Why do people expect you to rehome your pets when you're expecting a baby?

Good on you............................

Please don't let this situation go to a 'baby in the front door, dog /other pet out the back door'.    You made a commitment to having a pet so from me, please honour that commitment.   OK, set the boundaries which may include having your baby in a room which is out of bounds (you never know whether your new baby may physically react to pets) to any household pets.   But please be prepared to continue the routine your pet(s) has.

I do what's right for ME and my pets - when my husband had a major bleed Stroke and was admitted to hospital in a serious condition, the Registrar told me 'to do something about your hounds' - meaning rehoming them.   I don't know how I didn't hit her!!    My hounds were the glue holding me together through the 17+ weeks my husband was in hospital/Rehab.   All too often people who have no experience of a pet-owner relationship and what it means, just try to inflict their views on you.   IGNORE!!

I did ask the doctor whether it was okay for the dog to continue sleeping on the bed with the baby and me, and he said yes.  He said cats can sometimes be a problem with a baby.  My dog was elderly and totally ignored the baby at first. The dog knew she was there though, because she didn't step on her.  Later they were great friends.  

You know your cat, so I don't have any worries about your cat harming the baby.  I wasn't worried my dog would harm the baby either; I just wondered whether there was a health issue.  Apparently not.

I don't think there's anything wrong with having pets when our new babies are born.  Kids who grow up around animals are less likely to have allergies to dander.

It can be difficult for both new mom and pet to adjust when a kid is born, but it's by no means impossible to balance both, as many MANY people manage. Some new moms feel that maybe their pet would be neglected with the new baby around, from affection to feeding and playtimes, and it can be a lot. Some new moms also get it in their head that the pet will attack the kid or something. Some pets DO NOT ADJUST AT ALL to a new baby and will act out, try as the new parents might, it just doesn't happen. And some new moms get overwhelmed, no matter how prepared they think they are. You have a newborn to feed and take care of, and on top of that, a cat to still feed and take care of. Enlist HELP when needed. If you have to pay a kid $20 to come over and clean out the litter box and feed a few times per day, so be it. If you feel like setting a timer on your phone or writing something down will help you remember, so be it. You will be exhausted, there are no two ways around that, so ask for help if you need to.

So while you still have some sane hormones for now, you can read up all you can on introducing your pet to the baby process and once the baby is actually born, go from there. Many new moms think it's ok to not let the pet into the new nursery or have them be around anything baby-related at all: WRONG. You should get the kitty in the new room, let them smell all the lotions and wipes, let them "claim" the new crib, carseat, and swings, and play the mobile, talk in the monitor, set off toys. This is going to be his life in 9 months, so getting the cat used to new things now is a good idea. Once you start to show, you can even introduce kitty to baby bump. You already smell different, so it's not like your cat doesn't know, just has no idea that another human is being formed. Many pets are very gentle when the new baby arrives; they just want to sniff and figure out the little hairless potato for themselves, so let them, ALWAYS MONITOR THE BABY, and with caution, of course. Once the baby arrives, try to see how your cat is adjusting. If he kind of shys away from you and hides, it's ok. He's just trying to get used to it. If he's pooping and peeing outside the litter box, he's begging for attention. Do not punish. Instead, right now, give your kitty extra love and attention, and get him used to baby things now.