Talking to friends and family, taking parenting classes at your hospital, and researching for blogs and books, are all ways to get yourself ready for the arrival of your offspring. But there is nothing like first hand experience, which you will get once your baby arrives. Ready or not, you will find that you deal with what life and your newly expanded family hands you.

So what should you expect when your newborn arrives? The level of emotions you will feel is personal. You may bond with your baby immediately or it may take a little longer. Either way, take into account the temporary ups and downs you may experience if you suffer from baby blues. Feeling overwhelmed, no matter how prepared you may believe you are for this baby, is natural and normal. After all, your life as you know it has changed and you are now a mother.

You can expect little sleep and not very much time for yourself in the beginning. But this will change with time. As your baby grows, he will learn to sleep through the night and you will feel more comfortable to take some time for yourself.

If you plan to breastfeed, you may experience an adjustment period where your body will learn how much milk to produce for the needs of your newborn. Until that happens, you may be leaking (so get pads for your nursing bras). Also you may experience engorgement, nipple pain and other discomforts that will disappear with time and experience. While you are still in the hospital, ask to see a lactation consultant to learn about breast feeding tips and make sure your baby latches on correctly.

Having a baby is demanding, can be exhausting, sometimes nerve wracking and above all, a big responsibility. But at the end of the day, raising your newborn is the most rewarding job you can have. You will melt when your baby starts to smile and find tremendous joy seeing him accomplish milestones and learn new things.

Give it time. You will feel more comfortable in your new roll with experience, and your baby’s growth and development will be an indicator to the fabulous job you are doing.

It is normal to be emotional about a change of this magnitude in your life. After all, the lifestyle you have known up until this point is about to be drastically altered.

If your family is expanding from two to three or more, you may be worried about the unknown, such as basic baby care for multiples, or parenting styles accustomed to each child. Parenting classes, usually offered by your hospital, can help prepare you for your new role as a parent by covering some of the basics.

If you worry about making mistakes, rest assure, you WILL make them, so there’s really no need to give it too much thought. Do your best and use your judgment, and remember you can always ask for help or advice from other parents or professionals.

Planning to expand your family the second or third (or more) time around has its own joys and challenges. You consider age differences and what the perfect spacing is for your family, but remember that most women don’t conceive on the demand and getting pregnant usually takes several tries.

What ever the age differences may be, there are different challenges to overcome and joys to be shared when raising siblings. Research sibling preparation classes for your kids when expecting a new baby, or talk to them; get them ready for the new addition to the family.

Raising children is the most demanding and the most joyous job you will experience and once you have them, you are in for the long run. Embrace your new title as a parent with all that comes with it. Remember to make time for romance and don’t forget how it all started.

Achieving the goal of parenthood together can certainly bring a couple closer. However, at the same time the difficulties and challenges you face as a new parents can bring about conflict about parenting methods and approaches. Believe it or not, but bringing home a baby can ignite feelings of jealousy, or the loss of ‘first place’ in the eyes of your partner. Fatigue and lack of time to devote to each other can also cause frustration. Sooner or later you may realize that parenthood, as amazing as it may be, is affecting your relationship with your partner in ways you did not anticipate.

What can you do? After all, you are exhausted, your baby is completely dependant on you, and you cannot find a minute to devote to anything else. For starters, you can acknowledge the problem. Talk to your partner about both your feelings and see what your expectations from each other are.

Making time for each other is crucial. If you have relatives or friends who are willing or offering to help / babysit take them up on it! A night out, even an hour or two, would do wanders to your perspective and your relationship.

Divide up your responsibilities so that when baby is asleep, you can take the time to cuddle in front of the TV or have a candle light dinner, rather than running around trying to finish up all your chores.

Lower your standards. Although hard to do for some, you will notice that prioritizing and adjusting your standards for what is considered clean, tidy, etc. can free up some of your time and allow you the time you are missing with your spouse, as well as time to relax and recharge.

With time, your baby will become more independent and you will have more time and opportunity to nurture your relationship with your partner. In the mean time, make a few adjustments to make time for your marital relationship. It is important for you and your child that your relationship with your spouse is a strong and happy one.

Well, it isn’t. Secondary infertility is found in about 20% of women and is most common among women who have waited with pregnancy till their 30’s or 40’s, when fertility declines. Secondary infertility is the inability to conceive after successfully and naturally conceiving one or more children. Causes for secondary infertility may be similar to those of primary infertility (childless couple who are unable to conceive).

There are a variety of reasons why secondary infertility may occur.  Since your last pregnancy, you or your partner may have had an infection, gained some weight, or started eating fewer healthy foods. These minor changes in your lifestyle can have grave repercussions on your reproductive health. Also your egg quality may have begun to decrease (natural process as you get older) or your partner’s sperm may not be what it once was during his youthful years. Abnormalities with sperm and ejaculation are frequently cited as causes of secondary infertility.

Luckily, there is a lot you can do to increase your chances to conceive for the second, third (or more) time. First, you should start taking prenatal vitamins. Folic acid and iron have been proven to improve fertility. Knowing when you are ovulating is crucial. If your cycle is regular, (28-30 days) have sex on days 10-14 (start the count on the first day of your period). Using an ovulation kit can be beneficial to zero in on the exact days you are ovulating.

Age is a factor when getting pregnant. If you’re 35 or older and have been trying to conceive for more than six months, speak to your OBGYN, who will most likely run some tests to see what the root of the problem is. Avoid Antihistamines and vitamin C supplements. They dry out the cervical fluid that helps sperm find its way to your egg.  Lubricants can block sperm’s path and should also be avoided. Stress, though hard to control, should be minimized and some ways to overcome stress is to do something fun, laugh, take a relaxing hot bath, pamper yourself to a massage or go on a getaway weekend with your partner. Whatever calms you down, do it!

You may also like:

• Is Your First Ready For Your Second?
• Common Mistakes On The Way To Pregnancy
• How to Get Pregnant Faster

Yes, it is YOUR decision, but taking a minute to consider how it will affect your little one may go a long way. That is not to say that you should go and consult your first born what he/she thinks of the possibility of becoming an older brother/sister, but think of how he/she will react to such news (based on personality), will he take well to sharing your attention, how will he/she treat the new baby, what will be a good time to share the news, etc.

Is your little one ready to be an older brother or sister? Is there really a way to know? Well, not really. Only time will tell. What you CAN do is prepare the whole family for this new adventure.

This can be a wonderful and exciting time for all of you. After you tell your little one the news, you can go to a prenatal visit together so your firstborn can ‘meet’ the new baby. You can practice holding a doll together, take sibling preparation class at the hospital, and talk about ‘your little brother/sister’ and how things may change, what they can do together, etc.

You may need to help your firstborn to adjust to the newly expanded family. If you have family or friends near by, use them for help. Continue whatever routine your eldest already have (daycare for example), and make him/her feel a part of the joy your family is graced with.

Chronologically, your partner was there first. He was in the center of your attention, your other half, the one you chose to live your life with. Together you created a family. You conceived, the two of you were excited throughout the pregnancy and waited to meet your baby, who will expand your description from a couple to a family.

Then your baby was born – small, new to the world and helpless without you. The three of you became a family, and at the same time, you lost your life as a couple. Or did you? Many couples experience a dramatic change in their relationship after their first baby is born. For most, the changes result in nothing more than period of adjustment; others may experience permanent and dramatic changes.

It is common to experience changes in the dynamics of your family when a baby is added to the picture. With all the excitement of bringing home a new baby, adjusting to the baby’s schedule, which is now your new schedule, lack of sleep and hormones, etc. – it can be overwhelming and your relationship and intimacy with your partner will suffer, or at least take the back seat for a while.

The good news is that this can be temporary. It is all up to the two of you. So who comes first for you? Your baby or your partner?

The answer is very personal. Different people have different priorities and needs. Your baby is helpless in its first year of life, and therefore will actually NEED more of your attention, care and love. Your husband/partner, while he can (potentially) take care of himself, still needs your love and affection even after your baby is born as well. Try and find the balance that works for you and your family. Feelings of neglect are not something you want in your newly expended household.