2nd Baby: What They DON’T Tell You

Okay, so I recently found out I was pregnant with baby number two. {insert big cheesy, proud smile here} When my husband and I started talking about having another baby, we were excited, I was ready, the time felt “right,” and we were crazy. 😉

Let me explain…with our first child, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Ah, sweet innocence. We had always slept when we wanted to, went out if we wanted, I worked, we were…ahem…intimate when we wanted, thing were all rosy. Then comes baby…life is turned upside down. In good ways and bad, we quickly learned that it was definitely not what we thought it would be. We learned how quickly a baby will pee if their diaper is off. We learned how clumsy we suddenly are when the previous situation happens. We learned how that a feeding and then playing “airplane” was a baaaad idea. We learned that burping was essential to happiness (this did not work when my husband tried to use the excuse). We learned that our hearts would overflow with love we never imagined. We learned that a teeny smile (even if they said it was gas) melted you in 2.5 seconds flat. We learned the joy in seeing your child learn – to sit up, babble, crawl, walk, talk….

Basically, each day was a first for us. First day that we had a daughter. First day that we had puking all night. First day our daughter was 10 months 16 days old…you get my point. We were learning as the days passed; there was nothing to compare it to. No prior experience to freak us out, hoping it wouldn’t happen again.

Then that second positive test comes, and my stomach falls into my feet. {And I am just going to be honest here} I thought, ‘Holy cow, what did I get myself into?’ This time, I had all my fears, frustrations, parenting failures, insecurities, and anxieties to cloud the joy of that moment. And while I was insanely excited and ecstatic and overjoyed and happy all in that moment, what they don’t tell you is how scared you’ll be. I was no longer naïve mama, dreaming of peaceful sleep-filled nights, sleeping babies, and stink-less diapers. I was now well-informed mama, who knew the hardships of parenting.

But you know what they also don’t tell you? They don’t tell you how your heart explodes in unexplainable love and joy when your already-born child kisses your belly and says, “I love you, baby.” They don’t tell you how you will puff up with pride when your child proudly exclaims, “Big sister!!” randomly while playing. They don’t tell you how you’ll be in awe at the kindness and gentleness that your child shows when seeing a newborn.

I know I will be scared. I know that I will worry how I’ll handle two, but I can do it. Life will just shift like it did when I had my first. It will eventually settle into a new normal. I will sleep again. There will someday be a day that I won’t wake up already feeling exhausted. But for all the struggle, I will have precious babies to show for it.