HELP Me!! I Totally Having a Panic Attack!! No Really- I Am!

Calm.....it will all be ok.
If everyone waited until they could "afford" children, no one would ever have any = ) It can be done. The money you are in debt is microscopic compared to some peoples debt...you can pay it off.
The second baby is almost always an easier delivery than the first. My first pregnancy I tore Badly too, and that was With an episiotmy ( when I asked how many stitches, the doctor joked he lost count and asked me if I knew what stem to stern meant) Anywho...my second baby was easy peasy and well the third, they joked that he was shot out of a cannon he came so quickly.
Please don't freak out. You may have moments where you feel overwhelmed, but for the most part you will fall into a pattern and wonder why you ever thought you could not do it.

Oh honey breath...

First of all, I had a horrible time with ripping the first time. But my other 3 times it was a piece of cake. You won't have as much trouble this time. Everything has been stretched out before :)

Secondly, take your time during the maternity leave and carefully look for someone that will be good with your kids AND save you money. I've provided care for 25 years and I do offer multiple child discounts and so do others.

Credit cards...Yeah, I understand. I'll help you put this in perspective. I have 50,000 in credit card debt! LOL. Set your mind on paying it down and you'll get there. Don't follow in my footsteps. But now isn't the time for you to be stressing on this.

Taking care of the kids...You are strong. You will be just fine with your little ones! :)

You'll be fine, your kids will do fine. :)

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It's ok - you are going to be fine. :) Better than fine actually - you are about to give your oldest child the single greatest gift any parent can give a child (in my opinion) - a sibling. Everything will be fine. My oldest was 2 when I had baby #2. Yes we had 2 in diapers for awhile - so you change 1, change the other, then go on. Pit stop style. :)

Credit card - take the $1000 or $1500 or whatever the amount is out of your checking account or savings and pay that down now so you aren't also paying interest. Register at mint.com for your monthly budget. You plug in your fixed expenses - in this case being the cost of of the monthly daycare bill for both of them (you have at least a few months though before #2 starts so you can actually do this during your maternity leave). Also plug in rent or mortgage payment, break out bills (cell phone, utilities, car insurance monthly, as well as property insurance and property taxes if applicable broken down by 12 so it can be factored into your budget monthly and it's not a big ugly surprise when the bill is due). That way you know exactly how much money you have extra each month and it's not stressful. I can see exactly how much is left in my budget - I check it every day...and if I'm getting close to the budget number, I'll skip that latte or trip to Toys R Us and get it next month. Also consider switching to a bank that gives you 2 debit cards, or get in the habit of paying down your credit card balance every month (esp. if you can earn miles by using the credit card).

And as for things to do during the summer, parks and playgrounds are free! :) Your newborn is going to be super easy to travel around with. You guys can spend the day at the park without spending a dime - that's just one of the blessings of a summer baby. I always loved just bringing a little cooler of snacks & drinks, a big blanket, some toys, and bringing my kids to a park. My son would just run around and play, stop and have a snack and read some books, and basically tire himself out. I would nurse the baby discreetly then she'd fall asleep - I always brought her snap & go stroller so I had her carseat with us - nurse her, change her diaper, put her in the carseat with the sunshade up, and we had 2 hours to chill. :)

Congrats! You're going to do great.

As far as the money issue... *try* not to stress because no matter how much any one of us have, it is NEVER enough! :)

Use coupons...it sounds cliche, but it does help tremendously. I always ask my mom and mother-in-law bc they get the Sunday paper and they never use the coupons.

Just remember: All births and post-partum are different. I am praying you will be pleasantly surprised!

I may check into another bank, too. Or just take out a "cash allowance" each week...that way you aren't putting small ammounts on a credit card and you have a feel for how much you are actually spending.

Daycares usually give a "family" discount. Check it out. If you (yourself) don't make enough to cover the cost of daycare...stay at home! I ended up becoming a stay at home mom because what we were spending in childcare and my gas tank was almost more than I was bringing home. It really did benefit my children, too!

I wish you the best of luck! Prayers for you and your family!

A.

Slow and steady wins the race......you will be fine!! Just calm down - there are people in much worse positions than you are in, and they make it just fine. You will figure it all out and then you will look back and say what was I worrying about??

think about cloth diapers to save money. I did a ton of research and bought sunbaby diapers from china. they were only $5 a piece (including shipping) when I bought 12, and if I'd bought 24, they would have been even cheaper. I have some more expensive diapers ($15 to $18 a piece) and I like the sunbaby's better. And they come in really cute patterns. They go from 7-35 lbs, so we were able to use them from the beginning with my 8 lb baby. We take a disposable when we are out and about, but I can't remember the last time I bought a bag of diapers. Some daycares won't let you use them though, although if you provide a wet bag, they aren't any harder for them than disposables. My hubby was totally against them in theory, but doesn't mind using them at all. good luck with baby.

I had my first 6 weeks early and breech and many stitches and was so sore when he came home at 3 weeks old I was still sitting on a pillow. Maybe I was just a 'baby' but that's how it was and I didn't think I could ever do it again and yet 12 mo and 5 days later I gave birth to another little boy and it was not a hard delivery and nothing like the first. Don't worry as each one is different. As for the debt, make a plan and pay it off and don't charge more.
It will work out and make sure you just make time to love both children and enjoy them as they grow up very fast.

breathe! it will be ok. I only have one child so I dont have any advise on having another, but just because you had a rough time giving birth to your first doesnt mean it will happen again. My delivery WAS easy. I only had to push for ten minutes and I was really uncomfortable afterwards, and never had to even use the spray they gave me for my stitches. so it doesnt have to be bad.

Just breathe, relax, and realize that everything will work out for you. Don't worry. Focus on calming down and realize that you are about to bring a beautiful little baby into this world. You have time to figure it all out after your baby is here. Just try to focus on your baby and how excited you will be when he or she is in your arms. Everything else will fall into place when the time comes.

What always helps me is to write everything down. Just get it all down on paper, every single little thing you are worried about, everything that you are panicked about--write it all down. Then take a break and do something fun--spend time with your toddler, take a long relaxing bath, watch a movie--something that relaxes you. Read over your list after calming down and realize that it is all possible, you just need to tackle one thing at a time. Talk it over with your husband, make some specific plans and possibilities, and take a deep breath. You can do it! Congratulations on your new baby, and good luck with everything! :-)

First off all, normally your body is better developed to handle a delivery on round two, so you should recover better. That is why people who have more than 4 kids can generally have them natural with out pain killers (aka slip and slide). As for the day care, some day cares do a multiple child discount. Does one or the other parent have a work from home option? This might help. Second, your oldest should now be close enough to the age to start potty training, I wouldn't push now that you have the new baby due, but you can try to start it at least. Next for all your bills, depending on how may you have depends on how you should react. Put all bills at minimums and pay whatever extra you can onto the smallest bill then put that money to the next, so on and so forth. you can actually clear up debt fairly fast that way. As for your bank, you may want to find another bank. I have never heard of a bank allowing only one debit card. Finally BREATH!! everything will work out.