The happiness and love that your first baby brought into your life is probably immeasurable. But now, you are in for a second adventure!  Yes, you are having another baby!  No one would deny that parenthood is a wonderful experience in itself, but having another baby just doubles the fun…and the work! 

    But this time, you have the clear advantage of experience on your side with pregnancy, delivery, and parenthood.  Being a parent does change your life, but parenting also changes with each baby you have.  For your first baby, you began to wear maternity clothes as soon as your doctor confirmed your pregnancy!  Now, with your second you will probably want to wear your regular clothes AS LONG as possible!  With your first child, when their pacifier fell to the floor, you would swiftly run to sterilize it before putting it back into the baby’s mouth.  Now with your second baby, you give it a quick wipe on your blouse and pop it back into the mouth. My how things change!

    What will change?  You will!  All of that uncertainty that loomed over your firstborn will probably fade away with your second.  You are more likely to take things like little ailments in stride rather than pushing the panic button as you did with your first.  Due to experience, you will know when to call the doctor and when to ride out that sniffly nose.  Enjoy the increased confidence in your own abilities, knowledge, and experience.  Those tasks that seemed so difficult with your first, such as breastfeeding and changing diapers, will seem like second nature now.  You will also be more willing to give up some control and accept help from others with your second baby.  There is no crime in asking grandma to watch the kids so you can have a night out now and then. 

    Another big difference will be a more significant shortage of time.  Once you have your second child, you will ask yourself, “What did I do all day with only one child?”  Not only will your time allocation change, but you will find that your “alone time” seems to disappear.  With one, you could still count on some personal downtime during the day while your little one was napping or playing quietly.  Now with two children, times like that are few and far between.  Getting organized before your second baby arrives will certainly help.  Once the baby arrives, those first few weeks and months may seem a bit tricky since a huge chunk of your time is spent just getting your new baby on a regular feeding and sleeping schedule. 

    Although a shortage of time can be frustrating, the rewards of bringing another baby into the world far outweigh the disadvantages.  Take heart, in almost the blink of an eye, your children will be playing together, and you will wonder why you ever had reservations about a second child! Remember that your children will probably be life-long friends. Close sibling relationships are a wonderful benefit of having a second child.  You will no longer be the only playmate for your older child.

How do you prepare your older child for the new arrival in the house?  Here are a few tips:

·         Talk to your child about what a newborn will do…mostly eating and sleeping.  Some children think that their new sibling will be an instant playmate.  Manage these expectations.

·         Read books about being an older sibling.

·         Consider taking your older child to a sibling birth class offered at your local hospital.

·         After the baby is born, have your older child visit you as soon as possible.  Make them feel special.  Consider having a gift ready for your older child from the baby.

·         Once your baby is home, make sure to spend considerable time with your older child, especially while the baby is sleeping.

·         Get your older child involved with the baby.  Make him feel special by having him hold the baby with your assistance or by fetching some diapers for you.

    One common surprise for parents after a second baby is born is just how different their two children are.  One may be passive, while the other may be “on the go” all day long.  Your firstborn may have been born with a full head of hair while your second is a baldy!  Enjoy their differences; that is what makes the world so interesting.  You will always love each of them in a special way.  Savor those moments with your new baby.  Although life will inherently get a little more hectic with two, by having realistic expectations and enlisting the help of others, the joy of parenting can be multiplied by two!  Just think, someday you may be having a third!  How about a fourth?  After all, delivery is supposed to get easier with subsequent children, right?