Guilt

Don’t forget you’ll be hitting the baby blues around now with a hormone drop so that will be playing with your feelings as well! I also felt this. Horrendous guilt that I wouldn’t have time for the pets. We have 3 cats and a German shepherd/border collie cross, so he needs a lot of attention. But genuinely as the weeks went by it eased. 7 months pp and my baby LOVES the dog and he loves her, he gets so much love and attention from her and us! Not sure if it will help but you can get plug ins that emit a pheromone that calms dogs, like the feliway for cats! This can help them in new and stressful situations. Instead of just shouting (I know it’s easier said than done when hormonal) try telling the dog no firmly, and redirecting him when he does something wrong involving baby. Our boy is huge and so jumpy and excitable, we had to tell him off a few times because he just didn’t understand she was so small and fragile, we would redirect him to a gentler way like sitting or laying—

I will be in a position shortly. We have a dog but I have a 2 year old also. He's a puppy so will be all change again once baby arrives. Don't feel guilty, lots of chbage happening. Take each day as it comes x

—near her and watching her in a calm manner! It IS a lot. A newborn and a pet is so much work! You’re doing amazing. Please don’t feel guilty. I promise this feeling does go away and things to get better! For now your dog is just curious as they would be if you’d brought a cat or something into the house! It’s all new and it means the “pack” and pecking order will shift. It’s a big adjustment x

I have a mini dachshund too! So I know how much they need babying themselves 🥰 My dog did not like my baby at all when we brought home our little girl, and it took her months for her to adjust. 20 months later and they’re besties! I found it so stressful for the first few months trying to prioritise my newborn and looking after the dog too. I would say if you’ve got a support system to help with walks and look after your dog now for short periods so you can have a little break from the overwhelming feeling of juggling both, it defo helped me! Also having baby gates in place to section of my dog to stop her jumping up was a massive help! I’m so glad I stuck to it (it was so hard at times, and I defo thought about rehoming) because it’s so worth it later down the line. It’s hard and overwhelming now but trust me it gets much better 🫶

Your doing so well, the guilt is normal but it will pass and you’ll adapt. I have 3 dogs and boy was it hard. Constantly snapping at them then I could sit n cry about it but with lots of redirection and positive reinforcement they are a lot better xxx

We had two cats when our LO one was born, one of which was pregnant so we now have 5 - we made sure to put time aside for one of us to have a good pet and a play with them, and give them some treats too. The two older kitties adjusted so well and the younger ones have been amazing too! Daughter is 1 in March, the kittens were born about 6 weeks after, and everything has been smooth with them :)

You will all be fine soon. It took my dachshund a few weeks to settle in properly. He was then pretty happy that I was at home all the time and enjoyed going for walks with us and cuddling up on the sofa. I remembered crying because I was convinced he would never settle. I’m now expecting my second in April and hoping he will settle quicker this time.

We have a husky and it took time for us to adjust, I felt so bad making her home life more stressful and noisy. We found having treats to hand to help reinforce gentler approacgs to our LB help, like above positive reinforcement. We just made sure that when one of us was holding or doing something for the baby the other was playing or fussing over the puppy. It's tough but you will find your groove and it will get better for all involved. Xx

Don't worry at all it's normal to feel like this 💖 dogs don't think the same way as humans so he won't be thinking you don't love him anymore and he will have forgotten all about you shouting at him as dogs also live in the moment ❤️ I'm also juggling a Labrador and a baby. When my husband is feeding or holding our daughter I make sure to give our dog some attention and vice versa. I always feel like I'm snapping at our dog because sometimes he comes right over when shes lying on the floor (we're right beside her) and his big paws nearly stand on her legs 🙈 then I tell him sorry it's just because of your big paws 🤣

You will be fine and you will manage, life will be different for your dog but they adjust. Generally I spent a lot less time with our dogs when I was pregnant, I stopped them cuddling me on the sofa etc so when baby came they were already used to giving me more space. My partner pretty much solely takes care of them now though I am finally getting back to training next month with my youngest which hopefully will be good for us both. It’s taken well over a year to get to that point though. Becoming a mum is hard work especially that first year! We also made sure the dogs didn’t go near baby pretty much at all for the first month or so. We wanted to make sure they were entirely neutral to him. This has worked really well, one of our four couldn’t care less he exists which is pretty standard for him as he is rather aloof. The other three have a great relationship with him which is getting better each day. Just allow yourselves time and space and it will all get better ❤️