Not all gear is created equal- we had issues with two fisher price items which we had to send back.
Not all diapers (disposable) are created equal or work the same for each kid.
Growth spurts are a major pain...literally.
Teething sucks.
Anyone else?
Mom of one toddler boy, with another BOY on the way. Life is exciting traveling being active duty & a wife.
Re: Things you learned after the first..
Disposable diapers are definitely not all created equal, and the same brand won't necessarily work well for every kid.
What works well for one baby won't always work for another.
Breastfeeding might be natural but that doesn't mean it's easy!
Amen to this (drowsy not asleep part). This next child is going down AWAKE!
A lot of the gear people tell you you need isn't really necessary.
#1-buying new is overrated! Please give me all your hand-me downs, and please don't think I'll be offended by you offering!
#2-not all germs are bad! Gasp...I know!! My kids have all eaten dirt (mixed with God only knows what), my DD has licked windows, door knobs, walls, carts, anything and everything she could get near her mouth. And she is still healthy!! Yay!!
#3-Not everyone will love your name choice, and it doesn't matter one damn bit!
#4-No matter how much you think you can't possibly love another as much as you do your first...your heart always has a way of surprising you.
Colten James - 9/9/2005
Isabella Ann - 7/20/2012
SURPRISE!!! Emma Leigh - due 8/27/2015 (c-section date 8/7/2015)
Take a few hours with DH, they really won't remember
Breastmilk is best, formula is not poison. Don't be afraid to supplement if necessary
It doesn't get easier, only different.
To not compare my baby to other babies (their babies aren't better than mine and mine isn't better than theirs - they're all unique individuals!). I'd guilt myself if someone's baby was ahead in something, for example. Don't do that! Your baby will have their own strengths and weaknesses, just like any adult.
Don't engage in mommy wars (cloth versus disposable, to circ or not to circ, vaccines, etc.). People get passionate about what works for them (including me) but it's not worth a fight. They probably won't change your mind and you won't change theirs so just do what is best for your family and avoid the drama. If it's a normal adult conversation or a friend asking advice that's one thing. Taking someone's bait and blowing up at each other is what I'm talking about.
Many kids don't sleep through the night until well over a year (or two years old) and this is normal. Many kids (like mine) still enjoyed getting up 3-4 (or 5) times a night till they are well over a year old. This can also be completely normal.
Breastfeeding is just really hard. That is all there is to say about that one.
I will learn how to properly baby carry this time around. I love snuggling, but I also need my hands free to get stuff done.
Agree with PP who said don't be afraid to supplement. God bless the nurse in the hospital who gently asked if we minded giving dd formula when she wasn't getting enough from me those first days. Life changing.
Sleep when baby sleeps. Especially if your dh is like mine and doesn't mind working and coming home to do laundry and dishes. Idk how I would have survived all the bf'ing if I didn't take that advice.
This time - getting a video monitor and one of those thingies that clips to baby's diaper to alert me if she stops breathing. I was neurotic with dd and hardly slept bc I was always checking to make sure she was alive.
Other than that, I agree with all of the above.
Receiving blankets can be used for almost anything (changing blanket, burp cloth, nursing cover...) I usually stock up.
No amount of articles, websites, books can truly prepare you for motherhood. Both the awesome and the difficult.
Feeling excited to have another baby should not make you feel like a bad mother to the one you have now. I regularly feel guilt for not having more time between my son and this baby. But I have learned that it's ok to want them to be close as they will only have each other after I pass on in many many years... ( they will be 13 months apart.)
This time around I am not googling every time I feel a weird feeling or read someone else's problem and think I might have it. ( bit of a hypochondriac)
I don't need to touch my baby to make sure s/he's still breathing ever 2 mins. I can just look at the movement of the chest area.
I have more trust in myself to know that I can grow this baby and deliver this baby safely in to this world with minimum intervention from doctors. Having a midwife first time around has showed me that pregnancy is not an illness or disability like some doctors would lead you to believe or feel. I am still able to do the things I did before, I drink coffee and eat sushi I love canned tuna and lobster walk a mile around a zoo at 40 weeks in mid summer or go 4 wheeling or horse back riding. Just like all things in life moderation is the key to being healthy. Last pregnancy a few doctors and a midwife tried to scare me in to things. I am glad to have found my midwife Carron as she was my angel. Doctors ( some not all) would have you believe you need all these tests and pills and procedures. When in reality you don't, it has just become the norm to follow what ever the DOCTOR says as law. As my husband put it doctors are still a service industry we pay them to look after us, they are not god, and if what they say goes against your own beliefs or institution you need to speak up and be heard.
It's not easy but it's worth it.
You will never love another person more than a tiny human that you hold and it is 100% you and your spouse and 100% their own person.
Babies need very little, what they need most is love and attention... Stuff is just that... We have a lot of baby stuff and tons of toys and she would rather play with an empty water bottle or get sippy in the drawer than her toys most any day.
Pinterest is wonderful and evil... No one can do everything in a child's lifetime... Do what is important to you, scrapbooks can come later when you have time... Do take foot prints, handprints and pictures, just date them (name them) and put them in a box for each child... You can organize it later.
Dishes, laundry and dusting can wait, take a nap, snuggle, or just take 5 minutes to breathe... It feels like eternity but it flies by too fast. Once they crawl, vacuum... Everything else can wait and your friends don't care, they will help clean if it's really bad!
Just love them, spend time with them, they won't remember these timessdo document what you can and don't stress if you forget...
And constant blowouts as well.
Sometimes I vlog on YouTube. Check out my channel here!