For those of you who have been keeping track, I’m 35 weeks tomorrow and it’s slowly starting to sink in that we’ll have another beautiful baby boy here soon, even though we still have no idea what we’re gonna name him! With as busy as we’ve been and as much as we’ve been running around lately, i can’t help but think how everything’s about to change…again! And we have no idea what that’s gonna be like.
On a personal note, for those mommies that want to know if the healthy lifestyle is working, it still is. I’ve still only gained about 10 pounds so far and baby is doing great! My belly’s a little bigger than last time around, but still manageable and I’m still working out, although I’ve had to take a few more breaks here and there. i’ve been trying to guzzle water to no end, but otherwise all is well.
It’s strange when you have your second child how much you think you know what to expect, but at the same time, you have no idea. I mean I know what to expect when you have a baby, but you have no idea about how your first child is going to respond to this new little creature. Will he be curious? Will he be jealous? Will he be mad or extra clingy because he’s attention-starved? I have no idea. I guess it’s just one of those things that you have to take one day at a time and conquer one battle at a time. And who knows, maybe he’ll totally love having a little brother! I mean I know he’s only one, but I can dream, right?
Am I Ready for Baby #2?
What I really want to talk about today is getting ready and being prepared for baby #2. When you have your first child, most women have a baby shower and receive tons of things they will need (and not need) for their newest addition. There’s so much anticipation that most of the time, when your baby does arrive, you have everything ready. it’s just a matter of figuring out what works and what doesn’t work for your baby.
With baby #2, some women are lucky enough to have another baby shower, or baby “sprinkle” and are showered with things they will once again need for baby. This is really common for people who have babies further apart or whose second baby is the opposite gender from the first. With our second being another boy, we kind of lucked out because we really don’t need a lot.
We have a separate bassinet my husband’s wonderful grandfather built us that the new baby will sleep in for at least a few months, and we will keep the baby in our room for that time, so we don’t even have to really change much with the nursery just yet. My first son gets to stay in the nursery for now, so we don’t really need to get him new stuff just yet. And we already have a range of onesies, sleepers, blankets, binkies and the works.
But Then There’s All The Stuff I Didn’t Think About…
I didn’t think about the fact that while the baby’s sleeping in our room, yes he has a bed, but somebody’s gonna have to give up some closet or dresser room cause he’s gonna need some room for clothes. Or the fact that they will be sharing a changing table, which I hope doesn’t become a problem! Speaking of diapers, we’re going to be buying two sets of diapers at the same time…yikes! Maybe we should have a diaper party just to stock the closets!
The point is, the only way to be as prepared as you can be is to act like it’s your first child all over again. The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to buy all new things. And keep in mind, that the binkies, or types of bottles or swaddle blankets or any other go-to survival items you’re planning to use with your new bundle of joy may not work for that baby. All babies are different and have their own tendencies and personalities and it may be just as much of a roller coaster to figure out what works and what doesn’t work as it was the first time around…just add a one-year-old into the mix!
How to Prepare
So now that I’ve totally freaked you out about having more children, let’s give you some practical steps to get prepared and lighten the load when you do bring your beautiful baby home.
1. Have a Game Plan
From who is going to take care of your other child/children when you go to the hospital, to who’s going to take care of your house or your pets or water your garden. Whatever it is, people always want to help, so take advantage of it! Let them help you, because whether or not you think you’re super mom, you’re gonna need it. Let people bring you dinners or snacks or whatever the case may be. Even if you don’t need it, take it. Freeze it or save it for later because everyone always wants to help out at first, but they don’t think about it a few weeks after your baby is born when there aren’t a lot of people to help you. Make your life easier by stocking up.
2. Meal Prep
So speaking of having your meals taken care of, you can also do this yourself. I remember when I had my first son, I spent a few hours on a Saturday to prep casseroles, lasagna, soups, and whatever else I could think of so that all I had to do for dinner was cook it or heat it up. It makes life so much easier when you really don’t have a spare second, or if you do, you’d rather spend it sleeping.
Stock your cupboards, too. Buy granola bars, trail mix, and other easy and healthy snacks you can grab quickly, especially in the middle of the night when you’re breastfeeding and starving! Grab and go snacks are key!
Check out my Healthy Eating page for great meal prepping ideas.
3. Get the Rest of Your House Ready
People sometimes forget just how much time a newborn will take. Think about your weekly or even monthly list of chores and get as much done before baby comes as you can. Deep clean your house (you never know when you’ll have time to do this again), wash your sheets, stock up on bathroom supplies like toilet paper and toothpaste, get all your laundry caught up and finish as many honey-do projects as you can. The less you have to deal with when you bring your baby home, the better. Trust me, that leaking faucet or squeaky door gets that much more annoying when you’ve got multiple kids screaming at you and you haven’t slept in 3 days.
4. Don’t Forget About Your Other Kids
Yes this is going to be a big transition for you, but it’s also going to be a huge transition for your other kids. Maybe they’re old enough to know a little better about what’s going on and they’re excited, or maybe (like my son) they have no idea what’s coming. Either way, make sure you give them tons of love, time and affection before the new baby comes.
Be practical about getting them ready, too. Make sure they have everything they need for the time when the baby comes. Is it going to be back to school time? Is it the beginning of summer? Spend some extra time getting them ready and making sure they have everything need and make them feel like the entire family is getting ready for baby together. The more you include them in the process, the less they will feel left out when the new baby arrives.
5. Get Your Baby Stuff Ready
Ok, so you may have everything you need for your new baby, but don’t forget to get it all ready. Get your clothes washed and put in the dresser or closet they will use. Wash any toys, binkies, and bottles you’ll need. Get their bed ready, wash their sheets, and clean their room. Be ready for a variety of scenarios as well. For example, after attempting to breastfeed my first son and eventually exclusively pumping for 7 1/2 months, I am bound and determined to actually nurse my second son. But I’m going to be prepared either way. I’ll wash my breast pump and make sure I have all the parts I need. I’ll take all my supplementing tools with me to the hospital to establish a plan from the get go. And if I don’t use any of it, it doesn’t really matter. The point is that I’m going to set myself up to be successful no matter what.
Make sure you have everything you’ll need for yourself too. Whether that means buying some cute comfy clothes to wear around the house when you’re home with baby or getting all the breastfeeding supplies you’ll need. Make sure you’re prepared as well.
6. Take Time For Yourself
This may seem like a joke to some of you, because as a mom, you haven’t had time for yourself in how long? But it is important, even more so than it was the first time around. Take a day to pamper yourself, treat yourself to a nice dinner out, have a date night with your hubby or just get out of the house for some retail therapy. Whatever you like to do for you, do it! Everything is about to be about your baby again and you need to focus on yourself a little before all the focus is on your baby.
There you go! Now that you know a little bit more information on how to prepare, multiple children doesn’t seem so scary, right? I’ll let you be the judge of that. If you have any tips for last minute preparation before baby #2, let me know. It is going to be my first experience with multiple children so I can take any tips you can offer!