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Yes, parenthood changes everything.
But parenthood also changes with each baby.
Here are some of the ways having a second and third child differs from having
your first:
Your Clothes
- 1st baby: You begin wearing
maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
- 2nd baby: You wear your regular
clothes for as long as possible.
- 3rd baby: Your maternity
clothes ARE your regular clothes.
The Baby's Name
- 1st baby: You pour over baby-name
books and practice pronouncing and writing combinations of all your favorites.
- 2nd baby: Someone has to
name his or her kid after your great-aunt Mavis, right? It might as well be
you.
- 3rd baby: You open a name
book, close your eyes, and see where your finger points.
Preparing for the Birth
- 1st baby: You practice your
breathing religiously.
- 2nd baby: You don't bother
practicing because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.
- 3rd baby: You ask for an
epidural in your 8th month.
The Layette
- 1st baby: You pre-wash your
newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's
little bureau.
- 2nd baby: You check to make
sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest
stains.
- 3rd baby: Boys can wear pink,
can't they?
Worries
- 1st baby: At the first sign
of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.
- 2nd baby: You pick the baby
up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
- 3rd baby: You teach your
3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
Pacifier
- 1st baby: If the pacifier
falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil
it.
- 2nd baby: When the pacifier
falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
- 3rd baby: You wipe it off
on your shirt and pop it back in.
Diapering
- 1st baby: You change your
baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.
- 2nd baby: You change their
diaper every 2 to 3 hours, if needed.
- 3rd baby: You try to change
their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it
sagging to their knees.
Activities
- 1st baby: You take your infant
to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
- 2nd baby: You take your infant
to Baby Gymnastics.
- 3rd baby: You take your infant
to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
Going Out
- 1st baby: The first time
you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home 5 times.
- 2nd baby: Just before you
walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
- 3rd baby: You leave instructions
for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
At Home
- 1st baby: You spend a good
bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
- 2nd baby: You spend a bit
of every day watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking,
or hitting the baby.
- 3rd baby: You spend a little
bit of every day hiding from the children.
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