Horses and Babies help please!

[HorsesandParrots]

Hello, I'm due to give birth in the next few weeks with my first and wondering how you've managed your horses/yard and newborns?

I have my own small yard (no liveries) so can't get someone to do them easily. I've got 4. I can get a freelance but that's extra expense id like to avoid unless needed.

My husband will have 2 weeks paternity leave and will do them in that time. Unless I need a C-Section and can't drive I'm hoping to be able to do them as normal. Fingers crossed they'll be out mostly by then.

Just looking for some reassurance and tips really! I don't have any horsey friends so my friends think I'm mad even taking a baby to the yard. I'm planning to breastfeed so no bottles to heat.

When did you first take your newborn to the stables?
When did you get back riding? (I stopped riding at 10 weeks) and how did you manage with baby in tow?
Any tips etc would be greatly appreciated as the horses are what I'm mostly stressing about!

Thank you xx

 

[Ambers Echo]

I was fine with a baby. That said, he was easy and if I plonked him in a car seat by the arena with my lab looking after him he was perfectly happy while I rode! And was happy in a baby sling etc. I found it much harder once they were mobile. The girls were ok as they enjoyed it, but my son hated horses and the farm, and in the end dragging him up there every day felt unfair.

 

[Gloi]

Hope all goes well for you but I would get a freelancer sorted in case you don't feel up to doing anything for a while. Doesn't mean you need to use them.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Congratulations.

Do you keep them at home?

Do you have a back up plan in case you need a c section? Hopefully you won’t, but it does happen (and it happened to me) and that makes things rather trickier in the short term.

Babies are easier than toddlers!

 

[AmyMay]

Hope all goes well for you but I would get a freelancer sorted in case you don't feel up to doing anything for a while.

Yep, freelancer for a month whilst you get over the birth.

 

[HorsesandParrots]

Tha

Hope all goes well for you but I would get a freelancer sorted in case you don't feel up to doing anything for a while.

Thank you! My usual freelance for holidays is booked up but said she would squeeze me in if desperate so I do have her to fall back on if needed.

 

[meleeka]

I didn’t ride much when mine were small, but having the yard to do was my sanity. I really don’t know how anyone can stand being stuck in the house all day. Babies are perfectly portable, so the only barrier is your energy. I found it made me get up and dressed each day and I’m not sure I’d have bothered otherwise . As it was I just carried on, with a pram in the corner.

I would say, don’t try and be a hero. If things aren’t perfect, it doesn’t matter. It was housework with me, which was bottom of my pile. Luckily OH helped with that, so I could have a nap with baby in the afternoon.

 

[HorsesandParrots]

Congratulations.

Do you keep them at home?

Do you have a back up plan in case you need a c section? Hopefully you won’t, but it does happen (and it happened to me) and that makes things rather trickier in the short term.

Babies are easier than toddlers!

They're 10 mins away from home. My usual freelance has said she can do them if I get desperate.

 

[Ambers Echo]

Yes I should clarify my horse was on assisted livery with the option for full livery if needs be. Which was lucky as I did have a C-section. BUt after that it was fine!

 

[HorsesandParrots]

I was fine with a baby. That said, he was easy and if I plonked him in a car seat by the arena with my lab looking after him he was perfectly happy while I rode! And was happy in a baby sling etc. I found it much harder once they were mobile. The girls were ok as they enjoyed it, but my son hated horses and the farm, and in the end dragging him up there every day felt unfair.

Hopefully I have an easy one too haha!!

 

[Palindrome]

You might need a bit of time to recover physically even if no C-section.
A sling is great to carry baby in the first few months, it gets them to sleep being carried, but you have to be careful handling horses with baby in a sling so a place to put them down safely like a pram or pushchair is good to have too. You could set up a play pen in the tack room since you have your own yard.
When they are toddler they get a bit more difficult to keep in check but mine liked wheelbarrow rides.

 

[HopOnTrot]

I would have a freelancer as back up, my first was straightforward as I had my mare on full livery, a great move as he was prem and in hospital for 10 days and then couldn’t really go outside as he couldn’t maintain body temperature.

No.2 was late, pony was on grass livery and my 2 friends looked after her as I was out of action for 2 weeks due to forceps and an infection. I couldn’t sit down for the first week.

Emergency c-section will really knock it out of you if you’ve laboured and then had surgery.

Planned c-section is a more straightforward healing but still major surgery.

I know people that have run the whole range from riding a few days later to being seriously ill with sepsis.

 

[Tiddlypom]

They're 10 mins away from home. My usual freelance has said she can do them if I get desperate.

Can you push the pram there and back?

Arrive with contentedly sleeping baby, park pram in safe place, then zoom round doing jobs?

 

[HorsesandParrots]

You might need a bit of time to recover physically even if no C-section.
A sling is great to carry baby in the first few months, it gets them to sleep being carried, but you have to be careful handling horses with baby in a sling so a place to put them down safely like a pram or pushchair is good to have too. You could set up a play pen in the tack room since you have your own yard.
When they are toddler they get a bit more difficult to keep in check but mine liked wheelbarrow rides.

Thank you. I need to order a sling actually! Play pen is good a good idea.

 

[HorsesandParrots]

Can you push the pram there and back?

Arrive with contentedly sleeping baby, park pram in safe place, then zoom round doing jobs?

No it's 10 minutes in the car unfortunately but I can take the pram to the yard

 

[HorsesandParrots]

I didn’t ride much when mine were small, but having the yard to do was my sanity. I really don’t know how anyone can stand being stuck in the house all day. Babies are perfectly portable, so the only barrier is your energy. I found it made me get up and dressed each day and I’m not sure I’d have bothered otherwise . As it was I just carried on, with a pram in the corner.

I would say, don’t try and be a hero. If things aren’t perfect, it doesn’t matter. It was housework with me, which was bottom of my pile. Luckily OH helped with that, so I could have a nap with baby in the afternoon.

I must admit I'm pretty bored already as there's little I can do even though still working full time.
Good pont re being a hero! Housework is my least fave anyway lol!

 

[Clodagh]

Can they live out if desperate? I was doing mine within a few days but with hindsight I’d have healed quicker if I’d been kinder to my body. (Straightforward birth).

 

[holeymoley]

I'd advise getting someone in place to look after horsey for the due date and the few days afterwards. Especially if it's your first child. I ended up staying in hospital for 3 days after my first child and I was so glad to have the help in place. I actually ended up keeping the girl on for the full week until I got in to the swing of things. It meant I could visit but not have to do chores. I had a green light pregnancy but a forcep delivery so wasn't advised to do heavy lifting either. The first few months are probably the 'easiest' as they normally just sleep and eat so you can usually time things in with that. I went on a week later with the help of a sheepskin saddle cover!

Second baby was different, body had done it before so it was fairly simple. I organised someone to do horse that day, then visited him in the evening to say hi. My daughter was easy enough, she would sit in the sling or happy to sit in her pram and look out when she was older. First, my son was a bit different he wanted to be on the go all the time, managed to get a little quiet area in the yard where he could sit in his swing and watch. You'll maybe find once you start driving he/she will fall asleep allowing you to get on with some chores.

 

[Polos Mum]

I had 4 at home when I had both my kids.

My son was ill when born and in hospital for 3 months - my daughter I had an emergency C section. So neither were exactly ideal.

A comfortable sling is great but I personally wouldn't handle horses with a baby in a sling - mine are a bit nudgy.
A lie flat pushchair or pram cot thingy you can clip onto the pushchair wheels is good. It's not good for new borns to spend that much time in car seat/ up right.
Off road wheels obviously

You can get quite clever at a routine with travel to the yard, feed there and then do jobs for an hour while they sleep post feed. You'll work out the timings and if horses aren't on big yard where they have other horses timings to work around that'll help.
Mine slept while I rode for quite a long time. The first one I got back on after 3 weeks, then couldn't get off (ha ha - luckily horse was a saint) so then waited another 3-4 weeks until I was stronger.

C section was a nightmare - couldn't get off the bloody sofa after weeks - so fingers crossed you avoid that.

As above when they are older and more demanding it's tougher - but you don't need to worry about that just yet.

 

[HorsesandParrots]

Can they live out if desperate? I was doing mine within a few days but with hindsight I’d have healed quicker if I’d been kinder to my body. (Straightforward birth).

Yes I'm hoping they will be out 24/7 by then if the weather picks up. So would just be feeding hay/ poo picking as I try to do that daily

 

[Clodagh]

Yes I'm hoping they will be out 24/7 by then if the weather picks up. So would just be feeding hay/ poo picking as I try to do that daily

Carrying hay might be a problem, can you get OH to do that in the evening? And I didn’t poo pick, I admitted defeat there!

 

[HorsesandParrots]

Thank you all so far. It is amazing how different horsey folk and non-horsey approach it. You all sound so strong! Fingers crossed I can be the same

 

[Tarragon]

I tried to muck out with the baby in a sling - not a good idea! Killed my back.

 

[HorsesandParrots]

Carrying hay might be a problem, can you get OH to do that in the evening? And I didn’t poo pick, I admitted defeat there!

Yes he is currently putting all nets up and emptying barrows so that wouldn't be a problem. I could continue to fill and leave them until I feel ready x

 

[Usedtobehorsey]

Congratulations!

I'd also share that planning to breastfeed doesn't always mean you can - both of mine ended up needed formula top ups as I wasn't producing enough milk and one of them was a bad latcher. Breastfeeding, bottle-feeding and pumping all took a lot of time for me so you might want to keep that in mind when they are tiny.

 

[HorsesandParrots]

Congratulations!

I'd also share that planning to breastfeed doesn't always mean you can - both of mine ended up needed formula top ups as I wasn't producing enough milk and one of them was a bad latcher. Breastfeeding, bottle-feeding and pumping all took a lot of time for me so you might want to keep that in mind when they are tiny.

Thank you! Yes that is a good point. Xx

 

[Esmae]

A friend of mine rode up until the day before the baby came (baby was 3 weeks late by then) Following day had child. She worked hard to get baby born so that she could watch Dallas on the TV that night. Home following day and came back to work the day after that and started riding again 2 weeks later! No flippin idea how she did it, but is true. Baby slept in a Moses basket in the back of the van and one morning we drove around one bend in the road that basket tipped and she rolled over and over out of the basket to the other side of the van. When we got to the next bend she rolled all the way back into the basket that promptly righted itself! She never woke up and was sleeping peacefully when we got to the yard. Baby always slept in the motor while we did chores and my friend breast fed her. She was made of tough stuff and child never ailed for anything. I think the idea of a freelancer is a good one and if your horses can be turned out (ours weren't, we had 4 polo ponies in and 2 stallions in work) all the better. Hope that all goes well for you. Picture of babe when he/she arrives is mandatory. Good luck.

 

[Upthecreek]

Freelancer for 2-4 weeks while you recover physically and get feeding established because you’ll be too knackered for anything else. I breastfed, but also expressed so that my husband could bottle feed to give me some freedom and do some night feeds. I had 3 children close together and I would walk out the door and go to do the horses the second my husband got home from work. After being at home with them all day, it was much needed time to do something for myself, so he would take over and do bath time and put them to bed. Taking a baby to the yard gave me no break and meant I couldn’t focus all my attention on the horses, but it totally depends on your circumstances and what you do with your horses. How quickly you’ll feel like riding depends how the birth goes and how you feel afterwards, so I wouldn’t have a timescale in mind as it will encourage you to push yourself when you might not feel ready.

 

[Nudibranch]

Babies are the easy stage - wait til they're toddlers! I breastfed and baby wore, both of which make life a lot easier. But I bought a second hand cross country three wheel pram for use around the horses (with a cot attachment). I would not have a baby in a sling while handling any horse tbh. I had a year of maternity leave so I timed all activities around naps. I started riding again at 7 weeks. One surprising thing was how much confidence I lost. Admittedly I was bringing an enormous 5yo back into work after 9 months off, but you might find you start seeing danger everywhere. Nature I suppose, making sure you're there for baby! But don't push it, take your time and just do what feels right.

Also beware of thinking you can do everything, even if it feels like you can. Muscles and ligaments are vulnerable after pregnancy. I found myself having an op to close an umbilical hernia when my little one was 18 months. No c section or anything, just from doing too much physical stuff too soon.

 

[Nudibranch]

Babies are the easy stage - wait til they're toddlers! I breastfed and baby wore, both of which make life a lot easier. But I bought a second hand cross country three wheel pram for use around the horses. I would not have a baby in a sling while handling any horse tbh. I had a year of maternity leave so I timed all activities around naps. I started riding again at 7 weeks. One surprising thing was how much confidence I lost. Admittedly I was bringing an enormous 5yo back into work after 9 months off, but you might find you start seeing danger everywhere. Nature I suppose, making sure you're there for baby! But don't push it, take your time and just do what feels right.

Also beware of thinking you can do everything, even if it feels like you can. Muscles and ligaments are vulnerable after pregnancy. I found myself having an op to close an umbilical hernia when my little one was 18 months. No c section or anything, just from doing too much physical stuff too soon.

Ps, I'm sure you know already but try to buy a sling that keeps baby in the W shape. I had an Ergobaby and it was great. Those slings you see with baby's legs dangling straight down are a pet hate.