Babies are awesome no matter what time of year you have them. I think we all can agree the pros of parenthood completely outweigh the cons. But I do believe there are more ideal times to give birth. I guess I'm kind of lucky for avoiding a third trimester pregnancy in the extreme heat of summer. I sweat a lot as it is and carrying all that extra weight and twins in 90 degree temps with humidity would have been sticky. But having December babies comes with its own set of issues. For any ladies about to have a baby — this month or even early next month — I'm sorry. Truly. I have December babies — two of them — and it's just the worst month to have a little one.
To delve into why, we have to take a walk back to the end of October and go from there.
The end of October gives us Halloween! My favorite holiday ever, and a favorite of kids, too. As a parent, you've probably spent much of October thinking about, making, or trying to find the perfect Halloween costume. Maybe you even have a kid who decided she wanted to be a princess, so you took care of that and got the most amazing princess costume ever only to get you to October 29th when she decides she wants to be Dora instead. A few snips, pastes, and you have yourself a Dora princess!
Then you need the candy, or the non-candy treats, the plan, the parties, and then deal with the aftermath of the candy explosion. And now it's November!
Thanksgiving. All that Halloween candy has been finished just in time to bring on the copious amounts of starches and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Burp! And now it's December! Holiday time in full swing! In a flash!
My twins were born on December 1st. Those Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales? I'm buying my kids' birthday gifts or dealing with the aftermath of a toy avalanche from all the gifts they received for their birthday. When the grandparents or aunts and uncles ask what my kids need for Christmas I say nothing. Because they don't need anything. They just had a birthday. But what little kid ever got really excited opening boxed up pajamas and socks for the holidays?
What might be the worst part of having a kid or kids with December birthdays is that mom and dad are exhausted by the time it gets to December. And then we have to plan a birthday party (or parties) around everyone's holiday or school days off and what if their best friend isn't around, and on top of all of that we have to try to figure out how to make sure everyone on your gift buying list is taken care of in addition to your kids. It's. Just. Too. Much.
Obviously we can't stop birth. Baby is going to come when baby is ready, and it just may be December. And it's an fantastic month — I love me a Sagittarius. But if you are thinking of trying to have a baby, you may want to think twice about procreating during the month of March.
Moms with December babies … solidarity! I feel your pain. May we get through the birthdays and the holidays with as much ease as possible!
Do you have or are expecting a December baby? Do you agree with these unique challenges? Spill 'em!
Image via SmartGoat/Flickr