Becoming a Mother of Two

I had a lot of people tell me this last pregnancy that going from one child to two is a lot harder than going from two to three.

Photo by Joshua Clay on Unsplash

From my current experience, I can vouch that becoming a mother of two has definitely felt different than becoming a mother to my first.

With my first, I constantly thought about my baby and being pregnant. I would say things like, "We're going to have a baby!" and "I can't wait to meet my daughter" all the time.

With my second, I would literally forget I was pregnant sometimes (sorry, son!) until I had to pee again for the 57th time that morning.

With my first, I counted down the weeks and days, read all the apps giving me updates on my growing baby, and felt like my due date was forever away.

With my second, I sometimes read from one of the apps if I remembered and had a second. My due date felt like forever away the first week or two of pregnancy and then all of a sudden it was here.

With my first, I could sit around and just watch her sleep as a newborn. I would hold her for hours on end.

With my second, I sometimes feel guilty for having to set him down for an hour or two while he sleeps in order to get my daughter dressed and fed, get myself presentable, and maybe do the dishes.

There truly is something special about your first baby that is just different. I would encourage first time moms to relish it. I absolutely love my second child -- he is amazing! But I have just not been able to dedicate the undivided attention to him as I could to my daughter. Every moment is amazing, though, and I am thankful for each and every one. The most heart-warming change with having the second child is watching the first one interact with him. She hugs, kisses, and tries to cuddle him, she talks to him, and she watches as I feed him. It's fun to have a little shadow "helping" me through these newborn days the second time around.