Yes, parenthood changes everything. But parenthood also changes with each baby. Here, some of the ways having a second and third child differs from having your first:
Your Clothes
-1st baby: You begin
wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
-2nd baby: You wear
your regular clothes for as long as possible.
-3rd baby: Your maternity
clothes ARE your regular clothes.
The Baby's Name
-1st baby: You pore
over baby name books and practice pronouncing and writing combinations
of all your favourites.
-2nd baby: Someone
has to name his or her kid after your great aunt Mavis, right? It might
as well be you.
-3rd baby: You open
a name book, close your eyes, and see where your finger points.
Preparing for the
Birth
-1st baby: You practice
your breathing religiously.
-2nd baby: You don't
bother practising because you remember that last time, breathing didn't
do a thing.
-3rd baby: You ask
for an epidural in your 8th month.
The Layette
-1st baby: You pre
wash your new-born's clothes, colour- co-ordinate them, and fold them neatly
in the baby's little bureau.
-2nd baby: You check
to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with
the darkest stains.
-3rd baby: Boys can
wear pink, can't they?
Worries
-1st baby: At the
first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.
-2nd baby: You pick
the baby up when her wails threaten to take your firstborn.
-3rd baby: You teach
your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
Activities
-1st baby: You take
your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby wing, and Baby Story Hour.
-2nd baby: You take
your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
-3rd baby: You take
your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
Going Out
-1st baby: The first
time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home 5 times.
-2nd baby: Just before
you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be
reached.
-3rd baby: You leave
instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
At Home
-1st baby: You spend
a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
-2nd baby: You spend
a bit of every day watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing,
poking, or hitting the baby.
-3rd baby: You spend
a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
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