With seven weeks behind us, I’m sitting here reflecting about how different it is to be a mom the second time around. I’ve moved from a rookie paranoid first time mom to a relaxed and go-with-the-flow (on most occasions) second time mom. The best thing about it is your EXPERIENCE. You know some tricks up your sleeve that helped you manage and just knowing what the heck you’re doing with this baby. Experience is on our side.
Top FOUR things about being a second time Mom
1. Being able to get out of the house. I remember having Ivy and being so scared to go anywhere, putting myself in a voluntary prison at home. Asking myself, how do I go to Target? How do I grocery shop? Well now that the car seat is in the grocery cart, where do I put the groceries?! These all make me laugh now, and we figured it out eventually, all trial and error and looking seriously ridiculous while seeing if there are other moms around that you can copy (oh ya, I did that many times). Now this time, we were out of the house right away. For goodness sakes, we have a toddler to keep up with!! I’m throwing the kids in the car and we are off. Going to art class, going to the zoo, going to the park, going to swim, stacking the groceries around Ivy and the car seat… we are out, and it’s so much better than being stuck at home! So first time Mom’s, get some NATURAL vitamin D on your babe and get out, you can do it!!
2. Being more chill about sleep. With Ivy, I was soooo paranoid about her sleeping, strict on white noise, strict on schedules, strict on bed times. STRICT. Ultimately, it led to her being a picky sleeper, she would only fall asleep in the perfect conditions, just like her mom. Ugh. So this time around, I am putting Leo into every sleeping situation and have been successful with him falling asleep anywhere. Thank goodness. That was too hard and stressful with Ivy! Leo has been much easier.
3. Letting go of that vice grip. Your first born child is “my precious” (think Gollum from the Lord of the Rings insanity). You have a vice grip on that thing that no one can break. I remember guarding Ivy from others, being scared of who was holding her, getting rid of germs, washing and sanitizing EVERYTHING. Well, second kid, I hand him off like a hot potato to whoever wants him.
4. And I think the BEST thing about being a second time Mom is SNUGGLING with your baby because you know how fast it goes!!! :(
Read these post for some funny laughs about second time Moms – here and here