Preparing for Your Second Pregnancy and Baby

After the initial overwhelming recognition that you are pregnant again, there are often some realizations that a second pregnancy can be very different than your first pregnancy.  No pregnancy is the same, and during your second or third+ pregnancy, there are many factors you didn't have to consider the first time around.

One of the very quick realities many pregnant mothers face is being sick.  Seeing as how my first child is still a toddler, something that I did very quickly was determine a safe place for him to be when I was having morning sickness.  We are lucky enough to have a space near our bathroom that is large enough to store a pack and play, and this was the safe spot I'd put him in when I was sick.  It was already stocked with toys and books to keep him occupied, toys that he only got to play with during those specific times, so he was happy just to sit and play.

A second consideration as the pregnancy progresses is where your first and second child will reside.  Do you have enough space for them to have their own rooms?  Do you co-sleep or roomshare, thus this being a non-issue?  Do you want them to share a room?  Do you re-decorate all over again?  Personally, we designed a unisex nursery the first time around, so we only had to plan/design/implement our son's toddler room.  

If your child is old enough to understand, you also may spend some time addressing the topic of preparing your child mentally and physically for their new brother or sister.  How you choose to approach that topic will vary greatly based on your child and your relationship with your child, as many children learn and process in different ways.

Last but not least, you have to prepare yourself.  Many mothers have fears and trepidations about bringing a (much-wanted!) second child into their lives.  There are few mothers who don't worry about how it will affect their first child, change their current lives, and try their patience or ability as a parent.  After having a few of these fears as a first time mom, however, most second time moms realize that you will get through these fears and get to the other side.  The second time mom realizes that everything is a phase, there is always enough love to go around, and cartoons are amazing on a rough day :)

What is something you are doing to prepare for your pregnancy and baby?