t imagine being pregnant again right now, but then again, I also have a 2 year old! It will be pretty exciting for sure, but also tiring, so have a good rest and recuperation period in Australia! Hope you’re feeling better soon!
Congratulations!!
Congratulations Laura! And in answer to your last question, I’m glad of H and L’s age gap now, so I hope that helps some. It’s certainly hard going, and I remember L screaming for the breast, but I found distraction seemed to work. Going out and playing, doing other stuff (although I imagine you are too exhausted right now). I hope the morning sickness slows down and that you have a good time back in Australia. x
Congrats to you and Shun! Unexpected but happy news I’m sure for you
Congratulations! That’s great news. Mine are a school year apart too. Fun and games ahead!!
Congrats! I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t had a chance to check your blog so was surprised to see your scan photo at the topic of the page! I’m glad you’re getting to have a short break in Oz and your mum sounds like an expert when it comes to bubs so I’m sure Noah will be on the bottle before you know it!
Oh my goodness, congratulations! I’ve always wanted to have my kids nice and close together, it will probably be challenging in the early days, but very very rewarding as they get older. I hope you morning sickness passes soon and you get a chance to relax whilst you are back home. xxoo
Herzlichen Glueckwunsch! congratulations!
I’ve been away a bit, so am late (as always?:-)). Just leave the morning sickness in Australia. Talk to you when you are back.
Wow! Congratulations!! I def. wish I’d had mine closer together, it may be hard in the beginning, but that part will be over so quickly (altho it prob. won’t feel like that while you’re going through it! LOL), and then you’ll have the rest of their lives to enjoy the bond they’ll share from being so close in age!
Congratulations! that’s great news! It’s a shame your planning didn’t work out, but I guess it’s kids, they do what they wanna do when they wanna do it. Might be nice to have them so close together. My brother and I are only about a year apart and we had tons of fun together. Enjoy your holiday, you deserve the break.