Looking after horses with new baby!

SNORKEY

SNORKEY

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Hi, my baby's due in November and I've got two horses and my mothers also got one as well which we keep on our own private rented yard 2 mins from home.
When should I expect to be able to get back outside mucking out etc?
I don't want to burden hubby or my mum for too long with them and like to do them myself anyway.
Also will a baby be ok sat in a pushchair wrapped up or in the car right by the stable where I can see her, or should she stay at home until a certain age?
 
I had two horses when I had my first. TBH they're much easier to cope with round horses when they are a baby. Wait until they can walk and talk!! I used to have mine in her pushchair or in the car while I mucked out and sorted horses. Nice bit of fresh air is good for them. You seem to have help if you need it so I would imagine you'll be fine. Good luck :-)
 
I'm due in 4 weeks and will be bringing my horse in when the weather turns. I'm hoping I'll just be able to park the baby up in the pram while I muck out :D
Keep the horses at home so I can wait till he's asleep at least and I'm only having one in this year.
Husband thinks I'm mad and should leave the horse out but I like looking after them and think it will give my day a bit of structure!

Do you know what you're having yet? :)
 
Keep it warm and safe and the fresh air will do it good.

I had the big prams when mine were small so nice and cosy. They were put either in the tack room or just outside the stables. I would put the pram at he edge of the school so I could lunge or loose school. Twice a week a got a chance to ride out.

I had 3 horses at the time, a yearling and a two year old so only did play work with them in the school. I also had a six year old so I would work him and hack out.

When they were walking around again the push chair was by the school etc .

When my first one was about four I bought a little Welsh sec A foal so baby was bought up dealing with the pony. My little one use to help me groom and clean my tack.

A good plan and it can be easy.
 
Sooner the baby is in a routine the better and part of the routine should be awake, happy and not being held.

I found out to my cost lol

My baby slept a lot so I got into the bad habit of doing everything when she was asleep and also because I was bf-ing I interpreted every cry as beig hunger! I ended up with a baby who would not be happy awake other than on me :D

Not that I am ever having another one but if I did I would get it used to being awake and not on me because when I eventually realised I had created a cling monster it was quite hard going to get her over it.

So just get the baby in your routine ASAP is my advice. Things will take longer as you will have to do nappies and feeds in between jobs but don't rush to pick up the second it cries.

It's no co-incidence most second and onward babies have more patience because parents are dealing with the first toddler as well so the second one has to learn to sit in car seat for a bit longer etc.

Good luck!
 
I have two living out in a rented field so much easier then worrying about having to get yard jobs done and if I dont get any pooh picking done because of the baby it's not the end of the world I can just catch up at the weekend when hubby has more time to look after our baby. I did a wheelbarrow of pooh picking three days after he was born- at the time it felt great but I over did it and felt dreadful for a few days after and set myself back. I did have an episiotomy plus extra stitches so should have just rested a bit more really. Don't rush or push yourself make the most of offers of help while you can. I think your baby will be fine wrapped up in pushchair, it's great for them to get some fresh air but will be handy having the car too especially during winter. It's what I will be doing anyway. Good luck and enjoy
 
Thanks lafies, I'm having a little girl patterdale.
I'm definately looking to start a routine with her ASAP.
We have two fat horses and one Arab x. We have a winter field with lots of grass and we're going to leave the stable doors open most nights with bedding down and a hay net in each. We'l shut them in on bad nights. I'm hoping to have a full week at home and then start getting back into it all.
Baby's breech at the mo and I'm
Praying she moves or il have to have a c-sec and I don't want to be stuck in the house for weeks.
 
Sadly it's impossible to say how soon you will be out and about. With a nice normal delivery and no complications you might be pretty active again within a couple of weeks. But if you need a c-section or things aren't that easy (ok, it's never easy) it may take longer. They say it takes 6 weeks after a c-sec (even then, plenty of people I know have felt fine much sooner).

Do take the baby out (park it somewhere safe) - November isn't too cold but you might find that Jan/Feb it's a bit mean to leave a baby in a pushchair - you get warm mucking out but they don't! I pay a friend at the yard who lives nearby to have my baby for a couple of hours while I ride and do stuff - it's relatively cheap and it's nice sometimes not to be keeping an eye on baby while trying to do the horses. If they all kick off at once it's stressful. Slings are also brilliant and although I wouldn't handle a horse while using one, you can do yard jobs, clean tack etc, and babies seem to like being upright and looking around.

Congrats and good luck! xx
 
Snorkey mine was breech until this week (35ish) and I was worrying, but it will more than likely turn! Mine has!
I tried to sleep on my left a lot and spent a lot of time on all fours watching tv etc which is supposed to help.
 
I had a winter baby too. I had someone to turnout & bring in for first couple of weeks as pony used to routine of out by 7am & in at 6pm when stabled & couldn't commit to that with a newborn. I did go up & do the jobs though after first couple of days at whatever time suited. Mine was always well wrapped up & I timed jobs round her sleep. I think as well the fresh air did her good, because she slept longer it meant she fed more when she woke & got into an early routine. She's also always been very healthy & happy. Plus I had an old fashioned outdoorsey midwife, who thought fresh air & getting on with stuff the best thing for them. Mucking out while bf isn't do-able, especially when its cold. But stuff like feeds, filling waters is if you're in a rush. Tbh though up to her walking I timed my jobs with her sleep. But do have a back up plan. A straightforward birth, & a healthy mum & baby is very different to c-sections, unwell baby or mum, & all the other complications possible. And don't panic about the breech yet. Mine had her head fully engaged & was perfectly placed at 35 weeks. At 38 weeks she turned, not to breech but so she was back to back, so plenty of time for turning yet.
 
My little girl is 9weeks now and has been camping twice, visited a fair few farms n been on numerous day trips, poor lass we drag her everywhere! Im sure your little girl will be happy in the pram or car by the stables :)

Only thing is i ended up with an emergency c sec and could not even walk for five days. You cant lift anything heavier than the baby for 6weeks, which is difficult as by 4 i was feelin myself again, overdid things and caused a bleed! Am fine now by 9 weeks but
 
You will be fine leaving baby in the car or pram while you muck out etc.

My daughter was born in November too(2 years ago) - we had that really horrendous winter but I was going to the yard within a few days of giving birth but then the weather put paid to that as I couldn't get the car off the drive & wasn't hiking there with a newborn!

Once I could get out & about when the weather cleared a little bit I used to park her on the yard in the car (well wrapped up) or put her in the pram outside the stable (again, really cosy warm). I'm lucky that she slept pretty much the whole time I was doing jobs!

My in-laws started looking after her a bit for me which made it even easier and meant that I could ride a few times per week too :)

Good luck with everything :)
 
I was quite lucky and had a Feb baby but baby should be warm enough wrapped up in a pram. My bambino spent quite a bit of time in a sling thing on my front, better on the colder days as she could use my body heat and I was able to wrap her up in my huge coat that I was still wearing from my fat days! :eek: Just don't put yourself under any pressure remember none of them will die if they don't get fed immediately. :)
 
You'll be fine! I had a winter baby a few years ago - wrap her up nice and snug, and tbh I found I had more time then usual what with being on maternity leave! Babys sleep for ages - my boys had never been so well mucked out and groomed!
 
I think it depends a lot on the yard setup. For example in my situation the yard/stable area was quite a walk from the field and the baby in a pram would have been out of sight for quite a while which I wouldn't have been comfortable with, not would I have out her in a sling to bring them in.
 
Thanks for your replies. I feel a bit better about getting back into my normal routine now. I'm lucky that I can walk up the yard with the push chair in about 10 mins on a nice day or drive up the end of the road if I need the car. Il be able to leave her with hubby at weekends and spend a bit more time up there.
 
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