After having your first, you may think ‘I’m a pro’, or at least feel like you know what to expect when contemplating having your second child.  However, have you ever wondered if you really ‘know’ what to expect with two children? Having one baby can be a handful, especially to the inexperienced mom, but once you have practiced parenting on your first (and made enough mistakes to call yourself a pro), shouldn’t it be easier with the second?

Well, it is true that you are now out of the dark. You have already experienced all the ‘firsts’ with one child, and with your second baby it will be that much easier it terms of what to expect, how to handle a newborn, how to breastfeed, teething, etc. But is that really all there is to it? Not really.

Being pregnancy with your second

Remember the fatigue you have experienced in the first trimester of your first pregnancy? And back then you didn’t have a baby / child to care for. Now things are a bit different… Which is a good indication of to what is to come after your second is born…

Longs naps like you may have had time for during your first pregnancy are now out of the question. Instead you need extra energy for your first child, who wants to play, needs to be cared for, may already be running around and making you run around after him or her..

This is good time to try and listen to your doctor (or others) telling you NOT to pick up heavy things. But who will carry your child? The fact that you may be pregnant will not change your child’s needs for love, affection, and being held by you.. You may laugh but – it’s true.

Later when you start showing you will have to consider WHEN and HOW to tell him about the new addition to the family…

Intro to having two kids…

Once your second arrives, you will be faced with new challenges. Jealousy is a very common feeling when it comes to siblings. Your first child is facing a new reality. He/she is no longer the center of attention in the family, and sharing your love with a new baby in the house could be challenging for him.

Depending on your firstborn’s age, you’ll be dealing with things other than siblings’ rivalry or jealousy. You may find that you are exhausted from having to care for two, sometimes three if you count Daddy as one of the gang.. You’ll have to strategize curtain things, like maybe how to handle two strollers when leaving the house, or what type of activity will best suit everyone in the family, now that there are so many different age groups in the family, and therefore a variety of interests that may not complement each other at all times (if at all).

But the best part of having another baby is the new experiences and the love and joy that will fill our home and heart. Through all the difficulties, having a baby is a wonderful and amazing experience for both yourself and the rest of the family. Help your firstborn to see how wonderful it can be to be an older brother or sister to your new baby.